Reinventing Margaret Court Arena
THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF AIRAH DECEMBER 2015 · VOLUME 14.11 Ecolibrium
Ace Reinventing
Margaret Court Arena PRINT POST APPROVAL NUMBER PP352532/00001 COVER FEATURE
Services ace Every January, thousands Once played on the quaint grass When the tournament first moved from courts of Kooyong in Melbourne’s leafy Kooyong to the then newly built Flinders of tennis fans from across eastern suburbs, the Australian Open Park (later renamed Melbourne Park) in the country and around the – the first grand slam of the calendar 1988, attendance numbers immediately year and the only major to be played increased by 90 per cent to 266,436. globe descend on Melbourne in the southern hemisphere – has grown These numbers have continued to grow for the Australian Open. to become an iconic international as the facility has expanded over time, sporting event. So it goes without saying that with last year’s attendances smashing the Attracting all the leading players from previous record set in 2012, with 703,899 the facilities at Melbourne Park around the world as well as international visitors attending over the two-week event. need to be world-class. And as sponsors, crowds and a worldwide Much of this recent growth can be Sean McGowan reports, a recent television audience, the Open has grown attributed to the recent redevelopment exponentially in the 27 years it has been of the Melbourne Park precinct, including upgrade has ensured they are. held at Melbourne Park. that of Margaret Court Arena.
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This led to an announcement by the Victorian government of a multi- stage, $704 million redevelopment With wind-driven of Melbourne Park to future-proof air movement the home of the tournament. between the At the heart of the Stage 1 works was the redevelopment of Margaret Court two concourses Arena. This included the installation of a retractable roof and the addition difficult to predict of 1,500 extra seats to increase capacity to 7,500 spectators. and manage, the The works also included an upgrade to the mechanical systems western concourse, such that it would be shared by both the Rod Laver Arena and are set up so that
the new Margaret Court Arena (MCA). there is little
CLOSING interaction EVERYTHING IN
As part of the successful bid team challenge on the project,” says Craig that included the joint-venture architect Peterkin, building services for Aurecon. NH+Populous, Aurecon provided structural, civil and building services “The builder took possession of the site engineering for the new arena. in mid-2012, with handover in November 2014, which meant the works had to allow Preliminary works commenced in for two three-month periods when no April 2010, and were scheduled around construction could occur. In reality, the the tournament (held each January) so downtime extended longer than this to as to maintain amenity for players, staff allow for mobilisation activities either and visitors. side of this period.” Following completion of the 2012 To facilitate the temporary handover tournament, works began on the MCA. of the site some temporary infrastructure “Staging of the construction works around had to be built in such as sprinklers, two Australian Opens was always a key fire detection and air conditioning.
Named after Australia’s most successful women’s tennis player (who won more Grand Slam titles than any other player in the history of the sport), the arena was originally conceived as the open-aired Show Court 1. It played second fiddle to the 15,000-seat National Tennis Centre, now known as Rod Laver Arena. But as the tournament grew, so too did the need to cater for growing spectator numbers. Within just 12 years of the Open moving to Melbourne Park, a 10,500 seat multi-purpose venue, now known as Hisense Arena, was added. This placed Show Court 1 as the third largest capacity venue for the tournament. But still visitor numbers to the Australian Open continued to grow, such that by 2010 an additional 100,000 spectators were attending the tournament than had done a decade previously. Margaret Court Arena sits adjacent to centre court, the Rod Laver Arena. Image courtesy Aurecon.
DECEMBER 2015 • ECOLIBRIUM 23 COVER FEATURE “IT’S CRAZY. IT’S UNHEARD OF, IT REALLY IS… THERE’S NO WAY.”
