The re-design of Forest Opera is expected to cost £16.6 million ($25.2 million) and contains the largest ever cold bent arches curved by West Midlands-based Barnshaw Section Benders. The project involves bending 16 steel tubes at 1300 cut diameter, which were bent to radii of 49.785m.
Supplied by Interfare Rohr Union, each tube was 70mm thick, with the largest section weighing 26 tonnes. The weight of all the tubes totaled 361 tonnes. This was world’s first and largest application of cold bent tubes, with strength of 78, 95 cubic centimeters. Barnshaws finished the project in 14 weeks ahead of schedule.
The open-air amphitheater, which is located in the picturesque Sopot Forest is undergoing a major renovation project. It will be covered by a bowstring structure, shaped by two arches spanning 90m. The renovation project will update the structure with 21st century facilities and one of the best sound and vision systems in Europe.
