La Plata Stadium—Argentina

Argentina venue is the first PTFE-covered stadium in South America

In March 2011, the tensile fabric roof work was completed ahead of schedule and La Plata Stadium celebrated its reopening with an inauguration ceremony. The stadium has already hosted its first football (soccer) match and three concerts by Irish rock band U2.

To accommodate the unconventional geometry of the stadium, the main roof structure was formed using tensioned steel cable hoops at three different levels, along with vertical columns, diagonal cables, and ridge cables. This prestressed tensegrity design features a figure-eight-shaped central opening that resists distortion using tension.

Birdair Inc. served as roofing subcontractor for the 53,000-seat capacity stadium, which features 28,130m² of tensile roof and PTFE-coated woven fiberglass membrane.

La Plata Stadium, originally opened in 2003, was designed by architect Roberto Ferreira in conjunction with Weidlinger Assoc. and is one of the premier venues for football in South America. The stadium will be one of the host venues for the 2011 Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America.

The roofing retrofit began in February 2010 and was completed in March 2011. In addition to Birdair, the project team consisted of engineer Weidlinger and Assoc., and general contractor Astillero Río Santiago, Ensenada, Argentina.