Soccer City
Soccer City in Soweto is the first international soccer stadium to be built in the country which was largely rebuilt and refurbished for the 2010 games. BASF’s repair mortar Emaco® 303 provided a "fairing coat" to fill in pores, blowholes and other blemishes on concrete surfaces prior to the application of a protective coating. The ability to match the color of the mortar to that of the concrete offered considerable benefit to the contractor.
Peter Mokaba Stadium
The R800 million Peter Mokaba Stadium in Limpopo has a seating capacity of 45 000. Inspired by the locally iconic Baobab tree, this structure made use of almost 60 000 cubes of concrete, 10 000 of which was used for precast elements. The custom designed BASF admixture, Glenium® SKY 586+, was vital to deliver the workability essential for hot weather concrete applications and provide the higher early strengths to facilitate fast track construction.
Greenpoint Stadium
The R4.5 billion, 68 000 seater, glass roofed Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town is possibly the most spectacular stadium which was built for the 2010 games. BASF’s Mastertop® 1332 decking system proved to be an important component of the complete solution, providing a critical area on concourse with the necessary protection against pedestrian and vehicular traffic and the elements.
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Ludwigshafen, Germany – May 27th, 2010 – On June 11 the first whistle of this year’s biggest soccer event will blow. The match will take place at Soccer City, one of 10 iconic stadiums purpose built to host the event in South Africa. BASF’s Construction Chemicals division has contributed to the construction of no less than six of the 10 stadiums.
Stadiums where BASF’s products and expertise have been applied include the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Limpopo Province; Green Point Stadium in Cape Town; Soccer City in Soweto and the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, both in Johannesburg, Gauteng; Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth; and the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Says Paul Lowndes, Regional Marketing Director for BASF Construction Chemicals Middle East, Africa and Central Asia: “The challenges faced by the construction teams were considerable. They worked to a tight timeframe, had to meet stringent engineering specifications, deal with difficult infrastructural conditions and make do with raw materials that often did not easily lend themselves to the tasks at hand. Agility in resolving these challenges was vital.”
The supply contracts won by BASF were achieved on the merits of the technologies as well as price and capability to supply. BASF’s deep technical and engineering capability at a local level, as well as its focus on high-touch customer service, enabled the company to precisely meet the requirements and resolve the challenges presented in the South African environment.
The contributions of BASF to South African soccer stadiums are of great significance in terms of introducing the advanced solutions and methodologies of BASF to the South African market.
Says Lowndes: “South Africa is in a strong development phase and needs to adopt advanced approaches and technologies. As more leading construction organizations show what can be done with new solutions – and the quality and cost effectiveness they deliver – we believe engineers and architects in South Africa will begin to specify these solutions with greater confidence.”
BASF solutions at the Peter Mokaba, Greenpoint and Soccer City stadiums offer prime examples of the value and benefits provided.
At Peter Mokaba Stadium in Limpopo, BASF’s admixtures were critical to contractor Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) achieving a successful outcome. The design of this R800 million stadium specified the use of almost 60 000 cubic metres of concrete. With no suitable subcontractors to deliver the almost 10 000 cubes of precast elements, the selection of admixtures to facilitate construction as well as the production of precast elements on site was critical.
BASF Construction Chemicals’ admixtures met the requirement. Glenium® SKY 586+, developed for local conditions, provided a structural grade concrete cost effectively using the low-fines, highly abrasive aggregate available in the area. The admixture delivered the increased workability retention essential for hot weather concrete applications and provided the higher early strengths to facilitate fast track construction.
A second challenge was to deliver the 10 000 cubes of precast elements. The requirement was to batch, mould and cast, then move an element within a very tight schedule. Elements had to achieve a strength of 16MPa and precast seating elements had to have an excellent off-shutter finish.
Glenium® ACE 360, a high performance plasticizer enabled easy placement of the concrete and delivered high early strength to significantly increase precast element production. The required strengths were achieved with the use of Cem II 42.5 cement.
