Ellis Park Special Report

SPECIAL REPORT> ELLIS PARK STADIUM

2> The interior view of the pitch and some of the seating.

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By Bev Hermanson

The Ellis Park Stadium, situated in the heart of Johannesburg, is one of the country’s most famous venues for large sporting events. In order to qualify as a venue for the staging of matches for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, the stadium had to undergo a facelift and upgrade. This was highly challenging, as the stadium remained operational throughout the renovation.

4> The Ellis Park Stadium will always have its place in the history of South African rugby. Few will forget the spirit of unity that soared high above the nation as Nelson Mandela held up the Rugby World Cup Trophy that was won by the Springboks back in 1995. It was a poignant moment in the country’s history that will live forever in the hearts of our recently liberated rainbow people.

Few can likewise forget the tragic loss of life as too many fans, crammed into Ellis Park, panicked and ran amok at an Orlando Pirates vs Kaiser Chiefs clash in 2003.

Thus the stadium’s halls resonate with glory, yet are shrouded in sorrow.

The first Ellis Park stadium was built on the site back in 1928 on 13 acres that were earmarked for the purpose by the Johannesburg Councillor, JD Ellis. After just over half a century of rugby triumphs and defeats, the stadium was demolished to make way for a more modern facility. The new stadium was completed in 1982, but it remained very much a male dominated domain.

From being the base for the Transvaal Rugby Union in the early 1900s, the new stadium was established as the home of the Cats and the Lions Rugby Union. It was also a popular venue for test matches where history was made in the titanic struggles between rugby nations. This was the place where legends were born.

The stadium precinct. Photo by Emily Visser.

One of the most memorable moments was when Joel Stransky booted a drop goal in extra time on that fateful day back in June 1995, when the Springboks wrenched the Rugby World Cup title and trophy from the All Blacks with a 15:12 final score.

Ten years later, history was again made when 51% ownership was passed to the Orlando Pirates Football Club, establishing Ellis Park as the first black-owned stadium in South Africa and home to both soccer and rugby – still in the main, male dominated sports.

The brief When plans were put in place to prepare the various cities for the staging of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Ellis Park again came into the limelight. Where nearly a century ago, 13 acres had easily been set aside for enjoyment of the sport of rugby, the precinct had now become largely built-up. This was indeed challenging for the team at DBM Architects, who were part of the consortium tasked with upgrading the conveniently situated stadium to a seating capacity of 62 000 spectators.

“The stadium forms part of the Ellis Park World of Sport Campus. Now known as Coca Cola Park, the stadium rubs shoulders with the Johannesburg Stadium, the home of athletics, the Standard Bank Arena, a popular venue for concerts, tennis tournaments, boxing and

Aerial view of Ellis Park, now renamed the Coca Cola Stadium.

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6> squash championships and the Olympic sized swimming pool. Although around R2-billion was set aside by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) for a major upgrade and regeneration of the suburbs of Doornfontein, Bertrams, Bezuidenhout Valley, Troyeville, Judith’s Paarl and Lorentzville, only R230million was allocated to the upgrading of the Coca Cola Park Stadium,” says Wynand du Plessis of DBM Architects. “This was less than a tenth of the budgets for some of the new stadiums.”

When one looks at the aerial view of the precinct, the tightness of the urban fabric becomes apparent. There is not much in the way of parking, hence the Park ‘n Ride scheme that was put in place some years back, to cope with the influx of fans.

The upgrade was divided into four categories: > The entire main western grandstand had to be upgraded, including all of the competitors’, hospitality and media areas. > The existing toilets and concession facilities around the stadium had to be completely overhauled and additional toilet facilities added for women. > A new upper seating tier that would accommodate an additional 5 000 seats had to be added to the northern pavilion. This had to include a roof.

The stadium precinct. Photo by Emily Visser.

> A parkade had to be added, enough to accommodate 1 100 vehicles for VIP parking, with plans in place for further expansion in the future. This building had to include provision for storage space, a public medical centre, a police station with holding cells and retail trading space.

