Rossetti has announced the upcoming completion of several stadiums within the USTA’s National Tennis Center, home of the US Open, in New York City. The phased US$550m transformation, initiated in 2010, includes three new ground-up stadia; completion of the Arthur Ashe Stadium’s retractable roof; new hospitality and entertainment venues; and significant improvements to the public realm for 750,000 fans, sponsors and athletes.
Over the past five years, USTA’s roll-out of new stadia and amenities has substantially improved the overall experience, resulting in increased attendance and economic impact. The original architects of Arthur Ashe Stadium, Rossetti has served as the USTA’s strategic design partner since 1990.
A signature project for Rossetti, the USTA National Tennis Center transformation takes advantage of a trademarked ‘Return on Design’ approach that has become a hallmark of the firm’s practice.
“Typically, architects see their role as building designers and consultant managers,” says Matt Rossetti, CEO and president of the company. “Our process is far more comprehensive by investigating and conceptualizing innovations in our clients’ business models in a discovery phase, then going into the actual design of the spaces.”
Currently, Rossetti is collaborating with USTA on a BIM standard that customizes USTA stadia operations and facilities management plans for lifecycle management; both USTA and Rossetti believe this may be the most advanced maintenance and capital planning tool for any large-scale sports venue in the world.
Arthur Ashe Stadium retractable roof
Rossetti was selected as the project architect after intensive research and development, in collaboration with the New York office of WSP, to develop a lightweight roof that could be delivered within four objectives defined by the USTA. The octagonal roof, which will be the largest retractable roof of any tennis venue in the world, measures 520 x 520ft in plan, is supported by eight steel columns located around the stadium’s perimeter, and covered by a Teflon-coated, fiberglass membrane or PTFE fabric. The roof opening is 250 x 250ft wide and engineered to open and close within 10 minutes.
Grandstand Stadium
Under the Rossetti masterplan, a new 8,125-seat, 125,000ft2 Grandstand Stadium is relocated to the southwest corner of the campus to create a more even distribution of people and venues throughout the campus. Marking an important shift in Rossetti’s design of stadia worldwide, the design features a unique exterior skin pattern that evokes the illusion of peering through the foliage of leaves. The material plays with opacity and translucence, offering glimpses into and out of the stadium. Its innovative skin is made of PTFE material fastened to a cable structure with parametric geometry.
South tournament courts
Building on the completion of other practice and training courts, including Court 17 (the only court designed with stadium viewing perspectives), the South tournament courts contribute to the improvements of the overall campus appearance. Inclusive of this scope are a new South Plaza, relocation of the Court of Champions, a new Pedestrian Allee, and new food and beverage concessions.
The USTA and Rossetti will complete the masterplan by the 2018 US Open, which will culminate in the opening of the yet-to-be-revealed 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium and finalization of public realm improvements and overall campus connectivity.
All images courtesy of Rossetti
June 23, 2016
