Structural Design of Kaohsiung Stadium, Taiwan

Hideyuki Watanabe, Manager, Struct. Eng.; Yoshio Tanno, Principal Eng., Struct. Eng.; Masayoshi Nakai, General Manager,
Struct. Eng.; Takashi Ohshima, Manager, Struct. Eng.; Akihiro Sugiuchi, Struct. Eng.; Takenaka Corporation, Tokyo, Japan;
William H. Lee, General Manager, Struct. Eng.; Jensen Wang, Struct. Eng.; Hsin-Yeh Engineering Consultants Inc., Taiwan.
Contact: nakai.masayoshi@takenaka.co.jp
DOI: 10.2749/101686613X13363929988539

Abstract
This paper presents an outline descrip-
tion of the structural design of the main
stadium for the World Games held in
Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, in 2009. Three
new design concepts, unseen in previous
stadiums, were proposed and realized:
“an open stadium”, “an urban park”,
and “a spiral continuous form”. Based
on the open stadium concept, simple
cantilever trusses in the roof structure
were arranged in a delicate rhythm,
and a so-called oscillating hoop of steel
tubes was wound around the top and
bottom surfaces of a group of canti-
lever trusses to form a continuous spiral
form. Also, at the same time by clearly
grouping the structural elements of the
roof structure, the dramatic effect of the
urban park was highlighted by unifying
the landscape and the spectator seat-
ing area to form the stadium facade. Fig. 1. Bird’s eye view
This paper specifically reports on the
overview of the building, concepts of
structural design, structural analysis of
the roof, roof design, foundation design, Subsequently, the basic and detailed greenery in the park and the lush
and an outline of the construction. designs were carried out; construction vegetation of the pond.
started in December 2006 and was (3) In addition, 32 spiral steel tubes
Keywords: open stadium; urban park; completed in January 2009 through an referred to as “oscillating hoops”
spiral continuum; cantilever truss; international collaboration between are provided on the outer side of
oscillating hoop; reinforced concrete Japan and Taiwan. the roof over the spectator seating
saddle; piled-raft foundation. area, forming a continuous spiral
The main design concepts of the sta-
as part of the structural form as
dium were (a) an open stadium, (b) an
if to express the dynamism of the
Introduction urban park, and (c) a spiral continuum
human body in motion, and induc-
(Fig. 1).
ing visitors to enter the stadium by
Kaohsiung Stadium is located in
(1) The spectator seating area facing raising their spirits (Fig. 2).
Zuoying district in the northern out-
Zhonghai Road on the front is
skirts of Kaohsiung city, and was Approximately 6500 solar panels are
open, which naturally guides visi-
planned as the main venue for the 8th installed on the stadium roof, pro-
tors from the MRT station located
World Games held in July 2009. The viding a new landmark to the city of
in the southeast of the site to the
stadium is a multipurpose facility that Kaohsiung and a 21st century environ-
stadium, achieving a continuous
is used for various events such as ath- mentally friendly stadium to the world.
flow plan that conforms to the
letics (with International Association
shape of the stadium.
of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
(2) Also, on days when there are Structural Concept
accredited 400 m track), soccer (with
no games or events, the plaza in
Federation Internationale de Football
front of the entrance and the sta- Based on the open stadium design con-
Association (FIFA) accredited field),
dium athletics field can be used cept, rather than a closed roof frame
concerts, exhibitions and so on, with a
integrally, making it possible to covering the spectator seating of the
capacity of 40 000 (55 000 when tem-
conduct new types of events that stadium, an open roof structure was
porary additional seats are added).
cannot be held in conventional required. In order to meet this design
An international design competi- stadiums. The stadium also pro- requirement, which differs from the
tion was held at Kaohsiung in 2005 vides an urban park where visitors conventional closed structural form,
to select the architect and contractor. can enjoy walking among the rich one of the structural concepts was to