Says Piet van Heerden, Contracts Director for WBHO: “The success of every construction project hinges on quality of delivery. WBHO has a longstanding relationship with BASF Construction Chemical and this company’s excellent service, competitive pricing and the high quality of their products make them a trusted supply partner.”
The R4.5 billion, 68 000-seat glass roofed Green Point Stadium in Cape Town is designed as an all-weather, multi-purpose stadium. It has been dubbed the “African Renaissance Stadium” for its environmentally sustainable and technologically advanced features. Its three tiers, each comprising seating for approximately 23 000 spectators, is topped by a glass roof that will cover attendees but leave the pitch open to the elements.
At Green Point Stadium, BASF’s Mastertop® 1332 decking system proved to be an important component of the complete solution.
For concourse level two, which is expected to see the heaviest foot traffic and under which all the electrical monitors and generators will be housed, suitable protection was essential. BASF’s Mastertop® 1332 trafficable waterproof decking system met the stringent requirements of contractors Murray & Roberts and WBHO.
Says Lowndes: “The client wanted durability – a 10-year guarantee that the 14600m² floor space on concourse level two would be able to handle the pedestrian and vehicular traffic it would be subjected to, as well as be protected against environmental conditions. We thus proposed Mastertop® 1332, a UV-stable polyurethane-based multi-layered decking system which has been used with considerable success at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.”
The Mastertop® system also offered a dynamic crack-bridging system with very good abrasion resistance and a variable surface profile finish to suit the functionality, waterproofing and anti-slip resistance the contractors required.
The 22 000m² Mastertop® 1332 application was done in three months, from September to end November 2009, enabling timeous delivery of the project.
BASF also provided other specialized solutions from its range for the construction of the stadium. These included Masterflex® 150, a silicone joint sealant, and 2000m2 of Ucrete® flooring for the canteen, kitchen, administration and ablution areas. Hygienic and safe, the Ucrete® range of flooring products variously provide an optimum combination of characteristics for different environments, such as wet/dry slip resistance, ease of cleaning, hygiene, and high impact resistance that can withstand abrasive wear and a wide spectrum of chemicals.
Says Lowndes: “Demand for BASF’s Performance Flooring solutions has increased considerably since their introduction into South Africa in 2006. Not only are they technologically advanced and tailored for use in specialized environments, but more than two decades of global installations and applications assures customers that these solutions are proven to deliver.”
At Soccer City in Soweto a different challenge was posed. This stadium, previously known as the FNB stadium, was the first international soccer stadium to be built in the country. For the 2010 Cup it would be reconstructed. This meant a lot of repair work. BASF supplied extensive building systems products, including joint sealants and repair grouts.
Says Lowndes: “To remove blemishes from existing concrete work, BASF’s Emaco® 303, a single component acrylic polymer modified repair mortar, was selected. It acts as a "fairing coat" to fill in pores, blowholes and other blemishes on concrete surfaces prior to the application of a protective coating. Besides its functional capabilities, the ability to match the color of the mortar to that of the concrete offered considerable benefit to the contractor.”
BASF’s Delvo® ECO System for recycled concrete was also used in the supply of readymix concrete at this project. Says Lowndes: “BASF takes the transformation of the industry in terms of adopting more sustainable and ecologically friendly practices very seriously.
“By enabling the recycling of 60% of all returned readymix concrete loads (48hours) and recycling 100% of all wash water, the Delvo® system assists readymix suppliers to not only meet pressing demands for cleaner plant environments as per ISO 14000 requirements, but save money.”
About the Construction Chemicals division
BASF’s Construction Chemicals division is the leading supplier of chemical systems and formulations for the construction industry. Continuous innovation and tailor-made solutions ensure its customers are more successful. Its Admixture Systems business unit specifically helps customers in the ready-mix, precast, manufactured concrete and underground construction industries. The Construction Systems unit offers a wide range of products for sports and industrial flooring, external renders and wall insulation, expansion joints, wood preservatives as well as specialist repair mortars, tile adhesives and waterproofing membranes. The division operates production sites and sales centers in more than 50 countries and achieved sales of about €2 billion with approximately 7,100 employees in 2009.
About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €50 billion in 2009 and had approximately 105,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.
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