Note the following links - and credits - go to the AuStadiums website

The Australian Olympic Committee is now (Feb 2025) pushing for some resolution on the main venues for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games

One main question is whether to upgrade (complete rebuild) the Gabba or to build new facilities.

See an article on "The Stadium Database" website

There has been several delays in the new proposed AFL Stadium in Hobart getting off the ground.

An article (April 2025) explaining this is on the Stadiums Database website

The re-development of the Penrith stadium is expected to be completed in 2027 and will see the capacity raised to 30,000

Populus is the Architect and John Holland is doing the Construction.

Some more information refer to "The Stadium Business" article

This is a very recent Japanese exhibition structure in Osaka 2025 Expo.

It "covers" a site area of 11,000 sqm and employs large amounts of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) panels.

Some places have hailed it as the World's largest Timber Structure. A proportion of the CLT panels are will be disassembled after the Expo and returned for use in subseqent projects. 

Not only is the design layout circular but the planned re-use also demonstrates the evolving trend towards "circular" design and sustainability.

For more details see this ArchDaily Article

The New Orleans' multi-purpose Superdome is getting another rennovation after 50 years of service.

It was built in the 1970s to provide for an enclosed stadium to ensure major football events could be held.

See Wikipedia for background on the Superdome Consider donating to keep this resource active.

See this article for further information about the most recent rennovations.

Much of the rennovation works is towards making a better "experience" for patrons which has been a trend in recent years in stadium designs.

The main structure is a steel framed lamellar dome with a diameter of 210m and height of 82.3m. 

There has been quite a bit of divided discusion about the new Hobart Stadium possibly put forward as the home of Tasmania's first AFL team.

COX Architecture have been appointed to lead the design consultancy with Alastair Richardson having some firm ideas as to what it should be.

See the article in Architecture and Design

Alastair is the Keynote Speaker on Day 1 of our LSAA 2024 Conference

Preliminary Design Concept

The proposed design made public in July 2024 involves a large timber ribbed dome structure. The translucent roof is credited to Schlaich Bergermann Partners and will feature ETFE inflated pillows attached to the timber ribs. Tensioned steel rods or cables will help stabilize the timber grid.

See some images on the ABC article

It is believed that the emphasis on the provision of Olympic class sporting venues has been adjusted in time for the Brisbane 2032 event owing to major cost overruns in previous Olympics.

Perhaps the best place to follow the development progress of the Brisbane Venues is at the Queensland State Development and Infrastructure website and a less formal site q2032.au

One thrust is to upgrade existing facilities for the Olympics in 2032 and then return them in a format suitable for ongoing community use.

A review of the major Gabba Stadium has suggested "modest enhancements"

Aside from the Gabba, a number of other venues that utilize lightweight structure architecture exist - and several of these have had major input from LSAA Members.

With 30,000 seats (25,000 permanent and 5,000 temporary), 36,000 capacity for large concerts all under the cover of a roof, Te Kaha is New Zealand's premier and most accessible, inclusive, sustainable and flexible stadium venue.

Following the devastating earthquake in Christchurch the city has been rebuilding and a redesigned larger flexible stadium is a key project. The stadium hopes to attract key events that might otherwise bypass Christchurch.

There are some articles on "The Stadium Business" website as well as a dedicated stadium website. 

An update video is also on YouTube

An independent review of the Brisbane Olympics Infrastructure requirements has commenced.

Of particular interest to LSAA is the outcome pertaining to the Gabba Stadium - an upgrade or knock down and rebuild. Adjacent roads will impact on a potentail cost of several billions. 

See a brief article by Jarrod Reedie for Architecture and Design

Some background arguments are in an article by The Guardian

A CAD Drawing of part of the early new Gabba redevelopment - Peter Kneen 1994.

Since the 1990s, the new roof was extended but for the current proposed Brisbane Olympics a revised 50,000 seat stadium is being considered.

A link to a database site of stadiums may supply further information HERE

LSAA (previously MSAA), has been promoting the quality of tensile fabric structures since 1981 and hereby concurs and agrees with  the following statement (issued by Tensinet) with respect to the PFAS restriction proposal:

For more than half a century, structural membranes, including PTFE-coated glass fabric, PVC-coated polyester fabric, ETFE-foils, and other variants, have found widespread use. These Fluoropolymers are classified as Polymers of Low Concern (PLC).

Unfortunately, there is currently no alternative material (with comparable performance in terms of longevity, durability, strength, and fire-resistance), and the consequences of the PFAS restriction for the tensile fabric structures sector (or tensile membrane structures sector) would have a non-compensable negative impact.

