New South Wales (Olympic) Tennis Centre

A significant and intelligent solution that resolves urban issues as well as planning, constructional and environmental concerns in a simple
and direct manner.

The design of the tennis centre allows for a 64 men/64 women tournament, together with doubles and mixed doubles participants, in both the Olympics and subsequent smaller tournaments.

The Centre Court stadium is a dramatic cantilevering concrete bowl, minimally propped up by thin steel columns. It has 24 segments, each with a mast, and a lightweight galvanised steel roof held in place by three concentric ring beams. The simple lightweight roof (which weighs only 70 tonnes) provides shade to 70% of the seats.

Brief

  • elegant user friendly design
  • Olympic tennis venue consisting of 10,000 seat centre court, show courts and championship courts with new facilities building for competitors, officials and VIPs
  • legacy use

Results

  • achieved recognition both for its architectural integrity, as well as its effectiveness as a venue
  • sets a new benchmark in style, capacity, environmental sensitivity and structural innovation
  • Royal Australian Institute of Architects Sir John Sulman Award

Facts

Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Client: Olympic Co-ordinating Authority
Construction cost: £15m
Completed: 2000
Awards: 1

Integrated services

architecture (with Bligh Voller Nield)

Links to images