Design
IntroductionThis development has sought to provide an all weather multi-purpose public assembly and education facility configured around a rectangular playing field and capable of hosting a range of events such as rugby union, rugby league, soccer, American Rules Football (Grid Iron), horse trials, Highland games, music concerts and other mass assembly events as deemed appropriate. The development has sought to address allegorical and physical issues on the insertion of a large new highly visible building into the context of Dunedin City and its relationship to the landscape and the predominantly industrial neighbourhood. The aim is to create a modern, contemporary stage appropriate for hosting major events and representing Dunedin and Otago as a whole to the national and international community. ArchitectureThe architectural character of the proposed multi-purpose events centre is inspired by both the local culture and its physical context. Set against the harbour and the surrounding hills the large angled roof form is the defining moment of the architecture. The façade and roof enclose the stadium by way of a translucent/transparent veil. This veil allows the building to take on a chameleon character with the skin responding to the changing moods of the day and night. During the day the translucent façade will shimmer in the changing environment from dawn to dusk with the sky contrast subtly altering the appearance of the façade. The daytime view would allow glimpses of the activity within yet provide a veil to the mass and bulk of the building. RoofThe material proposed for the roof cladding is a transparent membrane technology, formally known as Texlon. Texlon comprises several layers of a space-age thermoplastic called ETFE that will be clamped to the roof structure and then filled with low pressure air to form large ‘cushions.’ The resulting ‘cushions’ are extremely strong and stable, and will allow large amounts of light – particularly in the photosynthetic UV light range – into the stadium, and therefore allow both the grass to grow naturally all year round and provide a sheltered venue. ETFE is a close relative of the common compound PTFE – also known as Teflon and shares many of the same properties. In addition to having a ‘non-stick’ surface that will keep it clean, it has an extremely long lifespan and is not affected by salt water, acids, alkalis or other solvents present in the environment. Items of interest:
TurfThe turf that will grow under the ETFE roof will be natural and will be cared for in general terms similar to that of Carisbrook Stadium turf. As the Multi Purpose Stadium will not be exposed to the weather elements, the pitch will require a very carefully controlled watering and ventilation regime. In conventional stadiums throughout New Zealand and the world, issues that arise for turf growth and management include large areas of the pitch being shaded by the grandstands. In the Dunedin winter, the extent of shading can be so severe that frost remains on parts of the pitch for several days and the impact of this on turf growth is significant. One of the advantages of growing turf under the ETFE roof is the fact that the ETFE material distributes light much more uniformly over the turf surface and therefore hugely reduces the severe localised shading patterns that typically occur with solid-roofed grandstands. To further understand the implications of growing turf under ETFE, Carisbrook Stadium Trust commissioned the turf consultant and the ETFE consultant to build a test rig in Dunedin. Inside the test rig, vigorous trials are being undertaken using artificial wear to understand the reaction the turf will have to everyday uses such as rugby matches, concerts etc and the recovery period required. Various light measurements are also being made. To be able to develop a truly rounded opinion, the consultants set up an identical strip of turf right beside the test rig strip, without an ETFE roof. When tests were being undertaken in the test rig, identical tests were taking take place on the fully exposed turf. To date, results have shown that overall growth and recovery between both test areas has been similar under spring and summer conditions. The current round of testing will continue until the end of February, after which time it is planned that plots of different types of turfgrass will be established in the test rig to test turf performance through the crucial winter period. SeatingThe seating bowl will be organised into 4 stands. The North, South and East stands will have a permanent seating capacity of 25,000 people and the West stand will have temporary seating for 5,000. However, the Stadium will have the capacity to attain 35,000 people seated and standing should the need arise. Environmentally sustainable design (ESD)Listed below are only some of the proposed ideas which the designers are considering to ensure the building is as environmentally sustainable as possible. As the team move into the detailed design phase these options will become clearer and greater certainty will be provided ESD options which the designers are considering include:
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