ABSTRACT
Originally promoted as the “Friendly Games” with the first official Olympic mascot, Munich’s 1972 Summer Games are remembered now mainly for the terrorist atrocity that left nine Israeli athletes, a policeman and five Palestinian hostage takers dead.
Designed to symbolize the new, liberal and democratic West Germany, the main stadium formed the centrepiece of an integrated Olympic Park set on a terraformed dump for wartime bombing rubble. An international design competition was won by German structural engineer Frei Otto and German architect Gunther Behnisch, who proposed a spectacular common roof sheltering the stadium, the swimming pool and the indoor arena.
Measuring 75,000m2, the saddle-shaped cable net roof carries 3m square translucent acrylic glass panes and is supported by pylons up to 81m high. Stadium bowl construction is largely reinforced concrete with a spectator capacity of 80,000. In winter the infield turf area is heated by a warm water irrigation system.
Since the Games the stadium has been well used for many sporting events and concerts by international artistes. Unlike some other unconventional designs, the giant roof has weathered well and suffered few problems.
