Narendra Modi Stadium Roof Design

OWNER

Gujarat Cricket Association

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Construction Cost:
Roof Construction Cost:
$35.7 million (2.45 billion rupee)
Overall Construction Cost:
$102 million (7 billion rupee)

Completion Date:
February 2021

Project Size:
132,000 seats
63-acre site




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Narendra Modi Stadium Roof Design

Ahmedabad
India

Walter P Moore drew equally on our world-class expertise with long-span roof sports structures and our understanding of construction in India to design an elegant cantilever roof structure atop a replacement stadium of the storied Motera Stadium, now renamed Narendra Modi Stadium, into the world’s greatest cricket stand. Accomplishing this goal, not only is the stadium the world’s largest cricket stand but also the second largest sports stadium with unobstructed-view seating, for 132,000 spectators in two tiers.

Home to the Gujarat Cricket Association, the stadium hosts major local and international cricket matches while also serving as a community asset. The complex includes an indoor cricket academy and dormitory for up to 40 athletes housed within the stadium podium, providing access for students from across India and the globe. Among its amenities are 76 corporate boxes, four team dressing rooms, and three practice-grounds.

The project was design-built on an accelerated schedule by India’s top contractor, Larsen & Toubro, resulting in its inauguration by Prime Minister Modi upon completion. As structural engineer for the iconic cantilever roof and diagonalized steel support structure, Walter P Moore addressed numerous design opportunities and challenges to make the project successful.

The global Walter P Moore team combined industry-leading expertise in the structural design of major sporting venues and long-span roof structures with India-based experience and familiarity with local practices and codes.

To provide rain and sun protection for fans, the stadium features a translucent circular PTFE fiberglass tensile membrane roof that cantilevers 30 meters from a perimeter steel tension ring of planar trusses. The elegant and durable roof structure defines the architectural motif of the stadium and reflects heat to provide a comfortable environment for spectators, even during the hottest summer matches.

A circular system of giant diagonal pipe columns supports the roof and provides lateral strength during earthquakes. Although the compression ring around the perimeter of the roof was imagined by the concept design team as a tri-chord truss of steel pipes, Walter P Moore instead proposed a superior bi-chord ring that realized significant savings in both material costs and erection time, while streamlining the overall look.

Because the roof structure will structurally behave substantially differently from the cast in place concrete grandstand during earthquakes, Walter P Moore completely separated them. This approach precluded a special Performance Based Design process, which greatly simplified the design and code approval processes and -- crucially -- sped construction.

As Larsen & Toubro prepared their bid in pursuit of the project, they challenged Walter P Moore to accurately estimate the required structural quantities using only conceptual documents.  WPM drew on our extensive experience to accomplish that in just two weeks and our estimate of the required steel tonnage proved to be extremely accurate.  The steel required by the final design was within a few percentages of our early estimate tonnage, confirming that the contractor’s bid was both adequate and competitive.

Walter P Moore’s light steel roof minimized structural materials, maximizing sustainability. We also reduced transportation energy costs by specifying structural pipe elements that could be fabricated within India.  The stadium opened on schedule in February 2021 amid great public celebration and is a source of pride for the entire country.