Darmstadt, November 30, 2006. The preparations for the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in China are in full swing. A total of 37 stadiums will be built or remodeled. A display of impressive architecture will be awaiting athletes, spectators, and millions of television viewers.

Thanks to new high-tech materials such as the polycarbonate Makrolon®, architects today have much more flexibility to realize sophisticated designs. Like wings slowly landing on the ground, the gigantic roof of the Olympic stadium in Shenyang is integrated into the green hills northeast of Beijing. Bayer Sheet Europe developed a special polycarbonate sheet, Makrolon® Multi UV 3X/25-25 ES, for the stadium. 20,000 m² of the stadium roof are covered with the innovative polymer, whose bending flexural strength was a crucial parameter to meet the special requirements of the Chinese partners. The sheets can carry more than three kilonewton per square meter, so the roof can withstand large amounts of water and snow load.

It was the extensive know-how of its staff, based on experience gained in many successful projects around the world, that enabled Bayer to develop this type of product in an extremely short period of time. To keep the deflection of the sheets at a minimum, a thickness of 25 mm, an X-profile and a certain wall thickness of the upper and lower surface are required. The unique property profile was given its finishing touches by optimizing the profile of the sheet edge as well as the transversal and flexural strength (L/150). In addition to low deflection, the sheet features all the other benefits of Makrolon^® polycarbonate:

-     Unlike glass, a much more filigree substructure is sufficient to hold the polycarbonate sheets in place. At the Shenyang stadium, the sheets have been fixed onto rectangular aluminum pipes installed on 1.5-meter steel substructures through special joints and using tight-fitting sealing lips.

-     Like a skin, the new Makrolon® sheet adapts to the change of seasons and changing light, temperature, and wind conditions. This environmental adaptability of the material perfectly matches the urban development concept of the Shenyang Province, which integrates nature and ecology.

-     In view of the major investments that these stadiums require, the long life of the products was also a decisive criterion in their selection. Makrolon® also offers top performance in this area. Even 20 years after their installation, recent tests revealed, the sheets hardly show any wear and tear.

The innovative Makrolon® sheets are manufactured in Beijing at Bayer Guangyi Panel. Producing the sheets in China increases the manufacturer’s flexibility, as the length of the sheets is no longer limited by freight container measurements.
The installation of the sheets, which will take four to six weeks, is expected to start by spring 2007. There is still plenty of time before the Olympics, but the Chinese organizers, who are known for their exemplary work ethic and discipline, have a rigorous schedule. In China, the games are not only a major sports event associated with hopes for many medals, but also with increased prestige for China. The impressive stadium in Shenyang will contribute to this effort, as will the 36 other Olympic venues.