AN ACE AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Throwing shade over the crowds at AO2023, this flamboyant structure is a sculptural solution to keeping cool.

Known as The Organic Tree, this cluster of shade structures was created using Monotec 210 Series shadecloth to make the fan experience at the 2023 Australian Open more comfortable. Providing excellent shade coverage, the structures also added an aesthetic impact with the dramatic shade patterns it created throughout the day and into the night.

Specifically requesting a flamboyant shade structure for the Australian Open site, Tennis Australia contacted Pattons, suppliers of architectural solutions, to design a structure that would offer several key design components. Working in collaboration, Pattons turned to Pro-knit Industries to access its Monotech 210 Series shadecloth to achieve its design goals.

The series of design components needed to reach Tennis Australia’s brief included providing shade to patrons of the event in the food and beverage section of Grand Slam Oval. It was also required to have visual impact, and needed to be temporary.

In front of Rod Laver Arena, the shade structure was tasked with providing a comfortable area for patrons to sit and eat while watching games on the big screens. Tennis Australia wanted to break records with regard to the revenue accumulated by food and beverage suppliers, in order to make a difference to the bottom line of the event. The use of Montec 210 Series fabric for the structure was an obvious one. Being one of the strongest commercial shadecloths on the market today, it was ideal for protecting patrons from the harsh sun and unexpected rain while out in the open.

The second consideration for the installation was visual impact across both day and night. Given the televised coverage of the event, the shade structures needed to provide a dynamic figure from drone and chopper footage, as well as at ground level. The highly identifiable structure was a boon for event organisers when it came to television and social media exposure. The final design helped to achieve this via the patterns of light shed on the space during the day. At night, the addition of an extensive lighting scheme helped to keep that visual impact going. By choosing Monotech 210 Series in Chino for the structure, the light, slightly creamy hue allowed light to filter through and aid in the dramatic pattern creation requested by the client.

Another consideration for the project was installation. The structure was only required to be installed onsite for ten days and was to be disassembled swiftly after the event. As such, the shade structure needed to be installed without any excavation or concrete footings, in order to preserve the integrity of the hardscape of the site. A benefit of using Monotec 210 Series fabric for this project lay in it requiring less tension for installation. As a medium-weight 70 percent shadecloth, Monotech 210 was able to provide the flexibility required to achieve the right coverage but didn’t require the heavy engineering needed if a heavy-weight 90 percent shadecloth were used.

Having selected the right material for the job from Pro-Knit Industries, Pattons was required to design, engineer, fabricate and install the structure within 12 weeks. Timing was key to this process, proving to be one of the biggest challenges of the project. Pro-Knit was able to work with Pattons to ensure the necessary fabric was available within the tight schedule allowed, which included extensive testing and installation of the project in time for the start of the Australian Open event.

The final result was a success, producing the visual impact Tennis Australia required, while also ensuring patron comfort throughout the event.

PROJECT PARTICULARS

COMPANY Pro-Knit Industries
CLIENT Tennis Australia
LOCATION Melbourne, Victoria
DESIGN & INSTALLATION Pattons Pty Ltd