STUTTGART, GERMANY: - Millions of people have been underneath Knut Göppert’s work, but few know his name or his company.
The 49-year-old managing director of Schlaich Bergermann and Partner is arguably the world’s foremost structural engineer of stadiums roofs. Göppert’s credits include Johannesburg’s Soccer City and Cape Town’s Green Point for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the Nehru Stadium for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.
SBP’s latest work is rapidly rising above False Creek where B.C. Place Stadium is undergoing a $563 million renovation. SBP pioneered the lightweight retractable roof system that will dominate part of Vancouver’s skyline in a year and is collaborating with Geiger Engineers, the structural engineer of B.C. Place’s original air-supported fabric roof.
A wall in Göppert’s office is a collage of photographs and drawings of stadiums with innovative roof systems, but B.C. Place is the only one that appears three times.
“This is the first big project (in North America), we are really happy that we found a client who is interested in this technology,” Göppert said. “It's not following the typical U.S. route with huge, big monster structures.”
The roof will actually have three layers -- a ring of glass will separate the fixed fabric with the retractable fabric. When the roof isn’t closed, a maze of cables will be visible to those inside the stadium and there could be shadows cast.
Unlike the showcase Commerzbank Arena, B.C. Place’s roof will withstand 7 million kilograms of snow. It won’t be melted, but instead an inflatable fabric layer will help the roof keep its shape and slough-off excess snow.
Göppert is no stranger to Canada. One of his three engineering degrees was achieved at the University of Calgary in 1986. Three years later, Toronto’s SkyDome opened.
“When I visited I was really impressed,” Göppert said. “What I never forgot was how proud people were of the project, how people celebrated the engineering and building process. “Typically we see that as soon as it's finished, people talk about business, income streams, VIP boxes, comfort; all the work behind the engineers, architects and workers is not visible anymore.”
He’s confident people will talk about B.C. Place and its new roof for many years to come.
bob.mackin@sunmedia.ca
