Wembley Stadium
London
| Precast Construction: | PCE Ltd |
| Client: | Wembley National Stadium Limited |
| Main Contractor: | Multiplex |
| Architects: | Foster + Partners |
| Precast Supplier: | Bison Concrete |
The Challenge
Almost four times the height of the original and housing some 90,000 seats, construction of the new Wembley stadium involved the use of precast concrete on a huge scale with PCE responsible for the successful distribution and installation of some 16,000 elements and the complex logistics and phasing required to successfully interfacing with the wider project activities.
- Scale of project
- Expertise
- Challenging Programme
- In-house resources and expertise
- Complex logistics management
Key Benefits
LOGISTICS
Complex logistics and phasing due to the nature of the site and design intent for the structures
EXPERIENCE
The shear scale of the project demanded PCE's involvement with over 16,000 precast elements
FLEXIBILITY
PCE's proactive approach to the successful delivery of the project was critical with 24-hour working being common place
CAPABILITY
Complex craneage with specialist lifting operations with elements upto 10 tonnes being installed at 60 metre radii
EXPERTISE
Extensive site engineering and setting out required
SAFETY
Innovative and efficient safety systems resulting in an 'incident free' project
The Project
PCE's established experience in stadium construction enabled the company to successfully win the construction contract for the precast concrete superstructure forming the stands and concourses within the new Wembley Stadium.
Having previously worked on stadia projects for top Premiership and Championship football clubs as well as the ROI national stadium at Croke Park, Dublin, PCE was able to draw on its expertise during the construction of the new Wembley.
PCE was responsible for the installation, fixing and grouting of some 16,000 precast units at the new Wembley on behalf of Bison Concrete Products.
The 90,000 capacity stadium required over 90,600m² of 200mm and 150mm deep hollow core flooring and over 13,000m³ of precast concrete to form 54 kilometres of terracing, ancillary steps, walls and stairflights.
The project was divided into many complex phases to suit both the design and build ability of the sub-structures along with the craneage required to construct the frame. This was further complicated by the need to construct the superstructure from the top tier down to pitch side. Structural flooring units were installed within the frame first to form the concourses so as to give stability to the structure. Vomitories, capping walls and seating units were then installed to create the terracing. The sequencing of these works were in effect dictated by both the design intent and the progress of the steel frame and insitu concrete contractors.
Site engineering and quality control were fundamental to the success of the superstructure construction. The facetted line of the precast seating units to form the gradual curve of the stands was critical to the ultimate aesthetics of the stadium. This was further complicated by the parabola effect of the stands formed by the gradual incremental increase in the depth of the seating units. In addition to this, there were many complex interfaces between the super and sub-structures. Every interface had to be checked for accuracy and functionality prior to the installation of the precast structure so as to prevent any critical delay.
PCE were selected for this project due to their expertise, flexibility and professionalism. The complex sequencing and phasing which required '24 hour working' along with the shear scale and complexity of the project meant that this was never going to be a 'run of the mill' precast concrete scheme. PCE's 'strength in depth' along with our attitude to succeed meant that over the 24 month period of construction, we had no reportable accidents or incidents and we installed in excess of 16,000 precast elements to programme and without any latent defects.
