M6 Community Recreational Facility Description

As part of Transport NSWs upgrade to the M6 freeway Stage 1 development, new recreational facilities were developed to provide shade to the community in various areas including McCarthy and Brighton Reserve. As part of the McCarthy Reserve upgrade, Fabritecture was contracted for the design and construction of eight (8) structures to provide shade cover for recreational facilities over a playground. The structures feature both Gale Pacific 95 Mesh and architecturally perforated aluminium.

DESIGN / FABRICATION / INSTALLATION BRIEF

Transport for NSW is delivering new recreational facilities for the Bayside Community before construction begins on Stage 1 of the M6 motorway in Rockdale, NSW. Fabritecture was contracted for 8 structures for installation at McCarthy Reserve. The structures are a combination of mesh shade structures clad with Gale Pacific Commercial 95 Heavy shade cloth, and aluminum architectural metal structures with custom artwork perforations in the panels.

STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS

The aluminium structures feature a steel frame with a grid system for the aluminium. The perforated panels are underslung, so the custom perforated artwork can be seen clearly from underneath the structures in the playground.

The shade structures are also steel framed and are tensioned using a Fabritecture extrusion system.

MATERIALS

The chosen material for the shade structures was Gale Pacific Commercial 95 340 Mesh, in 4 colours: Aquatic Blue, Desert Sand, Yellow and Orange. The fabric was chosen based on the colour specifications from the client.

The aluminium panels for the architectural metal structures was 6mm thick with a Colourbond Monument equivalent RAL 7021 with custom artwork perforations.

FABRICATION

The aluminium artwork features custom perforations in the patterning of native flora such as bottlebrush, and flora such as birds and frogs. There are 6 mesh structures in total at McCarthy Reserve, with 4 having an 8m diameter, and 2 with an 11m diameter. The 2 aluminium structures are 11m and 17m in diameter.

COLLABORATION, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE

The installation of the structures occurred over existing playground equipment. This required specific planning. Construction involved the installation of all columns first and preassembling of roof discs on the ground. These were then crane lifted into their final install position. There was no overhead install.

Gale Pacific Commercial 95 340 Mesh is used widely for projects that require maximum sun protection and strength. The durable mesh fabric has low maintenance requirements and a long life performance.

COSTS

The M6 Community Recreational Facility project was valued at approximately AUD$730k.

PROJECT CREDITS

Project Name: M6 Community Recreational Facility
Location: West Botany Street
City: Rockdale, NSW, 2216
GPS Location:   -33.955663, 151.146580
Completion Date: 12-Oct-21
Category (1-8): 2 – Medium structures
Entrant Name: Fabritecture
Address:  Unit 14/15 John Duncan Court, Varsity Lakes, QLD 4227
Telephone:   +61 7 5587 7000
Mobile:   +61 408 402 716
Email Address:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website Address: www.fabritecture.com
Entrant Type / Role: Designer / Fabricator / Installer
Project Client: Transport NSW
Project Architect: Design Inc.
Structural Engineer: Greenup Design Engineers; Cardno
Building Contractor: Ertech Pty Ltd
Fabricator(S): Confidential

APPLICATION OF PROJECT

Outdoor concert theatre at Jacobs Park

The Rady Shell Concert Venue Description

The Rady Shell in San Diego Symphony’s new bay side venue is the first permanent year-round bay side concert venue in the nation operated by the Symphony Orchestra. The Rady Shell can accommodate audiences of 3,500 – 8,000 per concert and up to 10,000 for special events.

Fabritecture was engaged for the technical design and fabrication of the Rady Shell performance structure and surrounding pavilion structures. The Shell itself comprises a rolled steel frame and PTFE cladding. The entire structure is approximately 236,000lbs (107,000kgs or 107 tonnes).

The stage accommodates an orchestra size of up to 150 musicians and choir with a front of stage width of 32m and depth of 20m. The roof cantilevers 15m from the front of the stage and can carry a payload of up to 50T. The stage incorporates state of the art constellation sound system designed and engineered by Meyer Sound. This system provides an exemplary sound environment on stage for the musicians, whilst also providing the technical flexibility required for a variety of other performances

The overall project includes development of a range of public facilities, including restrooms, fitness facilities & rest areas. Food pavilions and a small stage are also part of the master design plan.

This project was entered in the LSAA 2011 Design Awards (Cat 2, 2600)

Entrant: Tensys Engineers

Aside from the images below, no further details have been entered at this stage.

This is a replacement structure for the one built in 1989 that was damaged in a storm

Project entered into the LSAA 2016 Design Awards (Medium Fabric Structures Entry 2698)

Entrant: Structureflex (Designer / Engineer)

Location: Echuca, Victoria. Completed: January 2015
Client: St Joseph's Catholic College
Team: Y2 Architects, Steve Huppert, John Killmister (Cert. Eng), Shade Living Pty Ltd, Fabric Solutions (membrane), Thornton Engineering (steel)

Application

As part of a new gymnasium and music centre it was proposed to extend a covered outdoor area over the new netball court that adjoins the building with a 38m x 22m PVC barrel arch roof structure attached to new steel framed gymnasium. 

2024 LSAA Design Award Entry #2863 Tumbalong Green Amphitheatre

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Creating a showpiece architectural structure in Darling Harbour, the Tumbalong Green Amphitheatre is a remarkable marriage of beautiful elements and engineering expertise. Exemplifying the stunning possibilities of lightweight structure design, the soundshell curves up and over the stage, appearing to almost float over the performance space and encourages sound to wash over the audience like a breaking wave.

