The Urban Developer
AdvertiseEventsWebinarsUrbanity
Industry Excellence
Urban Leader
Sign In
Membership
Latest
Menu
Location
Sector
Category
Content
Type
Newsletters
Urban Leader Awards Logos RGB White
NOMINATIONS CLOSE SEPTEMBER 12 RECOGNISING THE INDIVIDUALS BEHIND THE PROJECTS
NOMINATIONS CLOSING SEPTEMBER 12 URBAN LEADER AWARDS
LEARN MOREDETAILS
TheUrbanDeveloper
Follow
About
About Us
Membership
Awards
Events
Webinars
Listings
Resources
Terms & Conditions
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Republishing Guidelines
Editorial Charter
Complaints Handling Policy
Contact
General Enquiries
Advertise
Contribution Enquiry
Project Submission
Membership Enquiry
Newsletter
Stay up to date and with the latest news, projects, deals and features.
Subscribe
ADVERTISEMENT
SHARE
print
Print
OtherStaff WriterTue 20 Jan 15

Margaret Court Arena Houses Australia's Fastest $366m Retractable Roof

r

For $366 million the new retractable roof at Melbourne’s

Margaret Court Arena, closes completely in under five minutes and is ready to cover players and spectators during the 2015 Australian Open.

Comprising of a series of vibrant “Copper Penny” Colourbond Metallic steel gable roofs, detailed with a Lysaght Klip-Lok 700 profile, the retractable roof designed by Australia’s

NH Architecture in association with

Populous, is the fastest to close in Australia.

According to Architecture and Design, the roof is a part of the latest redevelopment phase at Melbourne Olympic Parks.

It also includes a refurbished MCA seating bowl to hold 7,500 spectators, new air conditioning and acoustic technologies and concourse connectivity to the Rod Laver Arena.

The new roof has attracted attention with reviews of the design coming in mixed and from international sources. America’s Sports Illustrated Magazine claimed the design had “grandeur” and was “fashionable”, while Joe Rollo from Australia’s Fairfax Media says the MCA design is a missed chance at greatness.

Populous Senior Principal Richard Breslin claims the roof’s colour and profile reflected some traditional elements of Melbourne architecture, while still endeavouring to create a presence of individuality for the MCA.

“The “copper penny” colour of the metal roof has been deliberately designed to complement the existing architecture, particularly big brother next door, Rod Laver Arena, but also to express Margaret Court Arena’s own individuality,” he said in a statement.

“The colour and shape of the roof reflects some of the traditional elements of Melbourne architecture, particularly the sandstone, zinc and copper of buildings along the Yarra River.”

He also said the pleated profile reduces its structural depth and importantly reduces the visual bulk of the building.

“The pleated nature of the roof also provides the flexibility to fold down to pedestrian level to provide weather protection, particularly at venue entrances.”

“Large roof overhangs on all sides of the building provide shade to the surrounding concourse and public realm, offering a respite for patrons facing the hot summer sun which is often a part of the Australian Open.”

The roof, designed with guidance from Aurecon and Walter P Moore engineers, is a unique system, which sees only two downturned operable trusses, spanning the width of the MCA (on each end), supporting the bulk of the operable roof.

Each truss is connected to a 57 metre x 32 metre operable lateral panel, which is joined to seven adjacent gable roofs sections that make up the bulk of the MCA roof. The whole structure is driven by drive bogies and has a small straight-line dimension of 1.25 metres between the top of the operable roof panel and the top of the fixed roof.

While the primary use of the redeveloped Margaret Court Arena will be to stage major matches of the Australian Tennis Open, the multi-purpose venue will also host netball, basketball, major concerts and entertainment events.

OtherAustraliaConstructionTechnologyArchitectureConstructionSector
AUTHOR
Staff Writer
"TheUrbanDeveloper.com is committed to delivering the latest news, reviews, opinions and insights into the best of urban development from Australia and around the world. "
More articles by this author
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORIES
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
4 Min
Woolloongabba Precinct Vulture St
Exclusive

Brisbane Developer in Cross River Rail Compensation Tussle

Clare Burnett
4 Min
The Mondrian Gold Coast hotel's food and beverage is driving profits
Exclusive

Touch, Taste, Theatre: What’s Driving Mondrian’s Success

Renee McKeown
6 Min
Fortis’ display suites are designed as brand environments first, with tactile details and curated design to build buyer confidence before project specifics.
Exclusive

Relevant or Redundant: Will Tech Kill Display Suites?

Vanessa Croll
7 Min
Exclusive

Missing Heart: Why The Gold Coast Needs a CBD

Phil Bartsch
7 Min
View All >
JQZ Parramatta EDM
Residential

JQZ Plots 10-Storey Addition to Parramatta ‘Auto Alley’ Plans

Clare Burnett
The Adelaide purpose built student accommodation market is about to increase by 1058 beds with the State Commission Assessment Panel supporting two towers in the making.
Student Housing

Highrise Approvals Add 1000-Plus PBSA Beds in Adelaide

Renee McKeown
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
The property giant’s strategic shift to higher density is in full flight as details of two landmark projects are made pu…
LATEST
JQZ Parramatta EDM
Residential

JQZ Plots 10-Storey Addition to Parramatta ‘Auto Alley’ Plans

Clare Burnett
3 Min
The Adelaide purpose built student accommodation market is about to increase by 1058 beds with the State Commission Assessment Panel supporting two towers in the making.
Student Housing

Highrise Approvals Add 1000-Plus PBSA Beds in Adelaide

Renee McKeown
3 Min
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
4 Min
South Melbourne social housing precinct
Affordable & Social Housing

South Melbourne Housing Precinct Revamp Takes Next Step

Leon Della Bosca
2 Min
View All >
ADVERTISEMENT
Article originally posted at: https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/margaret-court-arena-houses-australias-fastest-366m-retractable-roof