NATIONAL TENNIS CENTRE
SERVING UP A TOP RESULT AT THE NATIONS PREMIER TENNIS VENUE
Melbourne’s National Tennis Centre is an iconic and high performance – elite facility for tennis players in Australia, and is recognised as one of this regions premier facilities for beginners to the best players in the world. State of the Art technology and equipment makes this venue a standout visitor experience.
The venue boasts 8 indoor and 13 outdoor tennis courts, befitting of a world class venue like this.Extensive player and coaching facilities including player lounge, gymnasium, assessment rooms and flexible lecture spaces and teaching rooms. There were offices for coaches and associated teaching staff and a 100 space public car parking and separate bus parking area.
Domain National was acknowledged for successfully completing similar cladding projects for the Melbourne and Olympic Park (M&OP) team, in particular, working within a rigorous and demanding environment where daily facility operations were required to continue in tandem with construction works. Our Project Manager and his team understood well the importance of business continuity and how to balance the commercial realities without compromising safety or quality.
About the Project
ProjectDomain National were engaged to remove existing facade cladding and reinstatement of 1,500m² of custom clad solid aluminium 100% non-combustible cladding (AS 1530.1), primarily to the North elevation and Western entry.
The project commenced in mid-March 2021 and was completed at the end of June 2021.
One of the critical delivery challenges of the project was that work needed to allow the venue to continue its operations and hosting of events. The cladding replacement project focused on providing a safe environment for the tenant and general public. The staging of the works therefore needed to ensure that the National Tennis Centre was not disrupted and could continue to offer a high standard of experience to the public, coaches and players.
Functionality of the venue was something M&OP was keen to ensure, and as the builder we needed to be flexible, working around scheduled events. To do this we worked collaboratively with the venue teams and the stakeholders to realise opportunities and maximise efficiency.
It was vital that we were able to demonstrate a commitment and ability to work in collaboration with M&OP over the term of any agreed contractual period to continuously seek improvements in value, efficiency and productivity in connection with the provision of the works.
To comply with the Venues stringent business continuity requirements, the Domain National team developed a work plan that allowed for the removal of all plant and equipment from the roadways each afternoon, then reinstate them the next morning.
This is a familiar practice which Domain National has adopted and mastered over the years with similar projects and has become a signature trademark in the way we manage live environments such as this.
We engaged a full-time traffic management contractor and devised a workable strategy for everyone because whilst productivity was important, safety was of the utmost priority.
Working with the client’s appointed Project Manager and Architect our team listened and provided valuable input into optimal materials storage, handling, and installation, ensuring every detail was accurately and coherently applied.
Our ability to work with M&OP’s busy schedule of events in advance helped us to plan around high-volume traffic conditions on live event days. Safely and efficiently coordinating project works and patron movement to and from the venue was a significant component of the project’s success.
Through constant and effective communication with all parties, and a shared vision, we were able to deliver in accordance with expectations and uphold visitor experience at the venue without compromise.
PROJECT VALUE – $1,500,000 – $2,000,000
KEY STAKEHOLDERS
Builder: Domain National
Client: Melbourne and Olympic Park Trust
Engineers: Nick Gidas