An example of architectural design meets functionality, the combination of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) structural elements supporting a 1000 square metre PVC membrane have created a lightweight, and visually appealing public amphitheatre roof.

APPLICATION OF PROJECT:      

3 Pod like classrooms at Green School NZ

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

To provide an outer skin from a material that can be recycled if/when replaced and also blends into environment.  Wastage of non-recyclable materials to be kept to a minimum.

Also to provide the support frame to take the PVC membrane.

DESIGN / FABRICATION / INSTALLATION BRIEF

It was requested by the architect that we would supply a membrane solution for three-pod like classrooms for Green School New Zealand, to function as an aesthetic cladding and to create a ventilated thermal barrier to reduce a “heat soak effect” into the building.  This was to complement the “green” label for the structure, reducing running costs and adding an organic look.

STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS

The overall complexity of the project was caused by the intriguing shape and challenging geometry, also the construction materials which were proposed.  

The glulam timber beams implicated large tolerances on site, which required the steel components to be customized to match each of the three structures.

3d- digitizing of the design assisted by the construction of the tension-membranes.  The high stretch of the fabric paired with the shape of the structures added the additional complexity of staged tensioning over multiple weeks.

MATERIALS

Mehler – Valmex Lodge de lux FR – 580gsm PVC

FABRICATION

The fabrication had complex geometry as the fabric had a high weft compensation which meant minimum tolerance to allow for the correct fit. The geometry for the fabric started with digital site measure using a Proliner first, followed by computer controlled cutting many checks and keder length dimensions to ensure accurate final panel size.

A similar process was used for the steel fabrication given the challenging geometry.

COLLABORATION, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE

Being a bespoke membrane structure Cleland Construction Limited had to overcome the different approach from standard construction methodology and Fabric Structures & Cleland Construction work well to get the desired effect. This was mainly around a realization that fabrication off a 3D model was not going to create a successful outcome, therefore a proliner measure once the steel had been installed, then fabrication (with multiple QA check s) was agreed.

COSTS

Design – 12%   Fabric – 6%   Fabrication – 6%     Steel – 50%     Extrusion etc – 4%  Installation – 22%

PROJECT CREDITS

Project Name  Green School New Zealand
Location       406 Koru Road, Koru
City    New Plymouth
Country        New Zealand, 4374
Completion Date     Oct-20
Category 2    Medium structures – 250m2 – 1000m2
Entrant Name         Fabric Structures Limited
Address:       141 Dent Street,
Suburb:        Central Business, Whangarei
Country:       New Zealand, 0110
Telephone Land line:         +64 9 4388343
Mobile:         +64 275276452
Email Address:        This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website address:     www.fabricstructure.co.nz
Entrant Type / Role Designer / Fabricator / Installer
Project Client:         Green School
Project Architect:    Glen Brebner, Milca Severo, Boon
Structural Engineer: Fabspan/XiangDu
Specialist Consultant & Role:       Kayne Jacobson, Project Manager
Building Contractor: Cleland Construction Limited
Fabricator(s): Fabric Structures Ltd – for membrane fabric
Others:         Meco Engineering Co for Steel (under FSL contract)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Close to completing the tensile membrane roof at Metricon Stadium, our client engaged MakMax to cover a smaller outdoor area. This project was a simple solution to shade and weather protection with a twist. Considerations for maximum ground space and design constraints made this project far more interesting.

Our brief for this project outlined a need for a large covered area for common use. Specifics included limited space for footings and design considerations to match the structure’s surroundings. The structure also needed to compliment the design of the stadium roof, MakMax engineers and architects Populous came up with a simple looking yet highly complex shape.

This project was entered in the LSAA 2011 Design Awards (Cat 6, 6005)

This project was entered in the LSAA 2011 Design Awards (Cat 2, 2575)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

In total three structures with a combined coverage of 1930m2.  The project consisted of two identical shade cloth structures comprising of eight Monotech HDPE 370 shade sails, 806m2 in plan area. The third structure of similar design comprised of six main sails of Fibertop PTFE and two hypar decorative sails in Monotech HDPE 370, 318m2 in plan area. The requirement for the project was an Iconic Design providing Solar Shading to shelter play equipment and BBQ facilities.

OTHER IMAGES

This project was entered in the LSAA 2016 Design Awards  - (Cat2, 2697)

Entrant: Structureflex (Designer / Engineer)

Location: Junortoun, Bendigo.   Completed: December 2015

Client: Catholic College Bendigo

Team: Y2 Architects, Steve Huppert, John Killmister (Cert. Eng), Shade Living Pty Ltd, Glarfab (membranes), Thornton Engineering (steel)

 Application

A large asphalt courtyard area was upgraded to provide a focal point for the students for play and school functions.

Sydney Aquarium Dugong's at Mermaid Lagoon

This Project was entered into the LSAA 2009 Design Awards (29047)

Entrant: UFS Australasia Pty Ltd - Designer / Fabricator
Location: Sydney Aquarium - Darling Harbour Sydney
Client: Sydney Attractions Group
Struct. Eng.: Wade Consulting
Builder: Universal Fabric Structures / Ozrig
Fabricator: Fabric Shelter Systems

No further details have been entered.