LITERATURE STUDYNATIONAL TENNIS CENTRE, ROEHAMPTON, UK

ELINDA FARIZ

13.053

Address :National Tennis Centre 100 Priory LaneRoehamptonLondonSW15 5JQ

United Kingdom

The lawn tennis association (LTA) had long identified the need for a centre of excellence, to provide a world class facility for players and coaches and to be its administrative headquarters. In 2002 the LTA purchased a section of the bank of england sports ground in Roehampton.

The National Tennis (NTC) centre provides a world-class facility for young players and coaches and the administrative headquarters for the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). The LTA wanted to provide one state-of-the-art training facility of national focus for tennis in the UK and for present players, including international wheelchair players. The national tennis centre (NTC) comprises six indoor courts, 16 outdoor courts, player training facilities including a gym and a hydrotherapy pool, sports medicine/science facilities, player accommodation, a cafe, teaching spaces and office accommodation.

The LTA brief for the project was that it had to be environmentally friendly, robust and durable, cost effective but, above all, be a facility where the users will be inspired to work and train. The LTA, with its design team, strove to achieve a building that respects the need for sustainable development, whilst preserving the ability to adapt to future needs. Examples of sustainable features like a robust and adaptable building suited to future layout changes

The roof is curved in section and has a column-free span of approximately 40m courts .During the design phase a number of structural options were considered for the roof. The choice was driven by cost, ease, aesthetics, functionality and durability. The chosen solution comprises pairs of steel arches, spaced 17.4m apart, and spanning 40m across the courts. Each arch consists of curved beam sections, with the central portion bent to a constant concave radius and the outer portions constant convex radii. These arches are supported by pairs of concrete shear walls in the side blocks.

In this way, the steel roof structure, acting as solution for the long span roof.

The reception building connects the court buildings to the offices. It is covered with a PTFE coated woven glass fibre roof. Two steel masts support a catenary cable with the fabric suspended via a series of steel 'coathangers'. Boundary cables maintain tension in the fabric, so that the roof forms a double curved surface.

The attributes of steel construction are well adapted for optimise the design. This is primarily because it offers a cost-effective solution. In addition, steel is a versatile and sustainable material which has an aesthetic appeal at both large and at small/detail-scale. It offers flexibility which can be very important for projects that are constrained by site or planning restrictions, or for venues which may wish to add to or reduce their overall capacity in the future, for example, grandstands for stadia hosting major sporting events. All sports stadia use steel construction as part of the functional and architectural solution

this type of buildings usually need large column-free spaces for pitches, courts, swimming pools, etc. and to provide unimpeded views for spectators in stadia and arenas. Steel offers the best and most cost effective method of achieving these requirements. almost all modern stadia use some sort of long-span steel construction and many architecturally-driven solutions are possible only using steel.

In addition to providing structurally efficient solution, steel construction allows designers to deliver aesthetically appealing buildings, offering clean lines, slender elements and a contemporary appearance. It offers an excellent strength-to-weight ratio meaning that less material is required in comparison to other materials.

One of the main advantages of steel in leisure building design is its capability to span long distances without the need for intermediate supports. This means that large unobstructed space can be created, which are necessary for swimming pools, gymnasia and pitches/courts as well as indoor and outdoor stadia. Spaces can also be created beneath the roof structure, which can be utilised for other revenue activities. By using steel trusses in a radial arrangement, which cantilever over the supports, the desired effect was achieved.

Steel is a sustainable material in that it is multi-cyclable. Steel construction is adaptable, reusable, and offers a zero-waste solution. Leisure structures often comprise bespoke designs with significant associated costs. Savings, both in terms of material resources and cost, are achieved through lightweight structural steel solutions.

The leisure buildings covered in this article are large in scale and therefore the use of high quality protection systems with a long life expectancy is important to clients in order to reduce long-term maintenance costs. To this end, the guarantees provided by steel suppliers together with useful maintenance advice mean that steel is the ideal choice of material.

Application of steel in exposed locations and corrosive environments (for example swimming pools) requires careful selection of the corrosion protection system in order to reduce the long-term maintenance.

Steel plays a vital supporting role in all of these categories of stadium roof. It facilitates the wide spans required, and when correctly protected, requires little maintenance. With lightweight structures, using steel with cables and membranes, translucent roofs allow a lot of light to penetrate, reduce the artificial light requirement and provide better conditions.

For stadia, the most critical design decision relating to the structural form centres around the form of roof that is employed. On the other hand, for arenas and indoor theatres, auditoria, etc., the design of the building has to be coordinated with its functional requirements and its operational energy performance, including lighting, acoustics, etc.

LITERATURE STUDYTHE NATIONAL TENNIS CENTRE, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

• Address:Melbourne park,Melbourne VIC 3000Australia

The national tennis centre at melbourne park comprises of a high performance tennis centre consisting of 21 indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a public plaza, 1000 space public bus and carpark. The High Performance Tennis Centre is designed to be an elite, world class training centre for tennis.

Modulated glazing of the hall and the incorporation of south facing roof lights provides a highly transparent internal space with visual & physical connections to the adjoining outdoor areas.

This provides an even spread of natural daylight within the hall reducing the total reliance on artificial lighting. The hall is naturally ventilated with louvres integrated into the south facade and air exhaust shafts to the north of the hall delivers a natural flow of air across all courts.

Eight courts are targeted at developing young players and use for training. while the facilities are open to professionals and laymen alike. the building was delivered one year early, in time for the 2013 australian open, and is an early product of decades of planning to revamp the complex, which hosts 200 events outside of tennis per year.

Massing of mature trees provides shading and protection to public open spaces and assists in reducing the visual impact of the new buildings.

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