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Stadium Reduction System for BC Place Stadium

In 2010, the city of Vancouver saw its domed stadium, BC Place, undergo a unique transformation – a renovation would take it from a dome to an open air stadium. Included in the renovation project was the installation of an elaborate, first-of-its-kind stadium reduction system. The stadium has a total capacity of 55,000 seats, but for smaller events the upper deck is not required.

Enter Thern.

Thern built 54 custom roll drop winches that are installed at the bottom of the upper deck and circle field. They are all tied into a central remote control system and are used to deploy and retrieve large fabric drapes, that when deployed create a false roof for the stadium, making it appear smaller when desired. It’s a cutting edge system… made possible by Thern.

What Thern Built at BC Place Stadium

Thern, Inc. designed and manufactured 54 custom roll-drop winches for BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Canada, as part of the stadium’s 2010–2011 renovation. These winches are part of a first-of-its-kind stadium reduction system that deploys and retrieves large fabric drapes to make the 55,000-seat venue appear smaller for intimate events.

Key Facts:

Project location: BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Project year: Installed as part of the 2010–2011 BC Place revitalization
Manufacturer: Thern, Inc. (Winona, Minnesota, USA)
Scope: 54 custom-engineered roll-drop winches
Installation position: Bottom of the upper deck, circling the field
Winch control system: Central remote control connecting all 54 units
Function: Deploy and retrieve large fabric drapes to create a visual false ceiling
Purpose: Reduce apparent stadium size for smaller events without physical renovation
Distinction: First-of-its-kind stadium reduction system in the world

How the Stadium Reduction System Works

BC Place’s stadium reduction system works by using 54 Thern roll-drop winches, mounted at the base of the upper deck, to lower and raise large fabric drapes that encircle the playing field. When fully deployed, these drapes form a false roof, visually closing off the upper tier and making the stadium appear significantly smaller to spectators and broadcast cameras alike.

Step-by-Step System Operation
Step 1 – Trigger: Event organizers determine the event size does not require the full 55,000-seat upper bowl.
Step 2 – Remote activation: Stadium operations staff activate the central remote control system, sending commands to all 54 Thern winches simultaneously.
Step 3 – Drape deployment: Each winch unrolls its fabric drape downward from the bottom edge of the upper deck, creating a continuous fabric curtain encircling the stadium.
Step 4 – False ceiling formed: With drapes fully deployed, the upper deck becomes visually hidden, creating the impression of a more intimate, smaller venue.
Step 5 – Retrieval: After the event, the same winches retract the drapes back into their rolled storage position, restoring the full-capacity configuration.

The Engineering Challenge – Custom Roll-Drop Winches

Thern engineered 54 bespoke roll-drop winches for BC Place because no off-the-shelf product existed for this application. Each unit had to reliably deploy and retrieve large fabric loads in a consistent, synchronized manner under the demanding conditions of a professional sports venue, operating as part of a unified remote-control network.

Why This Project Matters for Stadium Design

The BC Place stadium reduction system represents a significant advancement in multi-use venue engineering, solving the problem of dead atmosphere in large stadiums hosting smaller events. By using Thern’s custom winch-and-drape system, BC Place can host a Grey Cup before 55,000 fans and then reconfigure for a 20,000-person concert – without touching a single seat.

Industry Significance: The ‘Dead Stadium’ Problem

The problem: Large stadiums (50,000+ seats) suffer from poor atmosphere and acoustics when fewer than half the seats are filled – a common scenario for concerts, conferences, and mid-tier sporting events.
Traditional solutions: Tarps over seats, artificial crowd noise, or scheduling limitations – all inferior or costly workarounds.
The Thern/BC Place solution: A permanent, mechanical system that transforms the stadium’s apparent scale on demand, without construction, in the same time it takes to set up a stage.
Economic impact: Venue flexibility allows more event types to be hosted profitably, improving utilization and return on the stadium’s $563 million investment.
Precedent set: As a first-of-its-kind installation, the BC Place system has established a new benchmark for how large venues approach capacity management engineering.

Thern’s Expertise in Large-Venue Custom Winch Systems

Thern, Inc. is a global manufacturer of winches and cranes specializing in custom-engineered solutions for applications where no standard product exists. Based in Winona, Minnesota, with European operations in the Netherlands, Thern has delivered custom lifting, pulling, and positioning systems to industries including entertainment, construction, government, defense, and large-venue infrastructure for over 75 years.

Landmark Portfolio Projects:

One World Trade Center: Custom winch systems for the iconic New York City skyscraper.
Times Square: Thern-engineered solutions for a high-profile urban installation in New York City.
NASA Shuttle Pad: Custom winch engineering supporting NASA launch operations.
Las Vegas LINQ Ferris Wheel: Positioning and lifting solutions for the High Roller observation wheel.
Ivanpah Solar: Winch systems for one of the world’s largest solar thermal power facilities in California.
Audubon Bridge: Custom solutions for major infrastructure in Louisiana.
TCF Stadium Scoreboard: Stadium engineering work alongside the BC Place project.

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FAQ’s

How does BC Place Stadium reduce its capacity for smaller events?

BC Place Stadium uses a winch-based stadium reduction system built by Thern, Inc. Fifty-four custom roll-drop winches are installed at the bottom of the upper deck and are controlled from a single remote system; when activated, they lower large fabric drapes that form a false ceiling, visually closing off the upper bowl and creating the impression of a smaller, more intimate venue. The system can be deployed or retrieved on demand without any permanent structural changes.

What company made the winches for BC Place Stadium?

Thern, Inc., a custom winch and crane manufacturer based in Winona, Minnesota, USA, designed and built the 54 roll-drop winches used in BC Place Stadium’s stadium reduction system. Thern is a global manufacturer with over 75 years of experience producing lifting, pulling, and positioning equipment, and the BC Place project required entirely custom-engineered units because no existing product met the application’s requirements.

What is a roll-drop winch and how is it used in stadiums?

A roll-drop winch is a type of winch designed to deploy material – such as fabric, netting, or sheeting – by unrolling it from a drum in a controlled downward motion, and then retrieve it by re-rolling. In stadium applications, roll-drop winches like those manufactured by Thern for BC Place are used to lower large fabric drapes from the upper deck to create a false ceiling, effectively reducing the apparent size of the venue for events that do not require full capacity.

What was unique about the engineering of the BC Place stadium reduction system?

The BC Place stadium reduction system was the first of its kind in the world when it was installed in 2010. Thern, Inc. custom-engineered all 54 roll-drop winches from the ground up because no off-the-shelf product existed for this application. The engineering challenge included synchronizing 54 units through a single central remote control system, designing for reliable fabric deployment in a large-venue environment, and fitting the winches within the existing structural geometry of the upper deck.

Can other large stadiums use a similar winch-based reduction system?

Yes. The approach pioneered at BC Place – using winch-deployed fabric drapes to create a false ceiling and visually reduce stadium size – is applicable to other large multi-use venues facing the same challenge of hosting events at varying attendance scales. Thern, Inc. offers custom engineering services and can design winch systems tailored to a specific stadium’s structural geometry, load requirements, and control specifications. The BC Place installation serves as the proof-of-concept benchmark for this type of venue flexibility solution.