Company:
Fabritecture

Project Details

Fabric 1

ETFE (100μm & 200μm thickness)
Producer/Manufacturer: OTHER
Primary Use: Main Fabric

Fabric 2

702S2 PVC
Producer/Manufacturer: Serge Ferrari North America Inc.
Primary Use: Additional Fabric

Fabric 3

Commercial Heavy 430 HDPE
Producer/Manufacturer: Gale Pacific USA Inc.
Primary Use: Additional Fabric


Engineer Company 1
Maffeis Engineering; Wade Design Engineers

Design Company
Taylor Thomson Whitting (TTW)

Architect Company
Grimshaw Architects

Project Manager Company
Fabritecture

Installation Company
Fabritecture


Please describe the project specifications

The Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre redevelopment is now Sydney’s largest pool complex since the Olympics in 2000. Our scope for the aquatic centre included the construction of a unique glulam and ETFE cushion roof over the centre's pool area. The purpose of this project was to provide an aesthetically designed roof that provides high light transmission but manages heat transfer and does not degrade under pool chemical load. The cladding material should integrate well with glulam.

ETFE was selected for the roof due to its chemical stability (it will not degrade under UV or chemical exposure), its durability (expected life of 50+ years) and its acoustic transparency. This means that when noise is created within the pool environment, 70% of the sound will pass out through the roof, creating a comfortable internal environment.

There is a total of 11 ETFE pillows of size 3.6m (W) x 35.6m (L) covering approximately 1,410square meters. The ETFE cushions are supported by 870 fabricated steel upstands and water runoff is managed by steel gutters. The top and bottom layers of ETFE are 200μm thickness with 80% and 63% frit respectively, with a 100μm middle layer. The custom roof spans 37 meters on a 2.4m glulam grid on which Fabritecture installed three-layer ETFE cushions as roof cladding (approx. 2,000sqm).


What is unique or complex about the project?

We decided to enter this project not only because it is a breathtaking structure, but also because of the uniqueness of the glulam beams and ETFE cushions, including managing the loads of the ETFE on the long span timber beams. ETFE exerts high lateral loads which the glulam beams needed to accommodate. This project features the longest span timber glulam timber beams in Australia!

Managing the solar transmission through the ETFE roof which was achieved through a frit pattern on the top and middle layers of the ETFE cushion system. All ETFE pillows are regulated using a blower unit. The end result of the ETFE roof adds a unique atmosphere to the aquatic centre. It is a terrific addition to an incredible facility that patrons are sure to love.


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