NUSSLI completes grandstand construction for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Hüttwilen/Switzerland, August 2, 2011. NUSSLI, an international provider for temporary event infrastructures, has completed the grandstand structure for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2011 two weeks ahead of the opening event. The company was tasked by Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd. with the construction of a temporary festival arena for 8,800 spectators in front of Edinburgh Castle for the world-famous military music event.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is the largest music festival in Scotland, and has been held every year in August in front of Edinburgh Castle on the Esplanade since 1950. Over 1,000 musicians and dancers perform for a live audience of around 8,800 at each performance. Grandstands are erected every summer on the Esplanade, which are then removed again in September. Scotland’s capital welcomes around 217,000 fans of the military parade each year. The grandstand structure that had been used until 2010 was replaced by a new, more flexible solution in 2011. The event’s general contractor Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd (SRM) tasked the Swiss-based event infrastructure provider NUSSLI with the planning, delivery, and initial construction of the new grandstand system. NUSSLI was the ideal choice for the task, as the company has gained considerable experience and knowhow as a provider of temporary event structures for sports and cultural events internationally.

“The new grandstands for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is absolutely unique. I don’t believe that there is any comparable temporary structure like it”, tells NUSSLI Project Manager Stefan Helfenstein. “It sets an entirely new benchmark for safety, comfort, architecture and functionality in temporary structures.” One of its unique aspects is the fact that it was planned as a permanent structure. That means that proper foundations were laid, and the event structure itself was constructed in compliance with national construction standards. Nevertheless, NUSSLI managed to halve the construction time needed for the previous grandstand installation.

Following a two-year planning phase, NUSSLI finally started the actual construction of the temporary structure in Mid-May. The 8,800 grandstand seats, including a modular, two-storey VIP and technology building with accessible roof terrace, the functional structures and a fully automated visitor elevator were completed end of July in just two and a half months. The extraordinary structure is 75 m wide, 110 m long and 20 m high. 15 installers used around 1,000 tons of material - 900 tons of steel and 100 tons of aluminum - in its construction. 160 trucks were needed to deliver the required material to the site. NUSSLI was also in charge of the guidance system for visitors.

Construction logistics had to deal with space restrictions inside and outside the walls of the ancient castle. Monuments, and the sloping terrain along the sides of the structure, posed additional problems. Logistics were also forced to work around the huge numbers of tourists and visitors, frequenting the famous castle each day.

In the interest of sustainability, and not to be in the way of the many visitors of Edinburgh Castle, NUSSLI will remove the temporary event structures at the end of each event. The opening event of this year’s military parade in Edinburgh will be held on August 5, 2011.

About NUSSLI
NUSSLI is a leading, global supplier of temporary constructions for events, trade fairs, and exhibitions. The combination of long-standing expertise, in-depth know-how and an international network ensures focused,
cost-efficient realization of customer specifications. NUSSLI’s success is driven by its reliability and commitment
to excel. The company provides individual, custom-tailored integral solutions from the initial concept on to the final execution. These are hallmarked by short completion times and high quality.

Core products are grandstands and modular stadiums, trade fair stands and pavilion constructions, including the entire infrastructure for events. The wide-ranging services and products combined with in-house planning and
production capabilities make NUSSLI unmatched in events around the globe.

NUSSLI is headquartered in Switzerland. In addition to running international subsidiaries in Germany, Austria, UK, Spain, Italy, the USA and Middle East, the company is represented by partners and sales and project offices around the world.

Contact
NUSSLI Group
Hauptstrasse 36
CH – 8536 Hüttwilen
www.nussli.com

Karin Ruhland
Head of Marketing & Communications
Phone.: +41 52 748 21 51
E-Mail: karin.ruhland@nussli.com

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This release was published on openPR.