March 19 – Russia’s cabinet passed a 10% cut in the federal budget but was quick to emphasise that the cuts would not effect the build programme of the 2018 World Cup Stadia.
As if to emphasise the point, the new roof structure for Moscow’s showpiece Luzhniki stadium, where the opening match and final of the 2018 World Cup will be played, was announced to have been completed in 2.5 months, a month ahead of schedule.
The new roof structure is a key part of the Luzhniki redevelopment which previously did not offer all spectators protection from the weather.
The new roof extends the structure by 11 metres and weighs 460 tonnes. In keeping with Russia’s policy to switch to in-country sourcing of material (a result of the fall in value of the ruble making non-Russian materials expensive), the new roof was manufactured at a plant in Chelyabinsk and then transported to Moscow for installation.
The new Luzhniki stadium is part renovation, part rebuild. Alongside the installation of the increased roof cover, ran a programme of anti-corrsion treatment on the existing structure.
In total an area of 230,000 square meters was treated with a translucent polycarbonate, lightweight impact-resistant material that provides protection from rain and sunlight.
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