“In order for a stadium to qualify to host some of the matches up to quarter final level, the seating capacity had to accommodate more than 60 000 spectators.

This was tricky as, due to the big press contingent, we ‘lost’ a lot of seats,” du Plessis explains. “As a result of the restricted budget, we had to be very disciplined in terms of what should be upgraded and how. One of the areas that we decided to focus on was the public area between what was the Ellis Park Stadium and the Standard Bank Arena. We knew that most of the public approached the stadium from the north, so we decided to make this aspect the face of the new Coca Cola Park, with the new Parkade located on the eastern side.”

Execution of the design concepts The aesthetic style of the new northern elevation can be described as modern functionalism. Elements were developed to ‘work with’ the existing structure.

These included a new structural skin of carefully designed steel supports that carry the new roof and seating, along with huge uprights made of off-shutter concrete dissected by an enormous red arch that hints

The Ellis Park precinct has been extensively upgraded as part of the Johannesburg urban regeneration initiative.

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Aerial view of Ellis Park, now renamed the Coca-Cola Park.

8> at the rainbow of the new democracy. Further, the steel grille screening the glassed area is suggestive of the South African flag.

Over and above the architectural requirements, every other aspect of the stadium had to be brought into line with FIFA’s requirements. This included the upgrading of the floodlighting, which had to be doubled in intensity. There are temporary structures that have been placed as overlays, to be used only during the Soccer World Cup – these will be dismantled and removed after the championships are concluded. This includes a bridge between the university and the stadium for use by the press. Then, for future sustainability, a legacy element has been integral to the overall design. This includes a conference centre, that will accommodate between 800 and 1 000 delegates, that has been created out of what was a parking level behind the grandstand.

For the conference venue, the presidential suite and the sports centre, an affordable tufted carpet tile from Nexus’s Matrix range was used. This provides insulation, warmth and the absorption of ambient stadium noise.

“With the carpeting at the Ellis Park Stadium, budget and durability were major considerations. Nexus was awarded the contract as our products are manufactured locally but to the best international standards. If any problems arise with the flooring, it is easier to obtain supplies and materials from a local manufacturer and our carpets are backed with a 15 year wear warranty,” says Adrian Scholtz, a Nexus representative.

Nexus is the commercial division of leading carpet manufacturer, Belgotex Floorcoverings (Pty) Ltd. With its wide range of products, Nexus assisted DBM Architects by providing a durable tile to cope with the expected heavy traffic flow. “The objective was to steer away from an ‘office look’ and to create an aesthetically pleasing interior, with a linear appearance. For this, we

used carpet tiles, instead of broadloom carpeting,” Scholtz explains.

Public safety Spectator safety is an essential consideration when planning a public facility such as a stadium. Crowd control and the dynamics of emergency situations have distinctive patterns and since the 2003 tragedy, the management of the Coca Cola Stadium at the Ellis Park campus is emphatic that this kind of incident should not be allowed to happen again. Likely evacuation patterns were examined and escape routes identified.

The main escape route provided is a 4m wide tunnel at the north-eastern end of the stadium. This is wide enough for emergency and service vehicles to use to get onto the pitch in order to evacuate anyone that has been injured. The exit of the tunnel is close to the new, state-of-the-art medical centre located in the new parkade.

Disabled and paraplegic spectators have also been considered. There are 200 spectator seating positions allocated at ground level with ramps for easy access by wheel chairs and in the cloakrooms, emergency alerts have taken sight and hearing impaired individuals into account, too. So, for example, a flashing light will indicate a need for evacuation, to alert hearing impaired spectators to an emergency.

The upgrade started in August 2007 and ended in March 2009, in time for the successful staging of the Confederations Cup in June 2009.

“It was indeed a privilege for DBM Architects to have been involved in this project. It has enhanced our understanding of stadia as a built form and while challenging on many levels, it was a pleasure to be part of the very special team that accomplished this upgrade,” says du Plessis. <

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Two concrete columns support a red flash that is reminiscent of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rainbow.

The extensive use of steel supports adds a slightly more contemporary appearance to the renovated stadium.