Mounting steel frame south stand Arena Auf Schalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Gelsenkirchen, Germany – HBM Bau GmbH, a German subsidiary of the European construction group HBG, is building a multifunctional arena seating 52,000 in Gelsenkirchen for on of the top German football teams Schalke '04.

The stands are built from prefab concrete elements. The south stand will rest on a heavy steel construction. Beneath it the pitch will slide in and out of the stadium. Subcontractor for the steelwork is Donges Stahlbau GmbH from Damstadt, who is currently mounting three steel frames. These beams are part of a steel framework, on which the prefab elements for the stand will be placed. Each of the beams is more than 80 metres long and  weighs 300 tonnes.

For HBG the contract value of Arena Auf Schalke amounts to approximately DM 270 million. Client is FC Schalke '04 Beteiligungs-GmbH & Co und Immobilienverwaltungs-KG. Wayss & Freytag – also part of HBG – is responsible for the concrete work and part of the finishing works. HBG will complete the arena, which will also have a retractable roof made of the same material as the Millennium Dome, in August 2001.


For further information, please contact:

Arno C. Pronk at HBG Public Relations, telephone +31 70 3722121.