While Christchurch continues the painstaking process of rebuilding after last year’s destructive earthquake, optimistic signs of renewal are emerging across the city’s infrastructure landscape.

One such symbol is the new Christchurch Stadium, designed by sports specialists Populous. Construction of the temporary stadium, on the site of Rugby League Park in Addington, is on schedule for completion in late March, in time for an early game of the 2012 Super Rugby Season.

The stadium is expected to have a life of between three and five years and architects Populous are using fabric and graphics to embrace its temporary nature and give it a special identity.

Populous Project Director, associate principal Daryl Maguire said the stadium is designed and built to the highest safety standards, but fabric and graphics are being used as an imaginative and inexpensive way.

“This will be a stadium that does not feel “thrown together”, because Christchurch is tired of temporary. This rectangular stadium will have atmosphere, great sightlines, rigorous safety standards and people will be close to the action,” said Mr Maguire.

“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, create a sense of occasion and excitement,” he added.

The 18,000 seat stadium, with two partially covered stands, will be the only outdoor venue for major sporting fixtures and concerts for the next few years. It will be flexible enough to be used for rugby league, soccer and concerts, and has the potential to increase its capacity to 25,000 for a major event such as a Rugby test match.

The pitch is a fully drained professional quality field, and the turf has been laid, recycled and harvested from AMI Stadium. Three temporary stands are being built using galvanised steel tubes in a scaffold truss system, replacing two old stands now demolished. The roof will consist of a white opaque fabric made of PVC, which is recyclable.

The funding for the temporary stadium will be underwritten by the NZ Government, with support from the Christchurch City Council and New Zealand Rugby Union.

Architecture & Design Team

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