This will be of interest to tennis fans. The All England Club has decided to apply for planning permission to put a roof over Wimbledon's centre court. Plans will be unveiled in the new year.
This will surely put the wind up the traditionalists!
Centre Court may be heading for cover
By John Parsons
19 December 2003
The Daily Telegraph
THE probability of the All England Club installing a roof over Wimbledon's Centre Court moved a step closer following the club's decision to apply for planning permission for such a structure. Although no final decision has been made about the scheme, club officials have always maintained that they would seriously consider the project, provided several practical issues could be overcome - and one by one these are being resolved. Certainly the possibility of there being a roof over the 81-year-old Centre Court - something which has been debated almost every time rain has caused a lengthy stoppage in the last 25 years - in time for the 2005 or 2006 championships must be a reality. In particular, the club have been seeking proof that climatic problems could be overcome. A few years ago when floodlights were tested, the evening dew quickly proved that without a roof lighting would not be beneficial.
There would, after all, be no point in having a roof if, by being covered for a day or more in the middle of the championships, the grass became so damaged by condensation that the court surface then cut up to an extent that rendered it almost unplayable. Something similar happened a few years ago in the pre-Wimbledon tournament in Halle in Germany - the first professional grasscourt tournament to be played under a roof. However, the information coming back from scientists who have been carrying out extensive tests in the United States has been positive and encouraging. Although only six days have been completely rained off at The Championships in the last 25 years, there have been several other years in which play has suffered lengthy rain delays. The ability of tennis to continue under cover would benefit those with Centre Court tickets on that day. In addition, the added costs when rain forced the men's singles final in 2001 to be held over until the third Monday were considerable and also raised some concern for the future among some major television companies who had planned their normal extensive coverage on the second Sunday. The All England Club have called a press conference next month to unveil what they call "the club's innovative plans for the Centre Court of the future". Not everyone will be happy, least of all those faithful followers who have queued up outside all night only to find themselves with no option but to watch the Centre Court action on big screens. On the other hand, officials of the All England Club know that Wimbledon has to move with the times - and that means breaking some traditions while retaining the club's respect - if it is to maintain the pre-eminent role it continues to enjoy.
Wimbledon's centre court
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AELTC Press Release:
Wimbledon Unveils the Centre Court of the Future
Tuesday, 6th January 2004
The All England Club today underlined Wimbledon’s reputation as the world’s premier tennis event with the unveiling of innovative plans for the Centre Court of the future, including provision for a larger 15,000 capacity, more comfortable seats and a retractable roof over the court.
The plans for Centre Court - one of the world’s most recognisable and evocative of sports arenas - represent the latest example of how the Club, through its master plan, has sought to improve the Wimbledon experience for all its audiences.
When completed, the remodelled Centre Court will take its place at the head of an impressive list of developments that demonstrate how The Championships has progressed over the last decade: new No.1 Court, the permanent Broadcast Centre, the Aorangi Picnic Terrace, new courts 18 and 19, the Millennium Building (improved facilities for players, media and officials) and the new Museum/Ticket Office/Turnstile building currently under construction.
Tim Phillips, Chairman of the All England Club, said: “Our continuing aim is for Wimbledon to be acknowledged as the world’s premier tennis event. Centre Court has been the jewel in our crown for over 80 years and the scene of some of the most memorable drama and emotion in tennis. Our innovative plans seek to retain the history and tradition of Centre Court, but with outstanding new facilities for the players, spectators and television audiences of the 21st Century.”
Subject to planning permission, the current provisional time scale is for the work to start in 2006, once the Museum and offices have relocated to the new building at Gate 3 in late 2005/early 2006. Completion of the Centre Court is scheduled for 2009.
In summary, the main proposals for the scheme, which will be submitted in a planning application (16 January 2004) to the London Borough of Merton, are:
Retractable Roof on Centre Court
Centre Court will gain a new, modern and lightweight retractable roof, which will enable all weather play during The Championships and complement the original 1920’s stadium.
The roof will provide a first-class, consistent and safe (non-slippery) playing environment in both open and closed positions. Of translucent construction to allow natural light to reach the grass, the roof will offer protection to the grass under all adverse weather conditions and will improve growing conditions throughout the year, particularly at the southern end where the benefit of extra light will be achieved.
