An engineering company in Sheffield "has won the contract to design and build a second retractable roof at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon," according to the BBC.
SCX "made the first roof in 2009 to allow all-weather play on Centre Court."
Fabrication work for the No. 1 Court roof "is about to start and it is expected to be completed in time for the 2019 championships."
The cost of the project, which includes expanding the seating capacity, "has not been disclosed" (BBC, 11/22). CONSTRUCTION INDEX reported the All England Lawn Tennis Club "is redeveloping Number 1 Court to increase its seating capacity and guarantee play in all weather conditions." The roof "is made up of 11 trusses and weighs around 1,100 tonnes." Severfield "has the contract for the steelwork."
The roof "will cover an area" of about 5,500 square meters. It is based on a "concertina design with two main sections that meet in the middle." It will be made of "transparent Gore Tenara (a type of Gore-Tex fabric) that is stretched between the steel trusses." SCX "is responsible for design and supply of all the mechanical and electrical equipment, and also for the construction of all the components that make up the moving sections of the roof" (CONSTRUCTION INDEX, 11/22).