One of the drivers for the arena’s redevelopment was to provide better protection from the sun and heat for spectators. Image courtesy Aurecon. At first, Joel Walton could not believe that Climate Wizard would cut cooling
A key driver for the redevelopment costs by 80%. For a large manufacturing of the MCA was to provide better amenity Among the sustainability initiatives and protection to spectators from the SERVING UP LEED deployed across the redevelopment facility, that type of energy cost saving sun and heat during the open. Though As part of a separate commission, of Margaret Court Arena are low temperate for most of the year – and Aurecon was engaged to look into water use in cooling towers, water- would be breathtaking. downright cool in winter – Melbourne a number of sustainability rating efficient fittings and fixtures, and a has some blisteringly hot days in summer, precinct rainwater collection system systems that could be employed You can see Joel’s story here: and the dog days of January are often across the whole site as part of to reduce the use of mains water Once Climate Wizard was installed, he the worst. Before the redevelopment, the Melbourne Park master plan. for toilet flushing. Melbourne Park had only two covered climatewizard.com/joel venues and limited shading across Ultimately, the project has come The arena’s retractable roof also was singing a different tune. the precinct. to adopt the U.S Green Building features a roof coating that reflects Council’s LEED rating system, more than 70 per cent of the sun’s Though enclosing the arena wit h with aspirations for every project heat to keep the facility cooler during a retractable roof was part of the across the precinct to achieve hot days. Performance that isn’t too good to be true - it’s hyper-efficient solution (see sidebar), the other part Gold certification. was conditioning the space effectively so Buntine says achieving the rating Some of the world’s top HVAC engineers and specifiers have conducted exhaustive as to provide a comfortable environment “There were a number of reasons required a high level of commitment that was at least equivalent to the larger why LEED was adopted,” says Chris and cooperation by the key technical due diligence on Climate Wizard, substantiating benefits such as: Rod Laver Arena (RLA). Buntine, ESD leader for Aurecon stakeholders. in Melbourne. “Like any internal spectator venue with “One of the highlights in working • Lower cooling costs up to 80% potentially large crowds, one of the key “Firstly, LEED is the leading global on the LEED process,” he says, challenges is being able to deliver the third-party sustainability rating “was to be part of a team, including • Generate dry, 100% fresh air large quantities of air required to cool, tool for sports and entertainment Aurecon, NH+Populous, Lendlease, venues, so it was well suited to Major Projects Victoria and • Easy retrofitting to existing refrigerated coolers to make them last longer heat and ventilate the large spaces,” mihellandlycos.com.au says Peterkin. an international venue such as Melbourne and Olympic Parks, Margaret Court Arena as well as that took the sustainability goals and lower costs This needed to be achieved in an other projects that are part of the seriously and worked diligently energy-efficient manner so as to Melbourne Park redevelopment.” throughout the extended design and • Flexible design and applications to suit demands for different indoor meet the project’s LEED Gold rating construction process to integrate aspirations. LEED Gold is the equivalent “Secondly, it is a world-recognised sustainability into the project.” environments, capital equipment, foot print and external climates of 5 star Green Star. rating tool, and one of the main aims of the master plan was to Margaret Court Arena has become (from the very dry to the very humid) secure Melbourne Park’s status the second project on the site INDEPENDENCE DAYS as a world-recognised venue. And to achieve a LEED Gold rating, With no capacity to extend or enhance finally, LEED was the tool best following the completion of the the systems serving the adjacent RLA, suited to accommodate the different Eastern Plaza project (incorporating and with space for plant and duct routing Melbourne Park redevelopment the National Tennis Centre) earlier To find out how much you can save on energy costs, please call: in Stage 1 of the development. extremely limited, the design team was building projects.” presented with a number of challenges. Blair Tomlinson, Technical Sales: 0411 768 487
24 ECOLIBRIUM • DECEMBER 2015 www.climatewizard.com COVER FEATURE
towers that were selected based on the limited space requirements. Additionally, the facility is served by three 1.1MW boilers. According to Peterkin, the HVAC system is designed in two parts to allow each part to be broken down into quadrants so as to minimise duct runs and to provide zonal control. The first system serves the concourse, which is shared in part with the RLA, while the second serves the arena itself (referred to as “the bowl”). Although this allows the concourse system to be operational without the bowl, it required the existing air balance in the RLA concourse to be reviewed. Large and heavy acoustic ductwork was installed at heights of up to 16m, requiring The impact on smoke control was also careful planning and skilled on-site management. Image courtesy of A.G. Coombs. investigated. These were overcome through an This consists of three water-cooled “Joining the two buildings also meant HVAC system design of two parts – both chillers – two 3.1MW centrifugal units we had to re-route or remove some served by plant located in the undercroft and one 350kw screw unit. Heat rejection of the existing exhaust systems associated of the arena. is achieved via forced-draft cooling with RLA,” says Peterkin.
