by arslan_ahmed | December 14, 2023 6:36 pm
The specified slider does not exist.
Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, B.C., didn’t have a spectator venue for sports and events until Perkins&Will and Fast + Epp designed a stadium next to the Terry Fox Field (TFF), respecting the existing Lorne Davies Complex (LDC). The stadium’s standout feature is a 900-m2 (9,687-sf) cantilevered mass timber canopy that appears to be suspended in midair.
In response to the lack of seating options due to the absence of precast concrete bleachers as originally planned in the LDC master plan, the new stadium was envisioned and built. The limited seating prohibited the SFU community from gathering for events, with only grass banks or portable aluminum bleachers—neither of which provide weather protection—as the available options for spectators.
Situated on the natural slope from the LDC to TFF, the facility offers a total of 1,823 seats in both formal and informal settings. The stadium’s standout feature has remained the cantilevered roof canopy over the central seats. The design strategically integrates services—lights, sprinklers, speakers, security cameras—into the canopy emphasizing a minimalistic structure to create the illusion of a cantilever levitating above the seats. The stadium also features a press box at the terrace level. Below the stands are washrooms, service spaces, and locker rooms for football teams.
The engineering, fabrication, and installation of the roof structure posed significant challenges due to heavy snow loads at the Burnaby Mountain site, large cross-laminated timber (CLT) soffit panels with integrated systems to form the roof, and tight clearances to the adjacent sports complex. The biggest challenge was to provide stability to the sprawling roof structure with a 16.4 m (54-ft) cantilever. Enormous 22-m (72-ft), 14.33-ton (13-tonne) box girder beams extend 16 m (54 ft) over the stands, supporting the floating roof structure with their high strength. Further, 228-mm (9-in) stainless steel pins and 76-mm (3-in) rods (commonly used in oil rigs) anchor the beams at their tails. Circular columns near the rear end corners provide gravity support. A continuous CLT soffit runs through underneath the steel girders. To affix the wood to the girders, a bearing and washer detail was introduced, with disc spring washers fitting into wooden box flanges. The tapered design of the steel girders allows them to vanish from view, creating the illusion of an exceptionally thin roof when observed from the field.
Concrete was used as the primary framing material due to its durability, along with its ability to accommodate the unique stand geometry, while also efficiently meeting gravity and seismic demands. The concrete’s mass acts as a counterweight to offset the overturning forces associated with the canopy cantilever. Ground anchors further contribute to the global stability of the cantilever system. Custom-shaped steel box girders were crafted to support the long cantilever canopy, tailored to match structural demands and optimize material efficiency.
The stadium enhances the university’s appeal to student athletes with the locker room facility and the stands, offering a premium space for the football teams to gather and prepare for competition, and serving as a recruitment facility for prospective athletes.
Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/design-ingenuity-sfu-stadiums-floating-mass-timber-canopy/
Copyright ©2025 Construction Canada unless otherwise noted.