Sectors
ETFE roofs for stadiums and arenas
Covering a bowl means spanning further than almost any other building type, with a structure that has to cantilever out over spectators and carry wind and snow without a single column in a sightline.
ETFE is the material that makes those spans affordable. An inflated cushion system weighs a small fraction of an equivalent glazed roof, so the primary steel, the cable net and the foundations all come down in size. On conversions and refurbishments, that difference often decides whether a roof is possible at all within the load the existing frame can take.
Translucency matters as much as weight. A solid canopy puts spectators in shadow and starves the pitch of the light grass needs. ETFE lets you dial the balance — clear foil where you want light through, printed or multi-layer foil where you want shade and glare control — zone by zone across the same roof.
The London Stadium canopy is the clearest example: an ETFE cushion roof carried on a lightweight steel and cable structure over an Olympic bowl that was never designed for a heavy permanent cover.
- Long clear spans
- Fewer columns, no obstructed sightlines.
- Covered seating, lit pitch
- Tune transparency zone by zone across one roof.
- Retrofit-friendly
- Light enough to add to an existing bowl structure.
Projects in this sector
