Montreal’s Olympic Stadium roof repair enters next phase

Repairs to the Olympic Stadium roof have entered their next phase in Montreal.

Montreal’s new Olympic Stadium roof is still years away from completion, but a major part of the project has been completed on time and on budget, according to Nadir Guenfoud, vice-president for Olympic Stadium roof modernization and replacement.

“The second phase of the project was the dismantling of the old technical ring and the installation of the new technical ring,” he said, while standing in the now open-air stadium.

The old roof was removed during the first phase, and dismantling the technical ring, which runs along the top of the stadium, was the second step, and particularly challenging, said Guenfoud, given that it was made of concrete.

“When we were dismantling the existing technical ring, each piece could weigh as much as 120 tons, which is the equivalent of a small house that we’re moving, and we have to do that 38 times inside the arena.”

The new technical ring is a steel structure with aluminum cladding, which makes it five times lighter than the concrete one.

It will house equipment such as ventilation, lighting, and a new sound system.

Guenfoud said the new roof will have a membrane that will improve the acoustics of the stadium, which had notoriously bad sound for live concerts due to its structure.

The stadium was also notorious for its cost overruns, earning the nickname the “Big Owe.”

Quebec has invested $870 million in the project, which it says will benefit the city’s east end and draw more business to the stadium.

At the technical briefing, Guenfoud said they expect the new stadium could bring in $750 million in direct and indirect income to the area.

“What we expect is to have a stadium that will be able to operate 365 days per year,” said Guenfoud. “A stadium that can host events of a really large scale.”

The new roof is expected to be completed in 2028.

It will have a similar look to the old one, with cables suspended from the tower, but it will be made of metal and will not be retractable. There will be panels that will allow light to come through.

The materials have been chosen to correspond to Quebec’s harsh climate, something that will give the roof a longer lifespan than the previous one, which was prone to tears.

“Being in Montreal, we have to worry about the snow, we have to worry about ice,” he said. “We’ve made sure to choose materials that can resist ice falls and so on.”

The next phase will be to build the new roof on the towers inside the stadium. The roof will be hoisted up and attached to cables suspended by the tower.