The stage developed for Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics Tour introduced a self-supporting cable structure specifically designed for repeated assembly at stadiums around the world. Six outward-leaning steel masts, each approximately 30 metres high, surround the central rotating stage and support a cable net spanning around 60 metres.
The cable structure carries a transparent circular LED halo with a diameter of 21 metres and a weight of approximately 45 tonnes. Additional audio, lighting and video equipment is suspended from the cable net and the steel masts. Backstay cables and counterweights at the mast bases stabilize the structure without permanent anchoring to the stadium ground.
PFEIFER Structures developed and supplied the LoadScan system for permanent structural monitoring. Load-monitoring pins continuously measure the forces in the radial and backstay cables, while a weather station records the relevant environmental conditions. A control cabinet at the base of each mast displays the measured values from the connected sensors.
The six control cabinets communicate through a central data network. Cloud connectivity makes the structural and weather data available remotely in real time, allowing the tour’s technical team to identify critical load conditions and respond quickly to high winds or unexpected changes in cable forces. The monitoring system supports the safe operation of the temporary structure throughout repeated assembly, performances and dismantling at changing locations.
