AFAS Stadium

Wind engineering insights to create a safe replacement for a stadium roof after a near-catastrophic failure

AFAS Stadium is located in Alkmaar, Netherlands. In 2019, part of the stadium’s roof collapsed onto the spectator seating below. Fortunately, the stadium was not in use, and there were no injuries. Investigation revealed that the roof failure took place on a moderate wind day, though the structure was designed to withstand far more intense conditions. We studied wind loads on the original roof structure and determined the key to the failure. Equipped with this understanding, a new roof was designed for integration into the facility. The new roof design was subjected to rigorous wind tunnel testing and analysis to validate its performance in diverse conditions.