The roof has been designed to close/open in under 10 minutes and will be closed primarily to protect play from inclement (and, if necessary, extremely hot) weather during The Championships. Play will be suspended while the roof closes/opens, before being resumed once both the court surface and bowl have attained the optimum conditions for players and spectators. This process will take between 10-30 minutes depending on the prevailing climatic conditions (see attached sheet for further information on how the roof will work).
More capacity in greater comfort
The Centre Court’s capacity will be increased from 13,800 spectators to 15,000 by the addition of six rows of seating to the upper tier on three sides. Greater spectator comfort, including ease of access to the court, will be assured through the installation of new, wider seats, as well as extra stairs and lifts.
To allow for the new seating, new media facilities and commentary boxes will be built to replace those currently in the upper tier.
Much Improved Catering Facilities
In the new east wing of the Centre Court, both the public and Centre Court Debenture Holders can look forward to an enhanced quality of catering and much improved ambience. There will be more catering outlets offering a wider choice of food both indoors and outdoors, the latter on balconies overlooking an attractively landscaped Tea Lawn area and the Golf Course.
During the non-Championships period, visitors will be able to use the new Museum café with its access to the Centre Court viewing gallery. In the same way, the new Long Bar, adjacent to the Tea Lawn, will provide indoor facilities for elements of the All England Club’s junior tennis programme, specifically the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative and the Museum’s ‘Playing for Success’ educational scheme.
Supporting planning applications will be made in Spring 2004 for improvements to the former Members’ Enclosure, now the Café Pergola area, adjacent to Gate 5 on Church Road and for improvements to Gates 4 and 5.
The Club has invited its neighbours and local residents to view an exhibition of the plans and the model for the Centre Court application, which will initially be in the Café Centre Court Annexe. Thereafter, the exhibition will be on general display at Merton Council’s offices until 27 February 2004
Centre court 2009
Aerial View Showing New Roof
In the news:
Wimbledon plans Centre Court roof in 2009
By Pritha Sarkar
LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Wimbledon's famous Centre Court will be covered by a retractable roof under plans unveiled by the All England Club on Tuesday.
After years of rejecting the idea, the club's management committee finally agreed it was necessary to shield the most famous venue in tennis from London's rain to satisfy the demands of television.
Construction on Centre Court is expected to begin in 2006 and a transluscent roof should be in place for the 2009 championships after a redevelopment plan which will also increase the show court's capacity to 15,000 from 13,800.
"It (Centre Court) is the jewel in our crown and what we are trying to do is to make it more precious than it already is," club chairman Tim Phillips told a news conference.
"Over the years we have been concerned about what having a roof would do to the playing surface.
"What we wanted was for a roof to close in 10 minutes and also to maintain the conditions for the players, spectators and playing surface. We believe we have now found that."
The redevelopment will be funded from the money the club receives from its debenture holders but officials declined to disclose the cost of the project.
Rain has completely washed out play on five days since 1991. During the 2003 championships, players were repeatedly forced to retreat to the locker rooms after showers halted play during the second week.
With fans frustrated at the delays and broadcasters left to delve into their archives to fill in precious television airtime, organisers of the 126-year-old tournament decided to follow the lead of the Australian Open.
The Melbourne Park event, which gets underway on January 19, is the only one of the four grand slam tournaments which uses a retractable roof.
The Club's committee hired a team of designers who were responsible for building the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and are currently in charge of rebuilding London's Wembley Stadium.
Wimbledon To Smash Tradition With Roof Over Centre Court
WIMBLEDON, England (AP)--One of Wimbledon's enduring traditions will soon be consigned to history. At last, Centre Court is getting a roof.
The All-England tennis Club Tuesday announced plans for a sliding roof over the famous arena to bring an end to the rain delays that have become as synonymous with the Grand Slam as strawberries and cream.
Spectators will still have to endure rain delays for several more years, however. The club still needs to get planning permission, work won't start until two years' time and the roof won't be in place until 2009.
It's the second well-known custom of the world's most famous tennis tournament to fall -last year the Club said players wouldn't have to curtsy or bow to the Royal Box.
Rain has always been an obsession at Wimbledon -the official statistics book even has a year-by-year summary of the weather during the tournament dating back to 1919.
Only six tournaments were untouched by rain -1908, 1931, 1976, 1977, 1993 and 1995.
