Queensland Tennis Centre,on Brisbane’s Southside, was completed in 2009 to showcase both top class tennis and community tennis including tournaments. The AU $82M state-of-the-art tennis facility holdsthe Brisbane International, part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series, just before the Australian Open Grand Slam, every January.
The significant feature of the Centre Court is that it provides a fixed roof solution, permanently sheltering all5,500spectators from the heat and rain, while still maintaining the atmosphere and tournamentstatus of an outdoor event, in a city where court temperatures can soar above 50 degrees in summer.
The Queensland Tennis Centre is linked to a new luxury residential and parklands riverfront development, and has become the vehicle to provide a “nursery” for Queensland’s future world champions, as well as an international standard tennis facility. The facility, situated on the site of the decommissioned Tennyson Power Station, is owned by the Queensland Government and managed by Stadiums Queensland. Populous formed a part of the design team to ensure the tennis centre was benchmarked against the best in tennis facility design, anywhere in the world.
The Populous team was led by Queenslanders, Senior Principal, Andrew James, and Principal Shaun Gallagher who believe multipurpose nature of the tennis centre is the best way to ensure the facility is truly environmentally sustainable, because it can be used all year round by its community. The Populous designers say the inclusion of the roof, designed as a parasol over both the court and the spectator seating bowl provides a cost effective and practical solution that will also enhancethe characteristics that are special to tennis.
Queensland has a long history of tennis, producing world class tennis champions, including Rod Laver, and more recently, Pat Rafter; whose memory will be a permanent part ofthe Tennis Centre legacy after the 5,500-seat main arena was named in his honour. For many years although player interest in tennis in Queensland has increased significantly, the development of tennis facilities has not followed. In fact, Queensland was in the doldrums. Its long –time”home”, Frew Park, at Milton was closed in 1999 and tennis neededa kick start The foresight and single mindednessof some of the stakeholders often propel a major sports project forward, and Populous believes this was the case with the Queensland Tennis Centre. Former Wimbledonchampion Ashley Cooper, and CEO of the development firm, Mirvac, Chris Freeman, took the germ of an idea, developed the momentum, and together with Tennis Australia, Tennis Queensland andthe Queensland Government, made it a reality.
The result is a purpose built facility that features all three “Grand Slam” surfaces – grass, clay and cushioned acrylic hard court, as part of a 12 hectare residential, recreational and parklands hub, including 400m of north facing river frontage, with public access to the Brisbane riverfront.In total there are twenty three match and training courts. The Queensland TennisCentre is flexible and connected to its local community, with a good support structure.In event mode, the tiered centre court is capable of hosting state, national and international standard tennis events on all surfaces and the everydaycushioned acrylic hard court surface can be easily adapted. Traditionally, for example, Australia prefers a lawn surface, when playing Davis Cup matches and the facility has been designed so that maintenance vehicles can access thearena and install a temporary modular turf system, if necessary. The new Centre is also the headquarters for Tennis Queensland’s administration and development programs. Tennis administrators and advocates believe the game has to be more accessible, particularly to children, if tennisis toreally inspire a new generation of champions.So the “nursery”, at the Queensland Tennis Centre, is a vital element, providing an Academy that draws in children from all over the State.
When not in event mode the Tennis Centre operates as a leisure tennis centre, catering to all age groups, like mums and young children during the day and social players interested in fixture playing, at night. Since January, both the “social” and “nursery” elements have made a good beginning. The community function is a very important component and the feedback from the operators is that social tennis is proving so popular; it is now difficult to book a court.
There have been improvements to the local infrastructure including pedestrian access along the riverfront and connectivity to the existing Brisbane City Council bikeway network for cyclists, as well as improved local access to the Yeerongpilly Railway Station. Onsite parking has also been improved with construction of an internal road and parking onsite to minimise traffic on local streets. During events, the main thoroughfare is closed to traffic, creating a pedestrian boulevard, which can be dressed with pageantry, and lined with food and beverage stalls and merchandising outlets to heighten the sense of anticipation when people arrive and leave a lasting impression when they depart.As part of the community facility there is also an interactive museum, with memorabilia celebrating the rich history of tennis in Queensland, which operates as both an entry statement and a museum for the centre, intended to be informative, educational and fun. A unique roof – both a parasol and an umbrella – helps create an intense theatre
Centre court during a tennis match is a unique stage of controlled drama. The “quiet please” command to the audience andfocused action during match play creates excitement and tension. Creating the right roof for the Pat Rafter arena was a delicate balance. The roof is designed to maintain outdoor atmosphere and tournament classification while providing permanent shade cover. The roof is designed to capture the theatre and intensity of the centre court match play, contain noise to ensure the stadium behaves as a good neighbour in a residential setting, exploit the Queensland climate, and yetremain cost effective. Tennis can be played in Brisbane all year round, as thewinters are generally mild and dry but, as already indicated, players and spectators need protection from the heat and storms of the sub tropical summer. The roof solution acts as both a parasol and an umbrella over the open stadium.The fixed roof ispartially solid (metal sheet panels) and partially fabric ( PTFE fabric). Insulation within the metal sheet panels keeps the arena cooler and drier in summer, and cuts down the noise from the outside, particularly the heavy rain, while still retaining the intensity and theatre of the action inside. The fact the umbrella is “open” has also allowed for the best possible use of natural light, as the essence of tennis is all about being outdoors. The end result is a gladiatorial arena, where spectators feel part of the action, with great sightlines and an intimate atmosphere.
Flexible facilities create long term sustainability Environmentally sustainable elements introduced to the Queensland Tennis Centre, include huge water tanks buried underground, to capture and store up to one million litres of water, essential in the everyday maintenance of high quality tennis surfaces. Sports facilities which are flexible and multifunctional are most environmentally sustainable in the long term, because they are embraced and well used by a wide range of the community. Many of the specific function spaces for a major event are adaptable for everyday living. Corporate boxes have demountable walls and can be dismantled to make larger banqueting areas or function spaces. Facilities to be used by the media during a major competition can be converted into internal coaching spaces, at other times.
The long term vision is to develop the space around the stadium, as a gathering place during non event times, likea “piazza” or “community square”,perhaps a site for weekend markets. The interactive museum will help create this focal meeting place, and so too will the specially commissioned Public Work of Art, which provides a signature point for the stadium. The work Bounce by artist Anton James is comprised of three pieces fabricated of painted hollow steel pipe, bent and welded together into their proposed forms, each one perched on legs elevating the body of the piece at least three metres above the pavement, drawing their inspiration from the energy and movement of tennis. On an event day, the pageantry of a Big Event, the Museum, and the Art Work will draw people in, to celebrate the theatre of tennis.
The Tennyson power station provides a rich legacy for a new chapter of Brisbane’s history. The Queensland Tennis Centre, with its deliberate community focus, will provide a different theatre, and in time, create a replacement icon to continue the development of Tennis in Queensland, while also creating a new and lasting facility for the widerBrisbane community in which it is situated.
