Yesterday, 12 May, the long-awaited and carefully prepared installation began of the roof frame for the new multi-purpose Arena Brno at Brno Exhibition Centre. Due to the size and weight of the individual elements, the builders had to call in the largest crane in Europe, which has a lifting capacity of 750 tons.
“Popular wisdom says that the roof makes the house, and it is so,” said the Mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková. “The installation of this structure is a crucial moment for the entire construction, thanks to which the multi-purpose hall is slowly gaining its face, crowned by the roof. Like many Brno residents, I can already imagine visiting the new cultural and sports arena regularly. I am therefore very happy that the builders are doing well and that we can witness this turning point today.”
The installation of the roof involves four heavy lifts of individual parts that were assembled in advance on site. “Because these are really large and heavy steel pieces of the roof structure, it was necessary to ensure sufficient equipment,” explained Petr Kratochvíl, chair of the Board of Directors of Arena Brno. “Finally, the largest crane in Europe arrived in Brno, which has a lifting capacity of 750 tons and a height of up to 196 meters, and will safely transport the individual parts to the frame of the building.”
He added that the main structures of the building are already finished, and work is currently underway on the interior spaces, including the distribution of utility networks. Intensive work is also in progress on the planned parking areas.
The timeline for installing the roof elements will depend on the weather; in the event of high winds, the work may be extended, otherwise this stage could be finished within a week.
“This will be followed by the assembly of the individual roof trusses – however, we will use conventional cranes for this, which we have been working with for a long time,” said Petr Slezáček, head of the project team from Hochtief CZ. “This part should take about five months. After that, the roof rods will be pretensioned and the supporting structures in the hall will be dismantled. The next step will be the construction of steel catwalks, which will be hung on the roof structure, and where the individual elements of the technologies in the arena will ultimately be assembled.”
