Kenya's Talanta Stadium set to become 5th arena worldwide with new engineering technology [PHOTOS]

The Talanta Sports City stadium continues to make headlines, this time with the revelation that it is going to join an elite class of only four stadiums so far to use a new engineering technology in roofing.

Talanta Sports City Stadium is a flagship project by the Government of Kenya (GoK) to build an ultra-modern sporting infrastructure to improve the sporting industry in the country.

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The ground breaking ceremony for the project took place in March 2024 and presided over by Kenyan President William Ruto, with the completion date set at 31 December 2025.

The project is being undertaken by the renowned China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) - A Chinese construction company responsible for several projects in Kenya including the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and the Nairobi Expressway among others.

With workers on both day and night shifts, construction has reached the roofing phase even as other areas within the stadium are ongoing.

Currently, the roofing work involves the installation of the latest roofing engineering technology - a computerized hydraulic tension cable.

©Raymond Omollo/X

The technology has only been used in four other stadiums in the world, at least according to Dr. Raymond Omollo - The Principal Secretary of Interior and Coordination of National Government.

A hydraulic tension cable roofing is a modern technology that involves the use of tension rather than compression to stabilize the roof. In this technology, the roofing membrane sits on the tension cable-net system.

The sophisticated technology is largely used for the construction of the roofs of large stadiums and combines powerful hydraulic jacks with a network of high-strength steel cables that are fitted as the cable is installed and lifted in phases.

©William Ruto/X

The computer control system synchronizes the jacks while monitoring the tension cables to ensure safety and accuracy in roofing. It reduces human interaction in setting and therefore eliminates room for error.

With this, the roof is assembled on the ground in phases as the tension cable continues to be lifted to its position in the roof - often for several weeks until the last steels are fitted.

This technology helps in reducing the cost of labour as major works are done on the ground and complies with Health and Safety recommendations of reducing Work at Height.

A look at the new design of Talanta Stadium [PHOTOS]

According to FIFA, some of the advantages of using Tensile roofing structures apart from reduced labor is that it appears very light and elegant, often with a minimal amount of structure required for support.

With reduced structures required for support, this system enables for greater transmission of sunlight to the pitch for greater TV broadcasting if the right fabric design is also used in the canopy.

Some of the stadiums in the world that have employed this technology are the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, USA and the Volgograd Arena in Russia.

A look at the roof of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas ©CW Las Vegas

Apart from the use of tensile structures, the other two main types of roofing structures are Cantilevered roof structures where the roof structure is supported at one end, often the rare end of the stand and projects over the stand to create a column-free cover.The other one is the Simply Supporter Trusses where the structure of the roof is supported at two ends with a large truss either covering the length of a stand or the whole stadium.

The Talanta Stadium will be the first large stadium to be built in Kenya since the construction of the Moi International Sports Center, Kasarani in 1987 - 38 years ago.

©William Ruto/X

However, unlike Kasarani, Talanta Stadium will not have a running track, thereby bringing fans closer to action and providing for a greater atmosphere in matches.

Some of the key features of the stadium include 52 sky boxes - a luxurious enclosed suite with high-end amenities offering high-level VIP experience with panoramic view to the happenings in the stadium.

The stadium will also feature seven changing rooms, a modern media center and tribune, VAR booths and goal-line technology among many others.

Currently, the work involves steel works for the facade and extensive drainage installations as well as works on parts of the parking lot.

©William Ruto/X

At a time where the country is grappling with high levels of unemployment, the project has also created and provided thousands of jobs to Kenyans working in different areas and phases of construction.