A Spectacular Venue
THE MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO NICKEL AND ITS APPLICATIONS
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THE OPENING CEREMONIES of the FIFA World Cup of Soccer will take place in Munich's new Allianz
Arena.
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INFLATED FABRIC PANELS make the Allianz Arena appear to be floating above the ground.
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STAINLESS STEEL pipes carry drinking water to every washroom and two major restaurants in the
arena.
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A NEW LINE of stainless steel fittings has recently been introduced by Viega GmbH.
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THOUSANDS OF INFLATED fabric panels give the Allianz Arena the appearance of an inflatable raft.
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Why stainless steel water pipes were chosen for Munich's World Cup Arena
By Dean Jobb
Nickel Magazine, March 2006 -- It has been nicknamed the Schlauchboot (German for inflatable raft), and it’s not hard to see why. The outer walls of Munich’s tire-shaped Allianz Arena soccer stadium, completed in mid-2005 at a cost of 340 million euros, are covered with thousands of inflated fabric panels that make it appear to float above ground.
When Germany hosts the FIFA World Cup of Soccer, beginning in June, the futuristic stadium will be the venue for the opening ceremonies and six games, including one of the semi-final matches. Munich, a city of 1.3 million, together with eleven other centres, including Berlin, will host the tournament, which rivals the Olympics as the world’s most-watched sporting event.
The arena’s eye-catching design hides a utilitarian feat of engineering. Viega GmbH & Co., based in Attendorn, Germany, supplied the stainless steel piping that carries drinking water to every restroom, kitchen and luxury box in a stadium that can accommodate almost 70,000 spectators. The total length of pipe used is a staggering 8.5 kilometres.
"They wanted a corrosion-resistant material with the highest stability," says Dr. Peter Arens, head of product management/drinking water systems for Viega. Durability and hygiene were other reasons for choosing stainless, and Arens says the material had to be lightweight, given the long lengths of pipe needed to service the 250-metre-long, 50-metre-high stadium. The pipe used runs from 35 to 108 millimetres (mm) in diameter, but the bulk of it is larger than 76 mm.
The grade of pipe used is S31600, which contains between 10.5% and 13.5% nickel. (Viega pipe destined to carry drinking water is custom-made by another German firm, Fischer Edelstahlrohre GmbH of Achern-Fautenbach.)
Under German law, stainless steel piping that carries drinking water must contain at least 2% molybdenum to ensure it will resist corrosion from any disinfectants in the water. Viega’s specifications call for at least 2.3% molybdenum, which will ensure even greater resistance.
The builder wanted to use a more flexible material to make the final connections, so plastic was used for all pipes smaller that 35 mm in diameter and for the last few metres of piping that connect to faucets.
In addition to 550 toilets, the stadium has two restaurants, each of which can seat 1,500 fans.
Viega had no problem selling the arena’s builders on the idea of using stainless steel rather than less-expensive copper piping. "Stainless steel is absolutely the favourite material of plumbers in Bavaria," Arens says. "They really like it in that area of Germany." (Munich is Bavaria’s capital.) The use of stainless for drinking water pipes can be traced back about 30 years to a major wholesaler who preferred it to copper, Arens says, adding that German builders in other areas of the country mostly use copper pipe to supply drinking water.
Viega supplied bronze fittings for the Allianz Arena project, but last year the company introduced a line of stainless steel fittings. "More and more plumbers are starting to prefer one material only," Arens notes.
Allianz Arena, named for Allianz AG, an international finance and insurance firm based in Munich, opened in May 2005 and is jointly owned by two soccer clubs, FC Bayern and TSV 1860, which use it as their home field. Lighting installed in the walls enables the fabric to be bathed in the colour of the home team on the field – red for Bayern and blue for TSV 1860. The diamond-shaped fabric panels are supported by a framework of steel and can be illuminated in alternating colours like a giant LED screen.
The arena replaces Munich’s ageing Olympic Stadium, which was built for the 1972 Olympics and was the main venue when Germany hosted the World Cup in 1974. Hailed as an architectural masterpiece when it was constructed, it was nonetheless considered inadequate for hosting World Cup matches this time around. Plans to modernize the stadium were shelved in favour of building from scratch.
In Germany, building codes specify that pipes used to convey drinking water must be capable of lasting at least 50 years. Arens says the pipes in the Allianz Arena will last that long "without any problem."
Dean Jobb is a Halifax, N.S.-based freelance writer.
PHOTOS: Viega GmbH & Co.
Viega GmbH & Co. |