Since 1877, rain has completely washed out 30 days of Wimbledon.
Men's doubles matches were reduced from five to three sets in five tournaments to help clear a backlog from rain delays, the last time in 1998.
Wimbledon has been extended 14 times due to rain -the last in 2001 when Goran Ivanisevic beat Pat Rafter in the men's final on a Monday.
Centre Court was built in 1922 when the grounds were moved to their current Church Road site in southwest London. The original grounds had been built nearby in 1868.
Wimbledon has been investigating installing a roof for years, but had difficulties in finding a solution that wouldn't harm the grass surface which needs the sun, rain and air to help it grow.
Covering Centre Court isn't likely to help the tournament as a whole -the other 19 courts would still be out of use and there are 650 matches to be played during the two weeks of Wimbledon, which takes place this year June 21-July 4.
Some traditions remain however -Boston ivy weaves its way around Centre Court rather than advertising billboards, players will still wear predominantly white clothing and Tim Henman will be the favorite to be the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.
Wimbledon Unveils the Centre Court of the Future
Tuesday, 6th January 2004
The All England Club today underlined Wimbledon’s reputation as the world’s premier tennis event with the unveiling of innovative plans for the Centre Court of the future, including provision for a larger 15,000 capacity, more comfortable seats and a retractable roof over the court.
The plans for Centre Court - one of the world’s most recognisable and evocative of sports arenas - represent the latest example of how the Club, through its master plan, has sought to improve the Wimbledon experience for all its audiences.
When completed, the remodelled Centre Court will take its place at the head of an impressive list of developments that demonstrate how The Championships has progressed over the last decade: new No.1 Court, the permanent Broadcast Centre, the Aorangi Picnic Terrace, new courts 18 and 19, the Millennium Building (improved facilities for players, media and officials) and the new Museum/Ticket Office/Turnstile building currently under construction.
Tim Phillips, Chairman of the All England Club, said: “Our continuing aim is for Wimbledon to be acknowledged as the world’s premier tennis event. Centre Court has been the jewel in our crown for over 80 years and the scene of some of the most memorable drama and emotion in tennis. Our innovative plans seek to retain the history and tradition of Centre Court, but with outstanding new facilities for the players, spectators and television audiences of the 21st Century.”
Subject to planning permission, the current provisional time scale is for the work to start in 2006, once the Museum and offices have relocated to the new building at Gate 3 in late 2005/early 2006. Completion of the Centre Court is scheduled for 2009.
In summary, the main proposals for the scheme, which will be submitted in a planning application (16 January 2004) to the London Borough of Merton, are:
Retractable Roof on Centre Court
Centre Court will gain a new, modern and lightweight retractable roof, which will enable all weather play during The Championships and complement the original 1920’s stadium.
The roof will provide a first-class, consistent and safe (non-slippery) playing environment in both open and closed positions. Of translucent construction to allow natural light to reach the grass, the roof will offer protection to the grass under all adverse weather conditions and will improve growing conditions throughout the year, particularly at the southern end where the benefit of extra light will be achieved.
The roof has been designed to close/open in under 10 minutes and will be closed primarily to protect play from inclement (and, if necessary, extremely hot) weather during The Championships. Play will be suspended while the roof closes/opens, before being resumed once both the court surface and bowl have attained the optimum conditions for players and spectators. This process will take between 10-30 minutes depending on the prevailing climatic conditions (see attached sheet for further information on how the roof will work).
More capacity in greater comfort
The Centre Court’s capacity will be increased from 13,800 spectators to 15,000 by the addition of six rows of seating to the upper tier on three sides. Greater spectator comfort, including ease of access to the court, will be assured through the installation of new, wider seats, as well as extra stairs and lifts.
To allow for the new seating, new media facilities and commentary boxes will be built to replace those currently in the upper tier.
Much Improved Catering Facilities
In the new east wing of the Centre Court, both the public and Centre Court Debenture Holders can look forward to an enhanced quality of catering and much improved ambience. There will be more catering outlets offering a wider choice of food both indoors and outdoors, the latter on balconies overlooking an attractively landscaped Tea Lawn area and the Golf Course.
