Olympic Stadium

Behnisch & Partners Frei Otto

 INTRODUCTION
The Munich Olympic stadium is located in Munich, Germany, which is designed and built to host the Olympic Games in
Munich 1972. The architects in charge, Frei Otto and Gunther Behnisch both won the design competition for the 1972
Olympic Games by proposing an undulating, continuous translucent roof cover ing almost 80000 square metres of the
landscape.

Designing a structure emulating the motto of the games: "The Happy Games" was their aim. Otto and Behnisch created
a structure mimicking elevation of the Swiss Alps with a continuous the translucent roof pools which is suspended looking
like the clouds covering all over the spaces between the main stadium, and gym.

The stadium consist of four separate sub-areas (Olympic Games, Olympic Village, Press Room Olympic City. the Olympic
Park), Telecommunications tower and stadium
 INTRODUCTION
Architect : Frei Otto and Gunther Behnisch

: Munich, Germany
Location
Years of Construction : 1968 - 1972

Collaborators : Otl Aicher mbH

Client : Olympia-Baugesellschaft
Stadium type : Public
: Fully enclosed structure
winters and mild sum
Type : Temperate - cold
ofenclosure mers
Volume
Climatic zone : 427,300 m3
Swimming Pool volume
222,000 m3
Total Roof Area :
:: 74,800 m2
69,250 visitors, 57,450 seats and 11,800
Capacity standing places, l 00 places for disabled
persons
Dimensions : 260 m length axis and 250 m diagonal
.
axis.
Field : l 05 x 68 m

Internal area : Automatic irrigation system and field

heating, 400 m round track with
8 tracks, long jump and triple
jump complex, high

Scoreboards jump, pole vault, discus, hammer and

Lighting jav elin throw, shotput
System
LOCATION
Climate
Despite Munich’s temperate weather, the design of a cable net roof structure
had to address two critical factors: wind and snow.

Freezing rain, snow or hail falls an average of 75 days per year in Munich,
and wind gushes can exceed 120 km/h during stormy weather. Heavy snow
and ice accumulations on the unheated roof could impose dangerous
structural loads.

The climate conditions in Munich and especially the prevailing wind

direction, both the tensile roof and the main seating area are oriented at
the western edge.

Approximately 65% of the stadium’s visitors are thus given shelter from the
natural elements.
 Site plan

9 Swimming Hall
10 Sports Hall
12 Olympic Stadium
17 Artificial Lake
22 Rubble Hill
TENSILE STRUCTURE DESIGN AND DEVELOPEMENT
DESIGN PROCESS
Design of supporting framework
• fabric
• arches
• masts
• anchorages
• Weldments

Develop a practical geometric

shape:
• Form-finding
• Prestress analysis
• Perform centerline

Determine the structural loading:

• Wind
• Snow
• Rain (ponding)
• Special loads (point loads, wind loads)

Design of components : Steel

• Check that beam is satisfactory
using steel design formula.
• Compute the reactions for the
prestress, dead and live load cases,
including combined load cases. Because of the precision in the calculations of the
structural system and the membrane, these elements’ were
Generation of fabric pattern manufactured off-site construction. The high precision
• Prepare patterning models and allowed assembly for one of the most innovative and
determine the and design of location complex easy as structural of stress systems that have
the seams. been worked only with the premise
TYPE OF TENSIONED ROOF STRUCTURE
ROOF
 ROOF
• The roof grid over the main stadium is formed by nine
saddle-shaped nets of 25mm steel cables spaced in a
762mm square grid.

• The saddle spans up to 65m and reaches a maximum height

of 58m. The nets are supported over the seating areas by
eight tapering masts behind the stadium, ranging from 50 to
70m high.

• Smaller bow-shaped nets connect the larger membranes

and wrap around the supporting masts.

• The cable nets are doubly curved. The resulting double-

curved saddle shape prevents the canopies from easily
fluttering in the wind.

• The total length of steel cable in the complex exceeds

408km and tension loads in the cable net are as much as
5000 tons.

• Originally the foundation design was intended to consist of

pre-stressed anchors. Local code officials however insisted
on more conservative piers to provide stability.

• In some cases these piers are as much as 18m deep and

6m wide.

• These enormous foundations were required to resist the

tremendous tensile stresses in the cable network and the
live loads imposed by winds across and under the open
structures.
ROOF
SURFACE CONSTRUCTION

Canopy tensile structure (roof)

The roof of the Olympic Stadium in Munich, which covers and
unifies the stadium, tracks and pools Suspended cloud-like
structure that appears to be floating over the site branching in
between the natatorium, gymnasium, and the main stadium.

The continuous tensile surface that bridges all of the main

buildings of the Olympic Games is subject to a hierarchical
structural system that creates a series of volumes across the site.
SURFACE CONSTRUCTION
1. Flexible design aesthetics
Virtually unlimited designs of distinctive elegant forms can be realized
because of the unique flexible characteristics of architectural membrane.
Also, port columns create more functional. Aesthetically pleasing spaces.
2. Outstanding translucency
In daylight, the membrane's translucency offers soft diffused naturally lit
spaces reducing interior lighting costs. At night, the artificial lighting
creates on ambient exterior luminescence.
3. Shortened construction schedules
Incorporating the most modern construction techniques, large fabricated
mem brane panels can be installed quickly to shorten installation
schedules. Likewise Fabric removal can be accomplished easily.
4. Cost benefits
Lightweight structures can be a more building materials offering building
owners reduced costs. Materials, such as photo-catalytic membranes, , can
help prevent temperature rise as we as reduce maintenance costs due to
their self-cleaning properties.
5. Long span structures
Lightweight membrane is a cost-effective solution that requires less
structural steel to support the roof, enabling long spans of column-free
space.
6. Earthquake resistant
Lightweight tensile membrane structures bear less .Building load than
traditional roofing materials and the rnembrcne's elasticity offers further
earthquake resis fence.
 LOAD TRANSFERING
• It describes the category of buildings in which the load bearing
capacity is achieved through tension stress in the majority of the
COMPRESSION
COMPRESSION components, such as cables, technical fabrics or foils.
• It can also be defined as a structure where the exterior shell is a
fabric material spread over a framework.
• The fabric is maintained in tension in all directions to provide stability.
• The only exception is represented by rigid boundaries and structural
members which are generally subjected to compression and
bending.

COMPRESSION
SKELETAL CONSTRUCTION
• The masts support the main cables maintained in tension by providing the necessary hanging roof
surfaces support.
• The masts are responsible structural elements transmit loads to the strong hand, and do so in an
inclined manner.
• The junction between the various cables that make up the structural mesh is materialized by a knot
of steel casting with a system using bolted anchors and tensioned. Earth anchor foundations were
needed to support the masts.
 MATERIALS AND JOINERY ELEMENTS

PVC COATED POLYESTER CABLE TO RIDGE JOINERY CABLE TO CABLE JOINERY

ROOF FRAMING ROOF OVERVIEW CABLES

 MATERIALS

fj

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MATERIALS
 JOINTS
The tension of the net come in both direc
tions. The net were pull using cable and
connect to the ground. Foundations and masts
tension foundations were needed to anchor
the main cables down to
earth(compression force). Main and
edges cables The main cables, composed of
five strands formed from between 37 and
109 wires each, had to be held at high
tension to control deformation of the roof
under snow and wind loads (tensile force).
JOINTS