Forsyth Barr Stadium

Capacity: ‎30,748
Home Teams:

• Otago (Rugby Union)
• Highlanders (Rugby Union)
• Southern United FC (Soccer)

The Forsyth Barr Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand. At various stages of development it was also known as Dunedin Stadium or Awatea Street Stadium, or its non-commercial official name during the 2011 Rugby World Cup and 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Otago Stadium. It is also known colloquially as ‘the glasshouse’ due to its resemblance to a horticultural hothouse.

The stadium has a maximum seated capacity of 30,748 in a full sports mode, and capacity in excess of 36,000 for concerts. There are permanent stands in the South and North with removable seating in East and West Stand areas. The West Stand Area, officially called the Mitre 10 Mega Stand, is also known as the Zoo and is popular with the student population.

It is also the world’s first fully enclosed grassed (though strengthened by synthetic grass fibres from Desso GrassMaster) stadium. The stadium roof was constructed with a clear ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) transparent roofing material (also used in the Eden Project, England, Allianz Arena in Munich and the Beijing Cube, China). This roof should have been angled to face north to optimise sun in Southern Hemisphere winter, however it was constructed facing a north-east direction. Rainwater is collected from the 20,500m² roof surface and recycled to irrigate the pitch. Key stadium features include:

• Internal roof height at centre line: 37 metres
• Highest observed rugby kick 29.4m
• External roof height 47 metres (equivalent to a 12-storey building)
• Football goal posts: 16 metres