The Project
Our innovative engineering and design skills combined to create a completely flexible seating system, which can adapt to the demands of a rugby match, rock concert or entertainment spectacle while matching the style and elegance of a unique venue.
The Venue
With capacity for 40,000 spectators, Paris La Defense Arena is not only the largest in Europe but is twice the size of all other European venues. It has been designed to provide a totally immersive experience, using innovative technology to surround fans with sound, light and vision to create an unforgettable event.
The home of internationally renowned French Rugby club, Racing 92, the arena is much more than just a modern sports stadium. Opened in 2017 after four years in construction, the total footprint is a massive 1,011,808 ft² and has hosted world class acts including The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé and Jay-Z and Paul McCartney. Audiences benefit from the largest interactive screen in the world, with a projection area the size of 7 tennis courts!
Sports lovers have not been overlooked, however. The rugby pitch boasts the latest generation artificial “soft grass”, and provides the ability to play in all weathers and perfect conditions for entertaining, attacking rugby. It has also welcomed soccer and motorcycle supercross events.
The Challenge
The biggest challenge overall was the need for the venue to adapt to many different configurations for the diverse event types which take place and the huge range of audience sizes, from 10,000 to 40,000.
Master Industrie was asked to provide modular, telescopic stands to enhance the flexibility of the seating. The stands are in the lower part of the arena and seat 4200 spectators. They had to be specially designed and custom built to meet the unusual U shaped layout, with trapezoidal corner platforms. The seats themselves had to be bought in from BlueCube Seating to meet the specific dimensions specified by the architect.
The Result
Our team selected sleek, dark gray plastic seats to complement the stands and the venue color scheme. The seats are elegant and durable but also include foam cushioning to ensure audience comfort during even the longest of matches.
For the media 50 VIP seats, covered in dark gray woollen fabric and padded for extra luxury, were installed, with tailor-made tablets to add to their comfort.
The stands themselves are completely modular and retractable to facilitate a wide range of configurations. They include some complicated corner stands which were custom made to open and close in the unusual space. For major sporting events the stands can be totally opened, for matches using a grass pitch they can be partially open and for concerts with standing only areas they can be closed. For events with smaller audiences, some stands can be open while others remain closed, using a dividing curtain to change the layout as required. When sections are not needed they can be removed to storage easily using a forklift and trolleys.
Highlight
"Whether it's a football game with access to the edge of the field, or a concert with a clear demarcation between the seats and the pit, the partial opening of our stands allows all this."
N. Barbarit
Project Manager at Master Industry