Tensioned membrane roof soars over entertainment facility

Oasis Tension Structures (Aust.) Pty. Ltd. | Braeside, Victoria, Australia

Among the new facilities at the Royal Melbourne Show Ground, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia is the Grand Pavilion, a year-round facility for sports, exhibitions and formal functions. It is a large tensile-membrane structure, which won an Award of Excellence in the tensile structures from 930–2,790m² (10,000–30,000 sq. ft.) category of the 2007 International Achievement Awards; a flat concrete slab almost 100m² forms the base. Soaring over that area is a tensioned membrane roof made of long-life synthetic fabric. Inclined masts transfer wind from the surface network of cables to perimeter foundations, via high-strength steel stay cables. While the perimeter wall blocks winter’s cold winds, summer’s heat is shed from the structure by natural convection of hot air through each of the six central masts.