Client: Arsenal Football Club
Value: part of £390 million project
Architect: HOK Sport
Type of work: construction of mill-finish aluminium soffit tray for elliptical roof.

Roofing and cladding manufacturer Euroclad has participated in the construction of Arsenal Football Club’s Emirates Stadium by providing a mill-finish aluminium soffit tray for the elliptical roof.

The elliptical structural-steel roof is one of the most striking features of the stadium, part of a £390 million project. Euroclad was chosen to provide the soffit tray that runs around the roof perimeter of the stadium. Finished in plain mill aluminium, the soffit tray has a flat finish that successfully conceals the structural steelwork.

The bespoke product, manufactured from solid aluminium, was perforated where necessary, to provide the acoustic attenuation needed to enhance the atmosphere for spectators and players. Other pieces were specially designed to house essential lighting and speakers penetrating the soffit.

The soffit-tray design posed Euroclad with a technical challenge, due to the curvaceous contour of the roof. Euroclad’s technical expertise, specialist machinery and innovative cad design provided a solution.

Four main issues surrounded the design of the roof. It needed to comply with height restrictions, maximise the pitch’s microclimate whilst ensuring that the grass has good airflow to improve the turf, and create an exciting atmosphere for supporters, with the choice of a constant eaves line. Geoff Werran from Buro Happold comments: 'We’ve had people working on nothing but the roof for the best part of five years, analysing the structure to keep it as light and thin as possible.'