Structural Engineering International 1/2013 Technical Report 75


Fig. 2. Oscillating hoop
Oscillating hoop
Tension
rod
Cantilever
truss
Oscillating hoop
Fig. 3. Detail of roof structure
provide cantilever trusses with an over-
hang length of about 30 to 40 m as the
main structure supporting the weight of
the roof, spaced at close intervals to cre-
ate a rhythmical continuity. These boo-
merang-shaped cantilever trusses were
made from H-shaped steel top and
bottom chords, rectangular steel tube
struts, and diagonal members of rect-
angular steel tube (from the truss base
to the center portion) and rod (from
the center to the top portion), radically
arranged in series at about 5,5 m inter-
vals; there are 159 trusses in total.
The “oscillating hoop” is an element
that is continuously wound around
the top and the bottom surfaces of the
group of cantilever trusses which are
arranged in a row from one end of the
roof to the other, expressing the design
concept of spiral continuous form
(Figs. 2 and 3). The oscillating hoop
(318,5f steel tubes) arranged at about
2,5 to 3,5 m intervals is a tied element
that integrates the group of cantilevers
(Fig. 3). It functions as a bracing mem-
ber for transmitting horizontal forces
due to seismic or wind loads to the
ground by maintaining the in-plane
stiffness of the roof. In addition, the
hoop on the top surface of the truss is a
secondary member for supporting the
solar panel units. By clearly focusing
the function of the roof structure into
these two elements, cantilever trusses
and oscillating hoop, and making them
closely continuous, it was possible to
minimize the member cross sections
and reduce the overall weight of the
roof. Furthermore, it integrates the
design by emphasizing the beauty of
repetition and continuity (Fig. 4a).
Another continuous structural ele-
ment is the “saddle” with its impres-
sive form, the upper stand is supported
by the saddles. The saddle is a tube-
shaped structure consisting of rein-
forced concrete (RC) curved walls and
a floor. And the units with the same
shape are arranged in the peripheral
direction from the same angle as the
roof cantilever trusses, expressing con-
tinuity (Fig. 4b). The lower stand which
houses various rooms associated with
the multi-purpose sports facility, car
parks, and others has two-story seismic
walls in addition to a rigid frame struc-
ture in the radial and circumferential
directions. It supports the stepped
flooring of the lower stand and trans-
mits the forces from the roof and the
upper stand to the foundations.
The three structural elements (a) the
straight SC (H-shaped steel filled with
concrete) inclined beams that support
the precast stepped flooring, (b) the
159 boomerang-shaped roof cantilever
trusses and 32 oscillating hoops that cov-
ers them, and (c) the RC curved saddles

(a) (b)

Fig. 4. Inside view

76 Technical Report Structural Engineering International 1/2013

 Cantilever truss and the steel framework, which was
(S structure) about 2,3 kN/m2, and the super-
imposed load was 0,6 kN/m2. Parts of
Oscillating hoop the roof framework are exposed to
(S structure)
direct sunlight, so temperature load
Upper stand (SC beams was also taken into consideration with
+ PC stepped flooring) A an average air temperature of ±30°C.

