By Mark Baber
May 28 – Just when it looked like everything was at last under control in Brazil in readiness for the Confedertion Cup which kicks off mid-June, another building disaster has sruck.
A segment of the stadium roof of the recently completed Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador collapsed after overnight rain on Monday.
Helicopter video footage of the scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXw0a6c616w) shows one of the segments of the tension fabric stadium roof completely collapsed, with over 20 workers on the roof using buckets to try and empty a swimming pool sized body of water from another of the segments.
The incident happened on the same day Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who had been present at the inaugural match at the stadium on April 7, praised her country’s preparations for the Confederations Cup saying: “I’m certain that Brazil will shine on and off the field.”
The venue is scheduled to host the Nigeria v Uruguay on June 20 and then Brazil v Italy on June 22. In March, a FIFA inspection visit to the Maracana stadium was cancelled, also amidst heavy rain, and FIFA stated that “It is exactly because of natural challenges faced in big construction works – like the heavy rains observed in Brasília – that the stadiums must be ready enough time before (the tournaments).”
The architects of the Arena Fonte Nova were Schulitz Architektur + Technologie and KPMG, the cabling was provided by Redaelli Engineering and the fabrication and supply of approximately 301,000 square feet of PTFE fiberglass membrane for the roof was the responsibility of Birdair, a subsidiary of Japan’s Taiyo Kogyo. Taiyo Birdair Brazil, Birdair’s subsidiary provided the installation of the membrane roof.
Engineers are currently investigating the scale of the damage and no statement has been issued yet as to whether the Confederations Cup games will take place in the stadium or not.
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