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environments. In fact, each concourse can be configured to operate together or independently, using moveable walls. Within the bowl of MCA, the existing structure dictated much of what could or couldn’t be achieved, leading to a high-level air system being implemented. “There are generally two conventional approaches to air conditioning a spectator arena,” Peterkin says, “either a high-level air system, or an under-seat system.” He says there are some advantages offered by an under-seat system – such as avoiding having to air condition the whole volume, as well as comfort benefits. Yet the limitations created by the arena being an already existing structure A 1:5 scale model of the jet diffuser arrays was constructed to investigate throw patterns, (rather than new build) would have made noise and balancing issues before final installation. Image courtesy of A.G. Coombs. the integration of such a system difficult. It was found that RLA was operating And with wind-driven air movement “Cutting lots of small holes in the under a significant negative-pressure between the two concourses difficult structure was a non-starter” he says. air balance, and so the overall exhaust to predict and manage, the mechanical air flow was turned down as part of the systems are set up so that there is little Rather, air is supplied into the bowl at Margaret Court Arena (MCA) project. interaction between the two concourse 80,000L/s from around 80 jet diffusers
T: +61 3 9791 9200 Unit 4, Gateway Boulevard, F: +61 3 9791 9600 Dandenong Victoria 3175 E: [email protected] Australia DECEMBER 2015 • ECOLIBRIUM 27 COVER FEATURE Air Conditioning Systems ZONE CONTROLLER
Margaret Court Arena, with its retractable roof open. Image courtesy Aurecon.
“A stadium’s roof is often a to develop a unique solution AN “OPEN” OPEN demanding structure to design for Margaret Court Arena. and build, requiring a significant The crowning feature of the Sitting below the roof line of the architectural and structural redevelopment Margaret Court Arena adjacent Rod Laver Arena, the engineering effort,” says Mark is its sleek retractable roof, which copper penny-coloured roof features Sheldon, Aurecon’s project director. can be opened or closed two operable panels that measure in less than five minutes. “Even more so when the roof needs approximately 57m x 32m. In an Designed by architectural to be retractable, requiring specialist Australian first, these are driven by joint venture NH+Populous and mechanical engineering input.” single rail “bogies”, which feature a rack-and-pinion system for accurate engineered by Aurecon, the design Having been the engineer for control of the roof positioning. had to overcome the complexities all major sports facilities with of building over an existing structure, retractable roofs in Australia This system shares similarities with while enabling the continuing over the past 20 years – including the new Wembley National Stadium in operation of the adjacent Melbourne’s Docklands Stadium – the UK, also designed by the Aurecon Rod Laver Arena. Aurecon used its experience team in Australia. Mitsubishi Electric’s Zone Controller allows monitoring and operating of ducted air conditioning units. It has the ability to or nozzles at high level. Aurecon worked In the back of house, changing rooms control 4 or 8 zones. It’s equipped with three built-in sensors closely with the diffuser manufacturer and associated player and artist areas to select the appropriate diffusers and in the undercroft are served by four-pipe There are generally (temperature, brightness & occupancy), with functions such different throw patterns to accommodate fan-coil units (FCUs) and an outdoor two conventional as the operation of individual zones, fan speed and averaging a range of distances that needed AHU that includes a heat wheel approaches to sensor controls which allow for a comfortable air environment. to be covered. for heat recovery. air conditioning These functions also help to reduce energy consumption of unit “We spent a lot of time integrating The existing controls system serving
a spectator and zones, with scheduling operations also available. the layout of the diffusers with the the rest of Melbourne Park was also architectural aesthetic,” Peterkin says. extended to pick up all of the new plant arena “And we are very pleased with the result.” associated with MCA.