Saddle Seismic Load

(RC structure)
In Taiwan, facilities where the public
B congregate require a higher structural
Lower structure
(RC structure) performance than ordinary buildings,
same as in Japan. This stadium was
designed with an importance factor (I)
of 1,25. The seismic loads considered
Foundations in design were set based on simulated
(Piled raft) seismic motions (with a peak accel-
eration of 3,24 m/s2 and a duration of
: Connection point between truss, upper stand and saddle 120 s) produced from the acceleration
response spectrum of the ground at the
Fig. 5. Composition of overall structure construction site and data measured
during the Chi-Chi earthquake, which
of different shapes and materials, are sand layer of the ground surface occurred near the construction site.
connected in cross section at only four during a major earthquake.
points Then, these structural construc- Wind Load
In order to comply with the above
tions are continuously repeated in the The wind resistance performance was
structural design policies, a detailed
circumferential direction to integrate taken into consideration with the
design was carried out in close col-
the structure as a whole (Fig. 5). same importance as that for the seis-
laboration with the Taiwanese struc-
tural engineers with the coordination mic loading. The standard wind speed
Structural Design Policy between the methods used for domes corresponding to the wind for a return
and stadiums in Japan and the vari- period of 100 years at this site was
The main structural design policies for 41.25m/s at 10m above ground. The
the stadium were as follows: ous regulations as well as standards
applied in Taiwan. wind pressure on the stadium roof
– Structural members shall have suffi- (42 m above the field) was 1605 Pa.
cient stiffness and strength to avoid The distribution of the wind force
deformation and cracking during
Design Loads and Combination coefficient was determined by wind
regular use of the building and by tunnel tests using a 1/500 scale model
Normal Load of the stadium, taking the characteris-
normal loads such as the self-weight
of the building, live load, and so on. The main dead load on the roof is the tics of the shape of the urban park into
– The main frame of the roof shall be self-weight of the finishing materials consideration, as shown in Fig. 6.
a cantilever truss that is virtually
a statically determinate structure;
hence in a major earthquake, the
members of the framework will be
maintained within the elastic range.
– The members of the framework of the
roof structure shall be within the elas-
tic range and sufficient stiffness shall
be ensured such that deformations
that could damage the building’s
function do not occur under wind
loads, which have been determined
on the basis of Taiwanese wind design
standards and wind tunnel tests.
– Regarding the lower RC structure,
yielding shall be allowed in some
members during a major earth-
quake, whereas shear yielding that
has poor ductility is not allowed.
– Differential settlement of the foun-
dations due to the self-weight of
the building and the embankment
surrounding the building shall be
minimized as much as possible, and
liquefaction shall not occur in the Fig. 6. View of wind tunnel test

