The new Puskás Aréna stadium in Budapest utilises approximately 20,000m2 of Eiffel 20 stainless steel architectural wire mesh.
In an impressive feat of logistics, the 229no. panels, most of which are 29m long and 4m wide, were manufactured and supplied within a six-month timeframe.
The construction of the Puskás Arena stadium began in 2017 and ended in 2019. The official opening was on November 15, 2019 with its inaugural football match between the Hungary and Uruguay international teams. The stadium has a capacity for 67,889 people for sporting events, with seating for all locations. For other events such as concerts, the stadium capacity reaches 80,000 people.
The architect and project designer was György Skardelli. The design brief was to preserve the distinctive character of the original building, the old Puskás stadium, while adapting it for modern equipment and the strict requirements of FIFA.
The oval shape of the old stadium and its decorated towers have been faithfully maintained as main architectural features. The Eiffel 20 spiral mesh was perfect for this, as it creates an impressive and dynamic façade, but effectively conforms to the underlying structure and architecture, behaving to some degree as a malleable fabric.
It allows for varying degrees of transparency depending on the viewing angle of the observer and the angle of the sun in the sky. At night-time, the lighting to the rear of the mesh can be used to create some truly stunning visuals.
The mesh also contributes to acoustic attenuation and serves as sun screening.
Photographer: György Palkó
Eiffel 20 Architectural mesh is a Codina Architectural product, supplied and distributed in the UK by Locker Architectural.
