Temporary membrane roofing for tennis court sheds at Melbourne Park

Taiyo Kogyo’s Australian subsidiary (MakMax Australia ) has completed a tension membrane roof over the tennis courts at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne Park is a sports complex built on the former site of the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games and is famous for being used as the venue for the Australian Open. A membrane roof was installed over the spectator seating area of a court called Show Court 3.

The planned membrane roof was intended to protect the spectators from rain and sunlight without obstructing their view. The membrane roof was also required to be easily removable as a temporary structure, so the arrangement of the anchoring members was planned to allow the membrane panels to be removed and attached in a short period of time.

The existing stadium bleachers had been in use for 38 years since their completion in 1982, and there were only a limited number of structural documents available. A 3D scanning survey of the inside and outside of the bleachers revealed that the existing foundations were not able to withstand the high loads, and several design alternatives were proposed that could be built on the existing structure.

After overcoming challenges such as limited access to heavy machinery to the site, the project was successfully delivered in December, four months after construction began in August 2019, and was unveiled at the Australian Open held in January of the following year.

The membrane roof was extremely well received by visitors during the Australian Open, and plans are underway to renovate the temporarily installed membrane roof into a permanent structure.

About MakMax Australia

Founded: 2003 President: Yoshihiro Iwata Location: Brisbane, Australia

 

メルボルン・テニス・センターについて

Client:Tennis Australia