Landmark Aviva Stadium which has transformed Dublin’s skyline
The sinuous, shimmering form of the Aviva Stadium has been transforming Dublin’s skyline for the past year but on 14 May a high point was reached when An Taoiseach Brian Cowen, TD officially opened the new 50,000-seater stadium.
Praise came not only from the Taoiseach – who called it “an iconic stadium” which he believed “everyone in Ireland could (…) be proud of” – but also from former football and rugby players. Ray Houghton and Packie Bonner said they would “give anything to play one more time in the stadium” and described it as “a place where the players will be proud to bring the opposition”. Keith Woods added that the Aviva was “a thing of beauty empty – just imagine what it will be like when full on a match”.
For Scott Tallon Walker Architects, who designed the stadium with Populous (formerly HOK Sport Architecture), it was a “big day” – “all the hard work has led up to this day”, said Bryan Roe, a Director with STW. Leading the design team for the past five years, Roe had a personal motivation as his uncle Robin Roe had played Rugby for Ireland and Bryan’s son in the Leinster under-18 squad: “It was time I could compete at the family table”.
He recalls several milestones in the stadium development: granting of planning permission in Spring 2007; the start of the challenging demolition contract in June and the main contract in October 2007 as well as the de-propping of the roof in October 2009 , which is held up by a steel arch. “The next milestone will be the first match”, says Roe who described the process as a true team effort.
Image: www.sportsfile.com
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