During the non-Championships period, visitors will be able to use the new Museum café with its access to the Centre Court viewing gallery. In the same way, the new Long Bar, adjacent to the Tea Lawn, will provide indoor facilities for elements of the All England Club’s junior tennis programme, specifically the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative and the Museum’s ‘Playing for Success’ educational scheme.
Supporting planning applications will be made in Spring 2004 for improvements to the former Members’ Enclosure, now the Café Pergola area, adjacent to Gate 5 on Church Road and for improvements to Gates 4 and 5.
The Club has invited its neighbours and local residents to view an exhibition of the plans and the model for the Centre Court application, which will initially be in the Café Centre Court Annexe. Thereafter, the exhibition will be on general display at Merton Council’s offices until 27 February 2004
Centre court 2009
Aerial View Showing New Roof
In the news:
Wimbledon plans Centre Court roof in 2009
By Pritha Sarkar
LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Wimbledon's famous Centre Court will be covered by a retractable roof under plans unveiled by the All England Club on Tuesday.
After years of rejecting the idea, the club's management committee finally agreed it was necessary to shield the most famous venue in tennis from London's rain to satisfy the demands of television.
Construction on Centre Court is expected to begin in 2006 and a transluscent roof should be in place for the 2009 championships after a redevelopment plan which will also increase the show court's capacity to 15,000 from 13,800.
"It (Centre Court) is the jewel in our crown and what we are trying to do is to make it more precious than it already is," club chairman Tim Phillips told a news conference.
"Over the years we have been concerned about what having a roof would do to the playing surface.
"What we wanted was for a roof to close in 10 minutes and also to maintain the conditions for the players, spectators and playing surface. We believe we have now found that."
The redevelopment will be funded from the money the club receives from its debenture holders but officials declined to disclose the cost of the project.
Rain has completely washed out play on five days since 1991. During the 2003 championships, players were repeatedly forced to retreat to the locker rooms after showers halted play during the second week.
With fans frustrated at the delays and broadcasters left to delve into their archives to fill in precious television airtime, organisers of the 126-year-old tournament decided to follow the lead of the Australian Open.
The Melbourne Park event, which gets underway on January 19, is the only one of the four grand slam tournaments which uses a retractable roof.
The Club's committee hired a team of designers who were responsible for building the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and are currently in charge of rebuilding London's Wembley Stadium.
Wimbledon To Smash Tradition With Roof Over Centre Court
WIMBLEDON, England (AP)--One of Wimbledon's enduring traditions will soon be consigned to history. At last, Centre Court is getting a roof.
The All-England tennis Club Tuesday announced plans for a sliding roof over the famous arena to bring an end to the rain delays that have become as synonymous with the Grand Slam as strawberries and cream.
Spectators will still have to endure rain delays for several more years, however. The club still needs to get planning permission, work won't start until two years' time and the roof won't be in place until 2009.
It's the second well-known custom of the world's most famous tennis tournament to fall -last year the Club said players wouldn't have to curtsy or bow to the Royal Box.
Rain has always been an obsession at Wimbledon -the official statistics book even has a year-by-year summary of the weather during the tournament dating back to 1919.
Only six tournaments were untouched by rain -1908, 1931, 1976, 1977, 1993 and 1995.
Since 1877, rain has completely washed out 30 days of Wimbledon.
Men's doubles matches were reduced from five to three sets in five tournaments to help clear a backlog from rain delays, the last time in 1998.
Wimbledon has been extended 14 times due to rain -the last in 2001 when Goran Ivanisevic beat Pat Rafter in the men's final on a Monday.
Centre Court was built in 1922 when the grounds were moved to their current Church Road site in southwest London. The original grounds had been built nearby in 1868.
Wimbledon has been investigating installing a roof for years, but had difficulties in finding a solution that wouldn't harm the grass surface which needs the sun, rain and air to help it grow.
Covering Centre Court isn't likely to help the tournament as a whole -the other 19 courts would still be out of use and there are 650 matches to be played during the two weeks of Wimbledon, which takes place this year June 21-July 4.
Some traditions remain however -Boston ivy weaves its way around Centre Court rather than advertising billboards, players will still wear predominantly white clothing and Tim Henman will be the favorite to be the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.
Last edited by james_ on Wed Jan 07, 2004 3:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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swede
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They do need it.
