Geoplast and the Football World Cup
by Nikola Tosic, 4 July 2018
The Football World Cup is an international Football competition that takes place once every 4 years. This year edition is the 21st and it is currently taking place in Russia.
Unfortunately, this year Italy has not managed to qualify, but Geoplast, like a true self-respecting Italian, had many occasions to contribute with major projects linked to the World of Football. First of all, the company has always been very commited to Sport, with a range of Sport Solutions entirely dedicated to the creation of multipurpose courts, for many activities including soccer.
Furthermore, during the years, Geoplast had the opportunity to use its products to develop some significant works in famous stadiums that have been and are currently being used for the World Cup.
Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium in Verona: Italy 1990
This stadium was chosen for 4 matches during Fifa World Cup 1990. It is situated in Verona, Italy and was inaugurated in 1963 as one of the finest venues in Italy with a capacity of 39,371 seats. For the World Cup it was strongly renovated. An extra tier and a roof to cover all sections were added, the visibility was improved, and transport connections were extended by adding urban motorway that connects the city centre to the stadium.
Geoplast contributed with Geoflor, the plastic ground paver for existing lawns, in order to preserve the state of the playing field. Geoflor was used to cover 6000 sqm. of the Bentegodi Stadium, ensuring an excellent surface stability. Thanks to its thickness (24mm only), the product was laid over the existing lawn enabling the protection of turf against any stress and perfectly integrating in the grass surface.
The Stade Vélodrome in Marseille: France 1998
This stadium was chosen for 7 matches during Fifa World Cup 1998, including the semi-finals between Brazil and the Netherlands. It is situtated in Marseille, France and was opened in 1937. It was completed renovated for the World Cup, increasing its capacity from 42,000 to 60,031 seats. Moreover, on December 4h, 1997, it hosted the final draw for the selection of the teams that was going to play against during the World Cup.
Here was chosen Geopanel Star, Geoplast’s adjustable formwork for square and rectangular concrete columns, in order to rennovate the columns of Vélodrome Stadium. Our formwork perfectly lent istself for this aim. It has been chosen to reinforce several square section columns, safely and without the need of any lifting equipment.
Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi: Russia 2018
The stadium was chosen to host 6 matches of Fifa World Cup 2018, which is taking place these days. It was originally built as an enclosed facility for 2014 Winter Olympics and was then re-opened in 2016 as an open-air football stadium. It is located in Sochi Olympic Park and was named after Mount Fisht. Currently it has a capacity of approximately 40,000 seats.
Geoplast contributed to its construction in 2012, before the Winter Olympics Games, with Geotub the formwork for round concrete columns. Our solution perfectly lent itself for the production of a series of round columns up to 6 meters for the stadium. Moreover, the final result was possible without using cranes or any other mechanical lifting means and, in this case, it made easier the construction of a large Stadium like the Fisht.
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