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Finally, Ireland has a decent stadium for Soccer and Rugby. The previous incarnation of Landsdowne Road was a horrible disaster! In fact, it was the oldest stadium in the world to host International Games. Seen Here:


Now, after 3 years and 400 million euro, Ireland has a 2nd World class stadium, this time for soccer and rugby.

==

Some Facts:

Capacity: 50,000 all-seater
- 20,000 (lower tier)
- 18,500 (upper tier)
- 10,000 (premium level)
- 1,500 (box level)

Corporate Boxes: 36 (seating for 850 people)

Wheelchair Spaces: 230 throughout all levels of the stadium

Dimensions:
- 47.65 metres high above pitch
- 189.9 metres north to south
- 203 metres east to west excluding podium and grand stairs

Site Size: 6.4 hectacres (63,802 sq. m.)

Roof Size: 19,000 sq. m.

Cladding: 4,251 polycarbonate panels

Cost: €410 million (inclusive of €191 million government funding)

Project Start: May 2007
Project Completion: April 2010

Employment:
Over 6,000 people were employed on the project in various capacities over a three-year period. The project consumed approximately four million man hours.
At peak construction, just over 1,300 people were on site on a daily basis

Demolition:
The whole stadium was demolished over a two-month period. Most of the existing structure was crushed on site and 25,000 tonnes of concrete blockwork and brickwork were re-used as fill on site.
Over 15,000 tonnes of steelwork from the old stadium was recycled

Construction:
- 5,000 tonnes structural steel
- 150km (100 miles) pipework internal and external
- 450km (280 miles) cabling including all power data and controls cabling
- 8,000 pre-cast concrete units manufactured off site
- 72,000 tonnes concrete cast in situ on site
- 1,600 piles
- 220,000 concrete blocks
- 17 acres floorplate across all levels
- 30,000 metres block walls

Features:
- 3,000 lux floodlighting system
- 34 communications rooms
- 4,000 data points
- 150 CCTV cameras
- 115 stewards' phones
- 400 TVs
- 1,150 fire detection devices
- 660 linear metres of beer line run
- 72km of pipe
- 185km of cable
- 3 restaurants (1,500 cover)
- 9 kitchens
- 69 kiosks/bars
- 1,000 keys of beer
- 90,000 pints

some photos of the construction:









Notice the bogey north stand - designed this way to not obstrcut natural light to the residents directly behind the stadium!

Solar panels in the roof to power the lights




COMPLETE:

It looks pretty cool!!!!

What an ugly stadium! It looks like a bedpan or a toilet seat.

ye everyone calls it the bedpan.

notice the north stand. The stadium is slap bang in the middle of a load of houses. As a result, the residents dont want their natural light taken away from them so the only way the stadium could be renovated was if provisions were made to ensure the houses were not cast in permanent shadow.

This had the effect of having one side of the stadium seriously lop-sided, and the whole thing is made of translucent glass to maintain as much of an open space feel as possible.

They were considering buying the houses and demolishing them so they could build a full stadium but it would have cost too much. The initial planning was done when the housing boom in Ireland was in full flow so buying those houses would have added at least 50 million onto the cost of the project, and at best, they could only fit in another 10,000 seats. As it happens already, the residents have each been given 100k in compensation anyway!

Notice on the old stadium, the north stand also doesnt go right across the stadium. it looks like theres a slice taken out of it. This is for the same reason, even though it was initially built in like 1879 or something and was the oldest stadium in the world still hosting international games!

but ye, it basically would've looked like a green version of Arsenals Emirates Stadium (same company built both) if it wasnt for the residents. But I suppose, its their homes so ya cant really complain.