PROJECT OVERVIEW
It’s home to a range of sports teams who have made their mark, from Melbourne Storm (Rugby League) to Melbourne Rebels (Rugby Union) to Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory (Football). What’s more, it’s seen some truly remarkable games over the years, including the second test of the 2016 England rugby union tour of Australia, where more than 29,000 fans thronged the stadium.
OUR ROLE
The venue’s structure and building elements are no less impressive. The stadium boasts a sleek, bio-frame design and geodesic dome roof, providing guests with a clear view of the action, unobstructed by pillars and walls. An LED lighting system—located on the roof’s exterior—also allows the Stadium to display dazzling colours and patterns, giving every game and concert that extra touch of magic.
Originally built in 2010, the $190 million development was structurally designed by Arup and claimed an award for the World’s Most Iconic and Culturally Significant Stadium at the World Stadium Congress in 2012. Challenges to peer reviews required a few visits to the Arup office and ongoing talks with the design engineers, who demonstrated the complex 3D modelling used to define the complex roof structure—including the flood lighting termed by them as the ‘tooth brushes cover’.
The member sizes were then optimised by Arup’s engineers using in-house optimisation software: their way of ensuring structural efficiency and optimum steelwork.
