Ghelamco Arena fully clad in AGC glass: soon to be named Stadium of the Year 2013?

Date: 21 February 2014

The new football stadium in Ghent (Belgium) unveiled in July 2013, the facade of which was glazed with Stopray Ultra-50 on Clearvision, has been nominated for Stadium of the Year 2013.

Ghelamco Arena is one of the 18 stadiums nominated from around the world.

Football club KAA Ghent has had a brand new stadium for several months now. The structure features nearly 33,000 m² of glazing, 20,000 m² for the stadium and 13,000 m² for the offices. Situated near the crossroads of the E17 and E40 motorways, this new stadium is much more than just 20,000 seats. It is a multipurpose venue with bars and restaurants, a reception room, shops and offices - and two 10-storey office towers nearby.

The club’s colours are blue and white, so a bluish glazing was the obvious choice. With that in mind, the exterior facade was covered with laminated Thermobel Stopray Ultra-50 on Clearvision. This triple silver coated glazing offers excellent performance. It delivers superb solar protection with an extremely low solar factor of 23%, resulting in lower air conditioning costs. Moreover, despite different thicknesses, extra-clear Clearvision glass ensures a constant colour and a generous contribution of light, with a light transmission of 49%. The facade of the stadium’s inner ring is covered with Stratobel Top^N+ laminated glass on Clearvision. The building also features Lacobel decorative painted glass (Blue Petrol, Brown Light, Black Classic) and Lacobel T toughenable painted glass (Crisp White).

It was promised spectator comfort that specifically won over the organisers of the competition, as well as the many functionalities on offer. Ghelamco Arena boasts a completely unique identity, thanks to an architecture featuring simple forms and elegantly consistent colours (architect: Bontinck Architecture and Engineering).

Two other stadiums built with AGC products also in the running!

Kazan Arena in Russia features 8,000 m² of Stopsol Phoenix Grey in its South, East and North exterior facades, as well as in the internal side of the stadium. In addition to its 45,000 seats, the stadium has areas for concessions, cultural events and health care facilities.

Of the stadiums set to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil^TM in Brazil, Itaipava Arena Pernambuco stands out for its round shape and the special material in which it is clad: a high-performance fluoropolymer film, “Fluon®ETFE Film”, produced by AGC Chemicals. Some 65,000 m² was needed to fully cover the exterior facade.

We’ll have to wait until 23 February to find out which venue wins Stadium of the Year 2013!*

* Competition organised every year by StadiumDB.com and Stadiony.net. To be eligible for nomination, a stadium must have been built or renovated in the last 12 months, must be fully open to the public, and must have a capacity of at least 10,000 seats. The stadium must also show that it stands out in some way. Votes can be cast via a special web platform (http://stadiumdb.com) until 22 February 2014.

AGC Glass Europe, a European leader in flat glass

Based in Belgium, AGC Glass Europe produces, processes and distributes flat glass for the construction (external glazing and interior decorative glass), the automotive (original & replacement glass) and the solar sectors. It is the European branch of AGC Glass, the world's largest producer of flat glass.

Its baseline "Glass Unlimited" reflects the possibilities offered by:

• glass as a material to meet a growing variety of needs (comfort, energy control, health & safety, aesthetics, sustainability);

• innovation in products and processes, derived from continuous research in advanced glass technology;

• over 100 sites throughout Europe, from Spain to Russia;

• a worldwide marketing network;

• its 14,500 employees focused on the Customer.