High-strength special steels also have obvious advantages in construction. Friends Arena, the new landmark stadium in Stockholm, Sweden, is a classic example of the impressive, practical architecture that can be created using steel structures.
The advantages of high-strength special steels are obvious in many building projects. Located in the north of Stockholm, the advantages of Friends Arena can be seen in both the architecture and costs.
“The customer required a top-quality stadium. By using high-strength special steels, we were able to save steel and money”, says Lars Cederfeldt, design manager for the steel roof, from Sweco, which provides qualified services in the fields of consulting engineering, environmental technology and architecture.
Sweco and Ruukki worked closely together in designing the structural details and in choosing the best grades of steel for the project. Once the designs were ready, component manufacture began. At the construction site to the north of Stockholm, the rafter components were bolted in a pre-assembly stand fixed to a concrete slab. The last stage of Ruukki’s contract was to raise the rafter bars into place to a height of 32 metres above the grass football pitch.
Use of high-strength steels enabled savings of more than EUR 2M, equating to 15% of the cost of the roof structure.