French firmĀ SCAU designed theĀ undulating fibreglass roof ofĀ Marseille's football stadium, which is set toĀ host the UEFA Euro 2016 semi-final between France and Germany this ThursdayĀ (+ slideshow).
SCAUĀ was asked to refurbish the existing Stade VĆ©lodrome in preparation for the European football championship,Ā extending its stand capacity fromĀ 60,000 to 67,000 and developing a new roof to shelterĀ spectators.
The roof rises to follow the heightĀ of the extended stands and descends down over the sides of the stadium's black and white stripedĀ facade to create a 25-metre-deepĀ wind break.
"It figured at the forefront of the brief in order to protect the stands from bad weather and the Mistral, it has become the new emblem of the Stade VĆ©lodrome, and its raw material," said SCAU.
"[The] large, white, translucent undulating roof spreads out to land above the stands and swathe them, like a vast shell come out of the sea."
The roof is made from teflon-impregnated fibreglass canvas designed to require minimal maintenance.
The material is stretched over a metal framework to give the roof its undulating silhouetteĀ andĀ create aĀ scalloped texture across its surface.
The translucent materialĀ is illuminated from inside at night to turn the buildingĀ into a beaconĀ for the area. The stadium alsoĀ features an open-air pitch thanks to a well in the centre of the roof.
"This highly technological and extremely hardwearing milky skin provides great resistance to rain and wind," Ā said the architects. "It allows natural light to penetrate, while protecting from the sun.
"It also allows sound to be retained in the interior of the stadium in order to give events ā matches or concerts ā their maximum intensity."
SCAU also created a new stage, reception area and dressing rooms to allow the stadium to host concerts and events, as well as sporting events.
These news spaces are tuckedĀ beneath the stands and have directĀ views over the pitch, while changing facilities and parking zones for sports players are slotted below the new raised entrance area.
In addition to the main stadium, the Parisian studio was also asked to restructure the adjacentĀ Stade Delort rugby stadium and to create a 100,000-square-metre complex containingĀ accommodation, a shopping centre, gym and hotel.
The stadium was originally designed in the 1930s by French architect Henri Ploquin as an all-round sporting venue with a cycling track, leading to its nameĀ Stade VĆ©lodrome ā a combination of stadium and velodrome.
ItĀ opened in 1937Ā and the next year hosted theĀ 1938 World Cup. It underwentĀ several renovations in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s ā including the removal of its cycling track ā but retains its original name.
Earlier this month we collected together everything you need to know about theĀ six key venues for the UEFA Euro 2016.
Among them isĀ Populous' sound-amplifying stadium in Lyon and Herzog & de Meuron'sĀ Stade de Bordeaux, which features a rectangular roof supported by hundreds ofĀ slim white columns.
Photography is byĀ Luc Boegly.
Project credits:
Lead architect: SCAU
Associate architect: Didier Rogeon
Client: AREMA
Lead contractor: GFC Construction
Maintenance: Exprimm
Engineers: Egis, Beterem, Garcia
Acoustics: Jean-Paul Lamoureux
Lighting design: PH A