Structural Engineering International 1/2013 Technical Report 77

 Top chord
H-414 × 405 × 18 × 18 (at the base)
H-386 × 299 × 9 × 14 (at the tip)
Bottom chords
Struts
-250 × 250× 9 RHS,
Diagonal
-200 × 200 × 8 - 6
Upper stand
RC saddle
Fig. 7. Cross sections of the main steel framework members
Fig. 8: View of the steel framework erection
Load Combinations
In Taiwan, the design standard follows
the Load and Resistance Factor Design
method; so the structural safety of the
building was verified on the basis of
this method.
Structural Analyses of Roof
Structure
Analytical Model
Various types of analysis models were
used in accordance with the design
phase and the object of the analysis.
At the structural planning stage, the
78 Technical Report
Oscillating hoop
-318.5 × 9 CHS
Diagonal
Tension rods 52 φ -30 φ
(Same as the top)
-200 × 200 × 6 RHS
Stepped floor beam
BH-1400 × 400 × 16 × 25,
filled with concrete
(The material is ASTMA572 Gr50.)
shape and support conditions of the
cantilever trusses were investigated
first, mainly against the vertical load-
ing using one or several plane models.
Thereafter, the models were extended
in stages in the out-of-plane direction,
and it was confirmed that the frame-
work was integrated against the hori-
zontal forces by the oscillating hoop.
To determine the structural proper-
ties of the roof as a whole, to carry out
preliminary seismic response analysis,
and to set the member cross sections, a
model of the complete upper structure
including the entire roof framework,
the stepped flooring and the saddle was
Structural Engineering International 1/2013
used. Partial models were considered as
appropriate to confirm the local flow of
forces, for wind response analysis that
has many load input points, and so on.
For final confirmation of appropriate-
ness to the Taiwanese design criteria,
a complete model that included the
lower structure was used.
Results of Seismic Response Analysis
The fundamental vibration mode of the
roof truss is the vertical mode as that
of the cantilever, and in the main parts
of the stadium ranges between 1,0 and
1,8 Hz in accordance with the length of
the cantilever. In the in-plane direction
of the truss (i.e., the cantilever direc-
tion), the vertical response of the can-
tilever tip to seismic forces is large, and
the response displacement is equal to
that was produced by the self-weight.
Almost all the roof frame members are
determined by the stress combinations
during earthquake loading.
Based on the above-mentioned design
loads and structural analyses, the
determined cross sections of the main
members of the roof framework are
shown in Fig. 7.
Design of Foundation
A piled raft foundation was adopted as
the foundation structure for the upper
and lower stands, providing a rational
foundation scheme that effectively uti-
lizes the ground characteristics of the
construction site.
A comparatively good sand stratum
was found at ground level −6 to 16 m,
which are the depths of the foundation
slabs of the upper and lower stands.
The average ground contact pressure
of the building was about 160 kN/m2
directly below the saddle supporting
the roof and upper stand, whereas in
the other areas it was about 80 kN/
m2. The ground bearing resistance
was sufficient to design direct founda-
tions. However, in order to minimize
the differential settlement as much as
possible, a piled raft foundation was
adopted directly below the saddle
with three to four friction prestressed
concrete (PC) piles (pile diameter,
800 mm; pile length, 28 m) per column.
There was also some concern over liq-
uefaction of the sand stratum between
the ground level and the ground level
-16 m during major earthquakes; there-
fore ground improvement was carried
out directly below the entire founda-
tion slab as a countermeasure against
liquefaction. The ground improvement
method adopted was 800 mm soil–
cement piles to reduce the shear
strain during an earthquake, with a
ground improvement ratio of 10 to
20% depending on the distribution of
the contact pressure. The effect of the
ground improvement was confirmed
by shear wave velocity measurement
tests.
Construction
Preparatory construction work (exca-
vation, ground improvement) was
started in September 2006, whereas
the main construction (piling) started
on December 28 2006. On January 21,
2009 the construction was safely and
successfully completed.
Outline of Roof Steel Framework
Construction
The method of constructing the roof
framework was to proceed from north
to south in two construction areas, the
main stand side and the back stand
side, with four trusses per block. A
temporary shoring tower provided at
the tip of the trusses was used, and
the installation height of the hydraulic
jack and the jack capacity were set by
Structural Engineering International 1/2013
analysis during construction for each [3] Fu Tsu Construction Co., Ltd. Main Stadium
block (Fig. 8). From the analysis, it for the 2009 World Games. October, 2009.
was assumed that the vertical displace- [4] Watanabe H. Structural Design of the
ment of the tip of the truss after jack- Kaohsiung Stadium. Proceeding of Structural Engi-
ing down would be 70–120 mm, and neers World Congress, Como, Italy, April, 2011.
the horizontal displacement would
be small, so it was confirmed that the
planned construction sequence would
not cause any detrimental deformation SEI Data Block
or stress. Jacking down was carried out
carefully using four hydraulic jacks Owner:
coupled together, while measuring Bureau of Public Works City of
the displacement of the truss tip, the Kaohsiung, Taiwan
hydraulic jack reactions, and the dif- Structural Design:
ference in displacement from the adja- Takenaka Corporation, Japan
cent block. The roof framework was Hsin-Yeh Engineering Consultants
a continuation of plane trusses that Inc., Taiwan
were stable for each block, so it was Contractor:
possible to adopt an erection method Fu Tsu Construction Co., Ltd., Taiwan
that allowed them to be free-standing (Construction Consultant: Takenaka
during construction. This method facil- Corporation, Japan; JSD, Co. Ltd.,
itated the reduction of construction Japan)
time as well as the amount of equip- Architect:
ment used for temporary construction. Toyo Ito & Associates, Japan
Takenaka Corporation, Japan
References Ricky Liu & Associates, Taiwan
[1] Toyo Ito. Toyo Ito Recent Project. GA Steel (t) 6600
Photographers. November, 2008. Concrete (m3): 128 867
Estimated cost
[2] Fu Tsu Construction Co., Ltd. The Construc- (USD millions): approx. 145
tion of the Main Stadium for the 2009 World
Service date July 2009
Games. December, 2008.
Technical Report 79