Project: The Singapore National Stadium at the Singapore Sports Hub

When it opens in April 2014, the new 55,000-seat, 120,000-capacity Singapore National Stadium will be the world’s only venue able to host a myraid of athletic events plus concerts and other shows. All under the world’s largest dome, measuring 1,024 feet in diameter and 263 feet high. As a reference, the 220-foot-tall Sydney Opera House, also by Arup, could fit comfortably beneath it.

The stadium sits on a 87-acre site dubbed the Singapore Sports Hub, which will also house an attractive indoor stadium, a sports arena, aquatic center, outdoor water sports center, playgrounds, visitor center, and a shopping mall.
 
“The tropical climate in Singapore poses a challenge in the design,” says Clive Lewis, Arup’s lead sports venue designer for the overall site. “We wanted to keep the rain and heat out, but we also wanted it to be an open and dynamic space,” he says.

After much research into comfort requirements and energy use, Arup decided natural ventilation was the best solution. A retractable roof protects visitors inside and out so that events can take place during the hottest parts of the day. The 215,000-square-foot roof will be clad in a multi-layer ETFE pillow and incorporate a matrix of LEDs, making it one of the largest programmable LED screens in the world.