March launch for new Christchurch stadium
by Pete Hayman | 28 Feb 2012
A new NZ$20m (£10.6m, EUR12.5m, US$16.8m) temporary stadium is scheduled to open in Christchurch, New Zealand, ahead of the 2012 Super Rugby Season next month.
Populous have designed the 18,000-seat complex, which boasts two partially covered stands and will be the city's only outdoor sports and entertainment facility for the next few years.
It follows a devastating earthquake more than a year ago, which left the city's AMI Stadium - the main sports and entertainment venue - out of action and facing an uncertain future.
The temporary facility, which has been built on the site of Rugby League Park in Addington, will have a lifespan of three-to-five years. Its capacity can also be increased to 25,000.
New Zealand's government has underwritten the cost of the development, with Christchurch City Council and New Zealand Rugby Union also contributing towards the cost.
Much of the infrastructure at the Christchurch stadium is recycled from other venues, such as seating from Eden Park; lights from Carisbrook, Dunedin; and turf from the AMI Stadium.
Populous project director Daryl Maguire said: "We learnt from our work on [London's] new Olympic stadium that clever use of a fabric roof and a stadium wrap could help create the drama necessary for such a high profile event.
"In Christchurch, we are also using fabric for dramatic effect. A red, lightweight, fabric ribbon - the colour of the famous rugby union home team, the Canterbury Crusaders - will be woven through the scaffolding of the temporary stands to draw people in."
A new NZ$20m (£10.6m, EUR12.5m, US$16.8m) temporary stadium is scheduled to open in Christchurch, New Zealand, ahead of the 2012 Super Rugby Season next month. Populous have designed the 18,000-seat complex, which boasts two partially covered stands and will be the city's only outdoor sports and entertainment facility for the next few years. It follows a devastating earthquake more than a year ago, which left the city's AMI Stadium -
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