project

Hotel Football, Manchester – Retractable Fabric Roof over Rooftop Football Pitch

Membrane
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  • Silicone glass fabric roof closed over the five-a-side pitch for all-weather play

General information

  • Home page
    https://www.architen.com/projects/hotel-football-retractable-fabric-roof/
  • Location address
    Hotel Football, Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
  • Location country
    United Kingdom
  • Year of construction
    2015
  • Name of the client/building owner
    Hotel Football (GG Hospitality)
  • Function of building
    Sport
  • Degree of enclosure
    Hybrid structure
  • Climatic zone
    Temperate - cold winters and mild summers
  • Number of layers
    mono-layer
  • Type of application of the membrane
    covering
  • Primary function of the tensile structure
    • Daylight gains
    • Rain protection
    • Wind protection

Description

Hotel Football, opposite Old Trafford in Manchester, was conceived by former Manchester United players Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs as a hotel for fans. Its signature feature is a five-a-side pitch and event space on the roof, known as Heaven, about 200m from the stadium. The brief was for a space that could be fully open to the sky in good weather and quickly made bright and watertight when it rained.

Architen Landrell developed a retractable fabric roof to meet both needs. Two framed membrane panels slide back on motorised mechanisms to open up a 12.5m by 12m area to the sky, and can be closed remotely at the touch of a button if rain threatens. The moving mechanisms needed significant research and development to give reliable, repeatable operation at roof level. The membrane is silicone-coated glass fibre cloth, chosen for its high light transmission, so the pitch stays bright even with the roof closed. In total the roof structure covers 296m².

After a competitive tender, Architen Landrell was appointed to manufacture and install the roof. The tight city-centre site left very little working space. Steelwork was lifted to roof level, around 65m, using a self-erecting tower crane chosen for its small footprint. The membrane was then installed nine storeys up using specialist rope access techniques.

Main contractor: Galliford Try. Retractable roof design, fabrication and installation: Architen Landrell.

Description of the environmental conditions

Exposed rooftop in Manchester, nine storeys above ground, in a temperate and frequently wet climate. The retractable roof allows the pitch to be fully open in fine weather and closed for rain protection, with the translucent silicone glass membrane maintaining daylight when closed.

Material of the cover

  • Cable-net/Fabric/Hybrid/Foil
    Fabric
  • Material Fabric/Foil
    Silicone coated fiberglass
  • Material coating
    silicon

Main dimensions and form

Duration of use

  • Temporary or permanent structure
    Permanent
  • Convertible or mobile
    Convertible

Involved companies

Editor