Case Study: SDEI Ouest achieves Europe’s first modern velarium since Rome with SolidWorks

Engineering a modern amphitheater velarium with SolidWorks solutions

SDEI Ouest, an engineering consulting firm in Cholet, France, was tasked with designing, manufacturing, and installing a 5,500 m² velarium atop the Gallo‑Roman stadium at Puy du Fou—a structure not attempted in Europe since the fall of Rome. The project required a bicycle‑wheel‑like steel support carrying up to 200 metric tons, resistance to gusts over 70 km/h, deployment in under a minute, and coordination of 8,800 components while meeting strict public‑safety, weight, cost, and aesthetic constraints. To meet these challenges SDEI Ouest used SolidWorks Premium design and SolidWorks Simulation solutions.

Using SolidWorks, SDEI Ouest iterated designs and ran simulations to validate loads, avoided costly prototypes, and added a solution of 12 vertical cables anchored to the ground to stiffen the inner circle. SolidWorks-enabled simulation let the team absorb a midproject 62% increase in radial load requirements, reduce clamp weight by 24%, optimize a lightweight, cost‑effective structure, secure two patents for automated deployment/folding systems, and streamline communication among partners—delivering a safe, compliant velarium on schedule.

SDEI Ouest

Yves Biret

Head of Product Design