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King’s Box Retractable Balustrade – Sports City Stadium, Saudi Arabia

The King Abdullah Sports City Stadium took two years to build, with its first football game, the final of the King’s Cup, taking place in May 2014. Upon completion, an unforeseen issue required the expertise of ARX to engineer a solution.

The Challenge

The King Abdullah Sports City stadium is a 60,000-seater football stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Pride of place is the King’s Box, featuring sliding glass doors that open to enable spectators and camera crews to see the King present the winners’ trophy.

A fixed, reinforced glass balustrade in front of the glass doors protects players from a 2-metre drop. However, a few months after the stadium’s opening, it was realised that the balustrade’s metal frame obstructed the King’s view of the game.

The Solution

ARX renowned for its bespoke moving structures in the sporting world, was asked to engineer a solution to the design flaw in the balustrade.

Our engineering teams designed a retractable balustrade that integrates into the existing sliding door controls, raising and lowering in sync with the glass doors. The automated solution, with its toughened glass panels, now gives the King a clear view of the stunning Saudi stadium.

Technical Details

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