Hangzhou Olympic Tennis Centre
Structural Designer
China Construction Design Institute
Client Name
Construction and Investment Limited Company of Hangzhou Olympic Centre
Location
Hangzhou, China
PRINCIPAL CONTRACTOR
Zhejiang Construction Engineering Group Co Ltd
ARCHITECT
College of Civil engineering, Hunan University - Wind tunnel test
KEY CONTRACTORS
Zhejiang Engineering Geophysical Institute - Geological exploration
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This striking retractable steel roof is opened by the rotation of eight petals. A 26m long cantilever allows the roof petals to span more than 30m. Each petal can rotate 45° horizontally to cover the whole stadium.
Judge's comment:
This extraordinary stadium roof structure opens and closes to cover a central aperture approximately 60m in diameter in a manner reminiscent of a traditional camera shutter.
It is an impressive piece of structural and mechanical engineering in which eight moving "petals" slide and rotate simultaneously on concentric rails mounted on top of an enormous fixed cantilever roof.
The structure is formed from tubular steel trusses and the designers have had to pay particular attention to controlling deflections at all stages of the opening cycle.
The complexity of the operation, the integration of structural and mechanical systems, and the required precision of the construction are all noteworthy. The judges were impressed with the execution of this challenging project.