Building the stadium

Design Managers and Main Contractors: Fletcher Construction Ltd
Architects: Architecture Warren & Mahoney Ltd, Bligh Lobb Sports Architecture
Project Managers: Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Ltd

• The Stadium is one of the biggest pre-cast concrete construction jobs undertaken in New Zealand using 4,000 lightweight concrete units cast in Otaki and New Plymouth and trucked to Wellington.
• It is the most 'craned' construction job ever undertaken by Fletchers - more even than the big hydro construction projects in the South Island.
• The lightweight concrete used is 20% to 30% lighter than ordinary concrete.  The largest units still weighed up to 35 tonnes.
• The project employed 250 construction staff on site and a further 230 off site.
• About 18,000 cubic metres (5000 truck loads) of concrete were used in total.
• Also used were 1590 tonnes of structural steel, 2700 tonnes of reinforcing steel and 250,000 concrete blocks.
• Construction crews installed 3.5 kilometres of fencing, barriers and handrails.
• Electricians installed 4.9 kilometres of electrical cabling.
• The Stadium has no posts or poles to obstruct the view and every seat is angled to look toward the middle.
• The roof has an aerofoil vane on the leading edge to help hold the roof in place and calm and filter the wind on the arena surface.
• The number of toilets far exceeds the building code.
• The building "footprint" covers almost 1.8 hectares.
• The grassed oval itself covers 16,162 square metres.
• Night events are lit by 392, 2000 watt globes mounted in four lighting towers.
•  The Stadium cost $130 million to build.  The finance came from:
  • Wellington Regional Council:  25$M
  • Wellington City Council: 15$M
  • Grants and Donations: 7$M
  • Fundraising: 50$M
  • ANZ Bank Loan: 33$M