Olympic Stadium: Athens, Greece.
A new metallic roof for the historic Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece – which is the main venue for the 2004 Olympic Games - has been protected with International Protective Coatings.
The new roof was constructed as part of the modernisation of the Olympic Stadium ready for the 2004 Games, which is being held between 13th and 31st August 2004.
The roof, which has a total surface area of 65,000 m² (700,000ft²), consists of two giant arcs at either end of the stadium each with a span of 304 metres (1000ft) and a height of 80 metres (260ft). These arcs will provide support for the cables holding the plexiglass panels which make up the roof. The panels, which cover 95% of the seats, will help reflect sunlight, something extremely important when considering the temperature in Athens during the summer can reach 29°C (84°F).
A special anti-corrosive system was selected for the new roof as the structure needed to be treated and transported from its construction site in Italy, ready for final assembly in Greece, within 24 hours. This included Intercure® 200 & 420, Interplate® 855, Interplus® 256 and Interthane® 990, which were applied at the construction site in Italy, before a final cosmetic finish coat of Interthane 990 was applied on site in Greece.
All products were supplied by the Skill division of Imper-Italia, International Protective Coatings’ exclusive distributor in Italy, who also provided on-site technical assistance.
The Olympic Stadium, which has a capacity of 74,767, will host the opening ceremony of the Games on 13 August and all athletics events.