PVC is getting some time in the athletic spotlight. Or at least the spotlight when it comes to constructing athletic arenas.
The use of PVC for the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, France, has featured in a new brochure from VinylPlus celebrating the prominent role played by the material in the construction of modern sports venues.
The 35,000-seat Nice stadium, which hosted games during the Euro 2016 soccer tournament, is among several case studies highlighting PVC's use as a modern, versatile and sustainable material for large public venues.
A transparent PVC tensile fabric membrane for the facade allows daylight through, while a PVC roof was chosen for its acoustic qualities.
Published by VinylPlus, the European PVC sustainability program, "Vinyl in European Stadiums" charts the path to sustainable development for PVC and how the use of vinyl combines environmental responsibility and architectural greatness in present-day sports complexes.
The brochure covers advances in building materials and techniques.
According to the stadium's architect, Marco Punzi from Wilmotte & Associés, extensive use of PVC enabled "state-of-the-art design with environmental stewardship.
“For us, PVC was a natural choice. It allowed us to design a fifth-generation that functions well and is aesthetically-pleasing. PVC was used throughout the building, since it is long-lasting and can be recycled.”
For the London 2012 Olympic Games, PVC products met strict sustainability requirements specified by the Olympic Delivery Authority, including recycling or reuse after the event. For example, the Shooting Venue's PVC membrane was reused in Glasgow for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and vinyl flooring trod on by athletes has been installed at a United Kingdom school.
VinylPlus general manager Brigitte Dero, said: “This brochure showcases how PVC's versatility can combine demanding architectural and technical design requirements with sustainable objectives.
“The preference for PVC in London, the ‘Greenest Olympics in history,' affirms the successful path to sustainable development the industry has taken over the past two decades.
“Through the VinylPlus Voluntary Commitment, we continue to make progress in each of the five key sustainability challenges identified for PVC and are demonstrating how the European PVC industry is contributing to the circular economy.”
VinylPlus is part of a 10-year voluntary commitment of the European PVC industry. The program establishes a long-term framework for the sustainable development of the PVC industry by tackling a number of critical challenges in the European Union, Norway and Switzerland.