Feijenoord Stadium, De Kuip, Rotterdam

The new roof had to provide the requisite comfort for all those on the stands, while its design needed to be a worthy addition to the architecture of the stadium and complement the extraordinary spatial experience of being in De Kuip: large and light, with ideal sightlines and at the same time enclosed and rounded. Architectural studio ZJA designed a roof that seems to float independently above the stands. Two crucial decisions made this possible, the first being to have the new roof rest on a structure that is separate from the existing building and reach over it like a giant umbrella on its own tall steel legs. This means there are no columns taking up space on the stands or obscuring the view of the pitch.

The second decisive innovation concerns the way the corbelled roof structure is suspended above the stands. Columns standing outside the stadium hold it up, but the main forces are absorbed by a combination of pulling and pushing. The trusses with drawbar rings on the pitch side are connected to the drawbar rings on the outside. It is rather like the structure of a bicycle wheel, which keeps its shape and absorbs forces by means of the tension on the spokes between hub and rim.

This floating effect and the use of aluminium plates on the pitch side and transparent plastic plates on the outer side reinforce the impression of lightness. Furthermore, the transparent elements make the stadium, lit from within, a powerful sight.

The Maas Building, on the eastern side of the stadium, offers a view of a practice pitch. Here there is room for business lounges, the Feyenoord museum Home of History, a restaurant and offices. With its soft-green frontage, which is flat and has minimal detailing, it contrasts with the steel lacework of the old stadium. It is nevertheless a valuable addition, structurally separate from the older building. In a playful reference to the architecture of the 1930s, the Maas Building is connected to the pitch side of the stadium by covered overhead bridges or aerial walkways that hang from steel cables.

De Kuip accommodates 51,000 spectators and still offers the extraordinary experience provided by the original design, but now bolstered and made more comfortable by the new additions. These are designed in such a way (light, flexible and with their own separate structure) that they anticipate future renovations and additions, a new phase in which De Kuip will once again be enhanced and improved.