Return air is taken at low level, close » Fan Speed Controls » Energy Savings Control » Wi-Fi Control (MAC-558IF adaptor required) to where the air-handling units (AHUs) THE BMS FOR MCA control the lighting. Some local controls are located. can override the BMS to start/stop Automatic operation of the system » Averaging Sensor Controls » Easy Operation » 4.3" User Friendly Touch Panel and adjust temperature set-points. The return-air system is also configured is according to a timeclock. Events to operate in reverse in the event of a fire are programmed via the BMS using This means that when the retractable in the bowl. eight pre-set scenarios, which also roof is open, the intention is that the For more information on our products Phone:1300 280 625 please visit www.mitsubishielectric.com.au 28 ECOLIBRIUM • DECEMBER 2015 COVER FEATURE
3D modelling and careful coordination of all building systems was used to improve installation techniques and prevent systems clashes on site. Image courtesy of A.G. Coombs. system will not operate. However, the The scope of works also extended to infrastructure in the undercroft was also facility operator does have the option replacing the existing carpark ventilation upgraded to suit wiring requirements. of running the bowl HVAC with the roof systems (under the arenas) to suit AS1668 “One of the main issues relating open should the need arise. requirements. Also, much of the electrical to code compliance was the existing
As an enclosed area, the arena has considerable versatility to host other sports such as basketball, or as a music venue. Image courtesy Aurecon.
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combined hydrant and domestic GAME. SET. MATCH. past 12 months, with a focus placed on stability of controls, re-current faults water system,” says Peterkin. Practical completion of MCA was reached and the like. “As a result of the MCA works, in October 2014, with the venue hosting these systems are now largely separate, basketball and concert events before the “We had been hoping to look at energy but won’t be completely code-compliant 2015 Australian Open. use,” Peterkin says. “But due to the until the RLA upgrade works are According to Peterkin, building lack of consistent events it is difficult completed.” tuning has been conducted for the to compare energy use and get a good
The facility has a unique, elevated cooling and ventilation of the A WORD HVAC system to heat, cool and arena space; what would be the FROM THE ventilate the large arena with a throw pattern, which will produce retractable roof for a crowd capacity the most effective cooling of the CONTRACTOR of up to 7,500. When enclosed, the arena? A.G.Coombs’ Margaret Court Arena Arena will serve as a multi-purpose facility staging a variety of events • The air velocities and volumes project manager Kevin Wilson including tennis, netball, basketball, through the jet diffuser and how breaks bread with Ecolibrium. concerts and performances. The this would influence the heating, cooling and ventilation of the arena Ecolibrium: Could you provide new system had to be able to satisfy space. How would the layout of the a brief overview of the scale of a very wide range of requirements, jet diffusers, ducts and associated work A.G. Coombs did at Margaret from the low noise levels required components affect system Court Arena? for tennis matches through to the need to cool a space that houses performance? What would be Kevin Wilson: A.G. Coombs thousands of patrons for a concert the most effective layout? event. It had to be detail designed (Projects) provided detailed design, • The balancing and commissioning for constructability and ease of installation, commissioning and requirements and how to retain installation, commissioning and tuning of HVAC and mechanical the air balance and jet diffuser maintenance within the irregular services systems, and lead design performance. coordination for all building services. shape of the retractable roof without reducing the operability of the roof. To address these challenges A.G. Coombs Advisory, a separate A.G. Coombs computer-simulated The system had to be detail entity, was the LEED commissioning the systems and their potential designed to fit and work within the authority (CA) for this project across throw patterns, and orifice plate non-conventional building shape. all aspects. The LEED CA is a person calculations etc. to determine the The main arena air conditioning identified by the owner who leads, optimum design arrangements. distribution is installed above the plans, schedules, and coordinates the A 1:5 scale ductwork/jet diffuser tiered seating. The use of jet diffuser commissioning team to implement test model was constructed in arrays was also somewhat novel – the commissioning process. our R&D facility. jet diffusers project conditioned