Breakwater (architecture)
Breakwater among the metal - trades of the interior design of sports and assembly halls. These are barriers on the steps of standing room bleachers that prevent the visitors from being at risk from the pressure of a large crowd, especially if they start moving in an uncontrolled manner from above towards the playing field (→ see also empirical evidence of mass panic ). As a marginal aspect in addition to safety, there is also the fact that the breakwater increases comfort in the standing room; they give viewers a chance to lean against.
Breakwater on stands
How the breakwaters are to be arranged on stands is regulated by a number of ordinances and recommendations. The DIN EN 13200-1 Spectator facilities - Part 1: Criteria for the spatial arrangement of spectators - Requirements specifies general requirements for spectator facilities, as well as the dimensions of grandstand steps. The details of the requirements for barriers are described in DIN EN 13200-3. Furthermore, these are anchored in the Ordinance on Places of Assembly (VStättVO) or the Ordinance on Sample Places of Assembly (MVStättVO). In addition to other sports organizations, the national and international football associations also formulate general guidelines with regard to the breakwater.
For this, the VStättVO NRW (since December 28, 2009 part of the SBauVO NRW and cited as a representative of all assembly place ordinances of the federal states) in section 2 / assembly places with more than 5000 visitor places in § 28 / breakwater as follows: a continuous barrier 1.10 m high must be placed in front of the foremost step. After every five further steps, barriers of the same height (breakwater) must be installed, which are individually at least 3 m and no more than 5.50 m long. The lateral distances between the breakwaters must not be more than 5 m. After a maximum of five rows of standing places, the distances must be covered by staggered breakwaters, which must be at least 0.25 m longer on both sides than the lateral distances between the breakwaters. The breakwaters are to be arranged in the area of the leading edge of the step. "
The requirements mentioned in brief:
- Breakwater height: 1.10 m
- Distance: assembly before every fifth step
- Distance to the side: max. 5 m
- Length: min. 3.00 m; Max. 5.50 m
- Overlap: min. 25 cm per side
- Position: in front of the step edge
DIN EN 13200-3 contains tables with specifications for the impact load that a breakwater must be able to withstand. Depending on the slope of the grandstand, the norm assumes 3.0 to 5.0 kN / m ( kilonewtons per meter).
Even though standing spaces are not permitted in either UEFA or FIFA competitions (they may be converted into seats), the European and World Federation generally demand that standing room ranks be equipped with breakwaters: “Safety barriers are to be erected in the sectors of stadiums in which standing spectators are to be admitted. "(FIFA Safety Regulations). In its guidelines for improving safety at national games, the DFB demands : “Breakwaters must be installed in the standing area. Their establishment and design is based on the statutory provisions. Existing breakwaters must be checked annually for their stability and breaking strength. "
Barriers in front of scene areas
Comparable provisions also exist for standing areas in front of scene areas (stages, etc.), they are for the most part laid down in the same ordinances and standards. The aim is to ensure safety, especially at open-air concerts and similar large-scale events with potentially high spectator pressure, where the standing spectators push towards the stage - or are pushed there by spectators standing further back. This is also intended to guarantee that rescue and security services can work without hindrance under all circumstances. Evacuation is also only possible in an emergency if the routes laid down in the escape and rescue plan by means of barriers are to be observed. The decisive factor here is that the number of people permitted for the respective sectors of a standing area according to the VStättVO is not exceeded. At events with free entry and / or free choice of seats, barriers or stage barricades help regulate the flow of spectators. (Either people counter systems are used or the security officers observe the spectator area from an elevated position, subdivide the total area into virtual quadrants, based on which the total number of spectators can be determined or estimated very precisely.)
The SBauVO NRW ( cited as a representative of all assembly place ordinances of the federal states) requires in Section 2 / assembly places with more than 5000 visitor places in § 29 / barrier of standing places in front of scene areas :
"(1) If standing places for visitors are arranged in front of the scene areas, the visitor places are to be separated from the scene area by a barrier in such a way that a corridor of at least 2 m width is available for the security service and the rescue workers between the scene area and the barrier."
“(2) If there are more than 5000 standing places for visitors in front of the scene areas, standing area areas that are only accessible from the sides must be created by at least two additional barriers in front of the scene area. The barriers must have a distance of at least 5 m from each other on the sides and a distance of at least 10 m across the width of the scene area. "
Stage barricades are also used to secure sensitive technical areas such as the mixer. They follow defined safety regulations and are, for example, TÜV- certified. Individual modules can be combined to a length of any number of running meters and, thanks to an L-profile (base in the direction of the cordoned-off area) and / or struts, they also have a high degree of stability even on unpaved ground such as meadows. Some models have steps that enable the security and rescue workers to get into an elevated position to keep an overview or to climb into the spectator area.
For events with low to medium spectator pressure and a lower security level (e.g. finish at a marathon event), simple police grids made of metal pipes are primarily used.
literature
- Stefan Nixdorf: StadiumATLAS. Ernst & Sohn, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-433-01851-4 .
- Stefan Nixdorf: Lines of sight and security. Sportverlag Strauss, Cologne 2007, ISBN 978-3-939390-75-6 .