Not to get through the tournament as it never rains anywhere near enough to threaten that,but to make sure, that they can always provide live tennis for their tv partners and most of all to ensure that the closing stages of the tournament is not ruined as a major event that stretches far beyond tennis.
I think theyre going about it the right way. Not rushing anything, but making absolutely sure they dont do anything that could damage the grass. they have studied the problems of humidity for years and believe they have the right ventilation solutions. I also like the see-through roof which will retain some of the outdoor atmosphere, and the fact, that the roof will not slide out, but fold up when not in use. this should mean its not going to be a big ugly construction, and not change the appearance of the great venue too much.
this also complicates the construction and its not expected to be ready untill 2009. Thats not important,however, the important things, that they get it right, and I think they will
Not to get through the tournament as it never rains anywhere near enough to threaten that,but to make sure, that they can always provide live tennis for their tv partners and most of all to ensure that the closing stages of the tournament is not ruined as a major event that stretches far beyond tennis.
I think theyre going about it the right way. Not rushing anything, but making absolutely sure they dont do anything that could damage the grass. they have studied the problems of humidity for years and believe they have the right ventilation solutions. I also like the see-through roof which will retain some of the outdoor atmosphere, and the fact, that the roof will not slide out, but fold up when not in use. this should mean its not going to be a big ugly construction, and not change the appearance of the great venue too much.
this also complicates the construction and its not expected to be ready untill 2009. Thats not important,however, the important things, that they get it right, and I think they will
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Egan
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beastjim
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In general I have always thought that main court to be pretty ugly. Roof hasn't done much to change my opinion either way, although I think its about the best solution possible.Egan wrote:Does anyone else think it is ugly?
Doesn't really suit Wimbledon...
Interesting that there are lights on the beams, however pointing upwards, I wouldn't mind seeing some night shots of this bad boy. I am assuming they are not their for them to play night games.
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the crow
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Thereis a double truss so it parks to both side as apposed to the model render.
the other arial shot has what has been built. Neveraless its an intresting piece of folding engineeing, up lights would reflect off a diffuser in the top chord of the truss, if they hing from bellow they would get ripped off when the roof opens, interesting soloution though. there is a bit of photoshop going on in all those images / renders.
the other arial shot has what has been built. Neveraless its an intresting piece of folding engineeing, up lights would reflect off a diffuser in the top chord of the truss, if they hing from bellow they would get ripped off when the roof opens, interesting soloution though. there is a bit of photoshop going on in all those images / renders.
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swede
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seems perfect in my opinion. Sure the roof itself is ugly in a sense but that was always going to be the case when such a massive structure is placed on top of a century old-design. But rather that, than re-design centre-court to fit with a roof, which will often not be used.
Its also great with the amount of natural light coming through. Apparently it would be possible to play even without the added artificial light.
Most important, the turf looks great. No one slipped or complained. It has to be remembered they are looking to build the world´s first ever succesfully covered grass-court and cannot afford to fail. Wimbledon is too big to afford a disaster like Halle, where the grass cut up badly, and that is just a one week tournament.
As with other sports constructions in Britain, I remain astonished by the ability of private organisations to focus entirely on long-term high-quality solutions and then just raise the astonishing sums required. No public funds, no political squabbling, no nothing.
Its also great with the amount of natural light coming through. Apparently it would be possible to play even without the added artificial light.
Most important, the turf looks great. No one slipped or complained. It has to be remembered they are looking to build the world´s first ever succesfully covered grass-court and cannot afford to fail. Wimbledon is too big to afford a disaster like Halle, where the grass cut up badly, and that is just a one week tournament.
As with other sports constructions in Britain, I remain astonished by the ability of private organisations to focus entirely on long-term high-quality solutions and then just raise the astonishing sums required. No public funds, no political squabbling, no nothing.
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swede
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The scheduling of matches will be unchanged, but they will be played to a finish, so they are expecting to regularly finish a bit later than before, where they usually had to stop not much later than 9. They should be able to play further into the night, but have little reason to do so.beastjim wrote:In general I have always thought that main court to be pretty ugly. Roof hasn't done much to change my opinion either way, although I think its about the best solution possible.Egan wrote:Does anyone else think it is ugly?
Doesn't really suit Wimbledon...
Interesting that there are lights on the beams, however pointing upwards, I wouldn't mind seeing some night shots of this bad boy. I am assuming they are not their for them to play night games.