air Eco: What were the biggest a further distance than conventional Envisaged operational pressures challenges from a contractor diffusers. and volumes were replicated perspective? to allow us to design selective The jet diffuser arrays, along metering plates that would be with the associated ductwork, are a KW: There were a number. installed in the front of each jet critical component of the arena “bowl” diffuser to achieve the design The OH&S perspective: we were HVAC system, and in effect define airflows without the need to access working at heights of 16m, installing the heating, cooling and ventilation the ductwork or install dampers very large, unwieldy and heavy capacity of the Arena space. ductwork sections that were 2.4m x that could create noise issues. Specific challenges associated with 2.m and wrapped in heavy acoustic Throw patterns of the jet diffusers this aspect of the project included: material to create a noise barrier. were engineered to ensure that the This required carefully planning and • The design and location of the bowl and tiered seating would receive materials-handling arrangements, HVAC system (incorporating the an even distribution of air to all areas specialist equipment and processes, large ducts and jet diffuser arrays) and corners of the arena. A unique and skilled onsite management. and how it would be incorporated balancing and testing technique with the unique and complex was also developed for the system. The facility hosts the Australian Open retractable roof design. each year, and the works needed to Ensuring that the client achieved be staged to provide availability of the • The throw patterns generated the targeted LEED Gold standard venue with a non-work period from by the jet diffusers, and how required additional focus and November 5 to February 1 each year. this would influence the heating, documentation.
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COVER FEATURE professional performance reports
understanding as to whether the building is performing as expected. TENNIS LESSONS the benefit that forethought “We are hoping to remain involved and intelligent investment in over the next few years to build up a A.G.Coombs’ strategic development applied R&D up front can bring to installation and commissioning better picture, and identify improvements director Bryon Price, F.AIRAH, processes, and subsequent shares some lessons the contractor where required.” system performance. took from the project. Margaret Court Arena has since received 3 “To meet the targeted LEED 1 “The project demonstrated LEED Gold certification, becoming Gold certification we had to meet the significant advantages and the first sports and entertainment arena specific design, construction benefits that a well-applied in Australia to earn this status. ❚ and commissioning requirements and properly managed 3D in terms of process, outcomes coordination of building services and documentation. The LEED systems can bring to a complex processes are relatively new project,” Price says. MARGARET COURT in Australia, and particularly ARENA AT A GLANCE 2 The design and installation in stadiums. We learned more of our ‘set and forget’ metering on top of our previous LEED plate arrangements for the jets projects, and have additional The personnel diffusers is a real winner. skilled personnel and systems The approach taken reinforced to deliver these ratings.” ■ Architects: NH Architecture + Populous Joint Venture ■ Civil and structural engineering: Aurecon (with WP Moore) C
■ Client: Major Projects Victoria M (Department of State Development, Business Y Charting and Innovation) CM Professional looking charts
■ Hydraulics: CJ Arms MY
■ LEED commissioning CY authority: A.G. Coombs Advisory CMY ■ Managing K contractor: Lendlease ■ Mechanical contractor: A.G. Coombs (Projects) ■ Mechanical, electrical and fire consultant: Aurecon (with ME Engineers) ■ Sports lighting: Aurecon (with ME Engineers) Extract intelligence from your archived building
HVAC equipment data and make informed operational decisions with ® ® ■ AC units: Mitsubishi Reliable Controls RC-Reporter . This fully ■ AHUs: GJ Walker customizable, server-based application allows you to ■ BMS: JCI analyse the trend data from any BACnet ■ Boilers: Boilertech/Eurogen ■ Chillers: JCI/York Internet-connected building, and generate professional ■ Cooling towers: BAC performance reports, quickly and accurately. ■ Diffusers: Krantz (jets/ slots) ■ Fans: Fantech/Ziehl Abegg ■ FCUs: Temperzone ■ Filters: Purafil . . . people and technology you can rely on.™ ■ Grilles: Air Grilles ■ Pumps: BKB ■ VAV boxes: Celmec ■ VSDs: Danfoss Primary and secondary pumping systems are used with close VSD control to reticulate CHW,CW and HHW while minimising pumping energy. Image courtesy of A.G. Coombs.
32 ECOLIBRIUM • DECEMBER 2015 www.reliablecontrols.com