"Companies are becoming enlightened on the possibilities for rapid prototyping. Color, in addition to speed and cost, is why we selected Color Jet Printing." – Patrik Lindberg, Owner, WE DO
The new 30,000-seat civic sports arena in Stockholm, Sweden won't be complete for several months. That means now is the time to sell seats, book performers, sign teams and create the kind of anticipation that makes an enormous venture like this successful.

One of the key promotional tools for Stockholmsarenan (Stockholm Arena) is a downtown information pavilion offering a multimedia experience of the future stadium. The pavilion details plans for world-class soccer, music, equestrian, racing and corporate events under a sliding roof for year-round comfort.

CHALLENGE
Selling the Arena Before It's Built
It’s not easy promoting an attraction that doesn’t yet exist. Project leaders knew that as stimulating as the information pavilion would be, they would need something tangible to display, something finely detailed and in three real-world dimensions. This would help people better imagine themselves enjoying a game, a show or a race inside.

The project team asked WE DO, a Swedish design studio based in Stockholm, to create an exquisitely detailed physical model of the arena. Of course, the model was needed as soon as possible, much faster than is possible with handcrafting, the traditional way of developing physical architectural models.

STRATEGY
Leveraging 3D Printing's Speed, Affordability and Resolution
The emerging tradition for creating physical 3D architectural models is 3D printing because of its advantages in speed, accuracy, resolution and affordability. In just a few hours, 3D printing converts 3D digital data into a physical model much as a document printer converts a word-processing file into a business letter.

WE DO used a 3D Systems' Color Jet Printer (CJP) ProJet® 3D printer to create a 1.2-meter-by-1.2-meter model of Stockholmsarenan, capturing virtually every detail in the architect’s 3D digital model. The 3D printed model is a cross-section that includes 7,400 highly detailed seats, each 4 mm wide.

WE DO’s ProJet produces 3D models five to 10 times faster than competing printers, at a fraction of the cost.

Unlike other 3D printers, the ProJet is capable of simultaneously printing in multiple colors. Multicolor 3D printing dramatically communicates the proposed look, feel and style of architectural designs, enables labels and logos, and vividly depicts landscapes. Although Stockholmsarenan was printed by ProJet in classic architectural white, clients are increasingly asking for color, according to Patrik Lindberg, owner of WE DO. “Companies are becoming enlightened on the possibilities for rapid prototyping,” he says. “Color, in addition to speed and cost, is why we selected the ProJet.”

The ProJet is also the most highly automated 3D printer, and the most compatible with WE DO’s contemporary office environment. And for the first time, a 3D printer automatically recycles all unused build materials after printing, making the process sustainable, which is important to WE DO.

RESULTS
 Selling a Powerful Vision of Stockholmsarenan
The stadium model has exceeded all expectations and has made a powerful impression on the people who view it. Both the architect and prospective patrons at the information pavilion are “blown away” by the model, says Lindberg.

“Stockholmsarenan is a monument to world-class sports and entertainment, activities that can stir passion like few others,” he says. “Until the arena is complete, this ProJet model is helping generate excitement for the arena and helping the owner and operator make the business a success.”

Almost as important to WE DO is getting the work done on time and within the approved budget. “Working under a tight deadline, we printed different sections of the model nonstop for two weeks,” Lindberg says. “It would have taken three times longer and triple the cost to make this model by hand, and the result would have been far less detailed. In other words, ProJet CJP printing made this project work.”