moses mabhida stadium south africa by gmp architekten photo © marcus bredt

german firm gmp architekten have sent in images of the durban stadium they designed for the 2010 FIFA world cup in south africa. located on the country’s east coast it has been built on the site of the existing king’s park stadium and is named after moses mabhida, a former general secretary of the SACP (south african communist party).

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 2 photo © marcus bredt

situated on a raised platform, the multifunctional stadium is accessed from the south via a broad flight of steps. a 104m (two-pronged) arch curves high over the stadium as an emblem, visible far and wide. the main entrance at the end of a 2.5km linear park coincides with the bifurcation of the arch, as a gateway to the city.

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 3 aerial view photo © marcus bredt

a cable car at the northern end leads to the skywalk at the apex of the arch. from here, visitors can enjoy a spectacular view over the city and the indian ocean. as a distinctive feature, the arch, gives the stadium its unique silhouette, while as a landmark it forms an imposing part of the skyline of durban.

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 4 moses mabhida stadium photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 5 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 6 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 7 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 8 the entrance to the stadium photo © marcus bredt

the geometry of the roof is predetermined by the architectural concept. between the strong compression ring of the stadium bowl and the arch, a series of radial cables are clamped on the inner edge of the roof so as to make the tension ring almond-shaped. the ptfe-coated membrane of the roof allows 50% of the light through the surface while providing protection against glare and rain. the façade of open lamellae, which follows the undulations in the volume of the stadium, screens the encircling walkway from the sun and the frequent bouts of wind while permitting a free view outwards. the outer skin is in effect a geometrical overlay of a cone imposed on a cylinder, making a walk round the circuit of the stadium a interesting event, with the angle of the rising facades changing as you progress.

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 9 the arch which connects the roof and consists of a cable car photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 10 entrance into the stadium photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 11 the cable car at the apex of the arch photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 12 inside the stadium photo © marcus bredt

the maximum capacity of the stadium for the 2010 world cup has been set at 70,000 spectators distributed over three tiers. after the world cup, the number of seats will be reduced to 56,000, but can be temporarily increased to up to 85,000 for major events.

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 13 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 14 inside the stadium photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 15 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 16 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 17 the roof’s arch photo © marcus bredt

the 350m long free-span steel arch weighs 2600 tons – that’s the equivalent of 2,600 average cars. the roof is attached to the arch by 95mm-diameter steel cables.

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 18 construction workers on the roof photo © marcus bredt

the roof cover provides shelter to 80% of the stadium in the case of rain.

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 19 the stadium seats photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 20 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 21 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 22 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 23

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 24 the stadium’s exterior photo © marcus bredt

the new stadium with its surrounding green areas for sports, leisure and cultural activities and social uses will develop into the focus of an attractive urban area and establish itself as a high-quality venue for sports events in south africa.

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 25 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 26 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 27 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 28 concrete support beams photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 29 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 30 one of the lounges inside the stadium photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 31 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 32 interior of the stadium photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 33 photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 34 players showers photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 35 players baths photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 36 view at night photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 37 view of moses mabhida stadium at night photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 38 view of moses mabhida stadium at night photo © marcus bredtthe roof is made of 46,000m2 of teflon®-coated glass fibre membranes, which will produce a translucent glow when the stadium is lit.

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 39 view of moses mabhida stadium at night photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 40 view of moses mabhida stadium at night photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 41 the stadium at night photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 42 view of moses mabhida stadium at night photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 43 view of the durban coast and moses mabhida stadium photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 44 view of the durban coast and moses mabhida stadium photo © marcus bredt

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 45 section view image courtesy gmp architekten

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 46 floor plan image courtesy gmp architekten

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 47 floor plan image courtesy gmp architekten

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 48 floor plan image courtesy gmp architekten

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 49 floor plan image courtesy gmp architekten

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 50 floor plan image courtesy gmp architekten

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 51

roof drawing image courtesy gmp architekten

moses mabhida stadium – south africa world cup 2010 - 52 site plan image courtesy gmp architekten

project info: competition: 2006 – 1st prize design: volkwin marg and hubert nienhoff with holger betz project leaders: holger betz, elisabeth menne, burkhard pick team: chris hättasch, alberto franco flores, susan türke, stephan menke, andrea jobski, barbara düring, christian blank, helge letius, martin krebes, nadine sawade, kristian uthe-spenker, rüdiger von helmolt, andrea jobski, uschi köper, florian schwarthoff structural engineers: schlaich bergermann and partner in co-operation with ibhola lethu consortium theunissen jankowitz architects ambro afrique architects osmond lange architects nsm designs mthulusi msimang architects, SA consortium with ibhola lethu pm jv general contractor: group five, wbho, pandev jv client: municipality of durban (ethekwini municipality), stategic projects unit seats: 70.000 construction: period 2006-2009