BC Place Stadium

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Originally opened in 1983, the 55,000-seat BC Place Stadium was transformed from the world’s largest air-supported dome into a state-of-the-art venue with cable-supported retractable roof. The new roof system redefines the facility as a year-round, open-air stadium with 25,000 square feet of open sky from the interior.

Market

Stadiums

Architect

Stantec

Structural Engineer

Geiger Engineers, Schlaich Bergermann Partner

Completion

2011

ETS Scope

Installation

Surface Area

378,960 sq ft

Material

PTFE Membrane

Structure

Roof

BC Place Stadium

The largest retractable roof system in the world at completion.

 

ETS installed the new roof system’s 36 outer and 36 inner fixed fabric panels. Outer panels span 220 feet and 10,000 square feet in surface area, while inner panels span 120 feet and 6,000 square feet in surface area. To meet the completion deadline, 85 crew members worked 12-hour days up to 7 days a week. At the height of their efficiency, the team installed 72 panels in just 44 calendar days.

Nighttime view of the roof of BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The iconic roof illuminates Vancouver’s skyline at night with a network of programmable LEDs.

In addition, ETS was instrumental in developing and designing the flexible perimeter closure system between the fixed fabric roof panels and ETFE membrane facade panels. This 18,770 square feet perimeter closure system is effectively an expansion joint between the roof panels and fixed steel-framed facade accommodating vertical deflections over one-and-a-half feet.

Nighttime view of BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia.