SPIE, responsible for Facility management at the Barclaycard Arena for 17 years

Published on 27 November 2019

- Since 2002, SPIE has been responsible for technical facility management at the Barclaycard Arena – Hamburg’s biggest multi-purpose stadium – which has already welcomed 15 million visitors
- Seven on-site SPIE employees are on call around the clock, and for over 145 events per year
- SPIE’s contract with the Arena will run until at least 2022

 

Hamburg, November 27, 2019 This year, SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa is looking back at 17 years of collaboration with the Barclaycard Arena Hamburg. Since the Arena was opened in 2002, the multi-technical service provider has been responsible on-site for comprehensive technical facility management.

Always state-of-the-art

SPIE’s service portfolio for the 40,000-square-metre Arena is broad: The main brief is the management of electrical systems during events, along with their preparation and follow-up. The SPIE employees furthermore assist with the installation and dismantling of technology for major events and concerts by artists such as Metallica or Helene Fischer. “Big events attended by many thousands of spectators take place here regularly. To ensure that everything goes smoothly, we check the air-conditioning and ventilation systems and the electrical installations, and we operate the fire alarm systems and the emergency electricity generator to ensure an uninterrupted power supply“, says Björn Seifarth, Branch Manager Hamburg at SPIE. The multi-technical service provider is also responsible for the maintenance and servicing of the installations. The Arena contains 600 kilometres of high and low-voltage power cables. 620,000 cubic metres of air pass through the air-conditioning system’s 13 kilometres of pipes. 75 ventilation units – each weighing 30 tons – ensure the right air exchange.

In addition, our team develops customised solutions for upcoming modernisation measures – in that way, we ensure that the Arena’s technology is always state-of-the-art,” explains Adolf Borchers, Project Manager at SPIE. The multi-technical service provider’s offers range from projects such as exchanging conventional advertising boards with screens, through to handling all electrical installations for an annex – a spacious entrance building for hosting VIPs, with further spaces for dining. "The use of ecologically sustainable processes for managing such a large event space as the Barclaycard Arena is extremely important to us. We are in constant dialogue with the Arena’s owner, the Anschutz Entertainment Group, to examine topics with any sustainability potential and to either implement or optimise solutions together,” Borchers says.

High availability and a well-rehearsed team are the recipe for success

More than 145 events, each attended by around 15,000 spectators, take place every year at the Barclaycard Arena, and SPIE is always on hand to provide technical assistance. To ensure smooth workflows, seven of the multi-technical service provider’s employees work in shifts seven days a week. “With our two on-site offices, we can guarantee our client round-the-clock availability and fast coordination," Adolf Borchers says. The seven members of the team around the Project Manager have been working together at the Arena for years: “We are a well-rehearsed and creative team that works on a needs and usage-oriented basis. That is as much a success factor as our open, honest and personal communication with the client,” Borchers explains. He has been overseeing the object since the construction phase in 2001: “I meanwhile know the building inside out: I was delighted when I was asked in 2001 if I wanted to work here. There are always new challenges—every show is different.” Since the partnership began, the contract has repeatedly been extended and currently runs until 2022.

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