Record-breaking expansion of football stands in Östersund

2 minutes read

June 17, 2021

Utbyggnad på Jämtkraft Arena i Östersund modellerad i Tekla Structures av Martinsons

Östersunds FK (ÖFK) is expanding its northern stand at record speed. In just four and a half weeks, local contractor Martinsons managed to increase the capacity of the stand by 1,745 seats. The recipe for success was years of experience with the Tekla Structures design tool and the use of BIM technology, which resulted in both shorter design time and a faster construction process.

When ÖFK qualified for this season's Europa League group stage, with the first home match on September 28, the club was forced to choose between playing the matches elsewhere or expanding the stands at Jämtkraft Arena in record time. To meet UEFA (European Football Association) requirements, ÖFK needed to expand its stands by 1,700 seats in just six weeks. With the help of BIM technology and contractor Martinsons, the extension was completed in just four and a half weeks.

Modell av läktarutbyggnaden i Tekla Structures

- When ÖFK's chairman Daniel Kindberg called and ordered the extension, it quickly became clear to us that we had to succeed with something almost as sensational off the pitch, as ÖFK managed to do on it, to finish the project on time. Thanks to the fact that we could use the previous BIM model in Tekla Structures as a starting point, we managed to carry out design, production and assembly in record time," says Daniel Wilded, Product Manager at Martinsons.

Normally, the construction of a grandstand section on this scale would take at least 20 weeks. But the decision to reuse the old Tekla model from 2007 for the construction of Jämtkraft Arena allowed Martinsons to streamline the work to such an extent that the production of materials could start the same week as the order was placed. Thanks to the Tekla model, the number of errors for the fitters on site was minimized during the construction phase.

The use of BIM models in Tekla Structures, together with close collaboration with local contractors such as NCC, meant that the entire work process from design to installation could be completed in just four and a half weeks. This means that ÖFK can now play its Europa League home games at Jämtkraft Arena, while the efficient work has resulted in savings for the club.

- Our only option to solve the seating problem was to expand the north stand by widening it and extending it backwards. By doing so, we were able to bring in an additional 1,745 seats, which means that Jämtkraft Arena meets UEFA's requirement of at least 8,000 seats in total. We are of course extremely pleased professionally that we were able to get this done in record time, but there is also a lot of local pride that we have contributed to ÖFK being able to play here in Östersund and not elsewhere, says Daniel Wilded.

In the project, Martinsons has been responsible for the design, production and installation of the widening and the extension backwards in glulam. On site, NCC has been the responsible turnkey contractor and produced plinths, paved and handled it in addition to the actual stand frame.

In addition to extending the stand, ÖFK has also widened the artificial turf pitch and paved the stadium area to meet UEFA requirements. The total cost of the reconstruction is estimated at SEK 20-25 million.