Given that the tensile fabric structures occupy a specialised niche, we need to consolidate our efforts to ensure an effective communication.  LSAA wishes to obtain feedback and support from all stakeholders - contractors, fabricators, suppliers, engineers, architects (involved in this niche industry)

If you share this point of view, we invite you to support the petition, thereby helping to preserve the future of tensile fabric structures.

Follow the Tensinet link to learn about the Working Group position on PFAS and to sign and add your support to the online petition.
Tensinet states that you should sign before September 15. You may need to be a member.

An additional approach is to send an email to the LSAA 

Australian governments have been working collaboratively for some time to identify and treat existing PFAS contamination in the environment. All agree that more effort should be focused on preventing further PFAS releases into the environment.

The outline to the work done as well as an explanation of the consultation process can be found here

Work to establish the National Standard is underway. In the interim, Australian governments have developed the National PFAS Position Statement to start a national conversation about non-regulatory ways to reduce PFAS releases.

Statement can be viewed here

We have learnt that Saint-Gobain will be restructuring its Composite Solutions business.

That decision comes after a strategic review of the business and in the context of Saint-Gobain's continued goal of optimizing its business portfolio to deliver on its Grow and Impact Plan. The Composite Solutions Business Unit will no longer exist.

As a result of this restructure, Saint-Gobain will cease manufacturing the following products: PTFE & Silicone Rubber Coated fabrics; PTFE Coated Fabric and Silicone Belts; PTFE Cast films as well as Sheerfill Architectural Membranes; Sheergard.

Existing contracts for these products will be honoured, but not extended, and no new orders will be taken for these products.

The above is an extract from a letter by Michael Katzer Director Sales & Marketing EMEA

Download a PDF copy here

Article added September 23 2023

PFAS is the acronym for Polyfluoroalkyl Substances.

The European Commission is proposing that all PFAS be banned on the basis that they can be toxic, remain persistent and bioaccumulate in people and other organisms and may contribute to increasing health problems.

The number of everyday products that could be affected is staggering and various industries are starting to fight back against the proposal.

The membranes or architectural fabrics used by our Lightweight Structures Industry will be impacted if the proposed PFAS ban proceeds unless there are exemptions. 

This PFAS restriction has been proposed by 5 EU States Members and currently evaluated by ECHA (European Chemical Agency) in Europe.

PFAS is a very wide family of substances (more than 5,000). Among those 5,000 substances, there are liquids, gases and solids with different toxicological profiles.

The fluoropolymers (PVDF, PTFE, ETFE, FEP, PFA…) fall under the PFAS definition based on chemical similarities but they are solid, chemically inert, stable, non-toxic, non-mobile…  and according to the OECD criteria, they are classified as “Polymer of Low Concern”.

Fluoropolymers are used in tensile architectural membranes in a form of coating (PTFE), lacquer on PVC coating (PVDF), or film (ETFE, ..).

These fluoropolymers are Polymers of Low Concern, therefore most of the European tensile textile fabric manufacturers and users are requesting an exemption for fluoropolymers.

Jörg Schlaich (1934 – 4 September 2021) was a highly respected German engineer especially for his creative and elegant design of bridges, long-span roofs, and other innovative structures. In 1980 he was a co-founder of the consulting firm Schlaich Bergermann Partner based in Stuttgart.

Jörg Schlaich was one of a select group who studied both architecture and civil engineering at Stuttgart University and at Berlin from 1953 to 1959.

In 1963, he joined the firm Leonhardt & Andrä. He later became a partner where a highlight was being responsible for the Olympic Stadium in Munich. He stayed with the firm until 1969.

In 1974 he became an academic at Stuttgart University, before founding his own firm.

In terms of large span roof structures – of particular interest to LSAA members – he pioneered the concept of the “bicycle wheel” with an outer compression ring resisted the tension of radial cables coupled to an inner cable ring. This was used in 1993 with the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium (later known as the Mercedes Benz Arena in Stuttgart. Another example was the main stadium in Kuala Lumpur for the 1998 Commonweath Games. Many recent stadia have adapted this principle.

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is moving closer to creating a "ferry-free" highway.

The proposal comprises a 2km long suspension bridge (The Julsundet Bridge) with a main span of 1625m - to claim bragging rights by 1metre over the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark.

There is also proposed to have an extended subsea tunnel approximately 25km long when completed. This is claimed to be the World's longest road tunnel - the England to France Channel Tunnel is a rail tunnel about 50km in length. An existing 24.5 km road tunnel creates a ferry-free highway between Oslo and Bergen.

For further information - see "Bridgeweb Article" 

A short paper by Nicholas Goldsmith - (LSAA Keynote Speaker in 2016).

He reflects on a time in 1984 at a dinner with Walter Bird, Frei Otto and Ian Liddell and the path that textile architecture has taken in the US and Europe since that time.

Download a copy here

The ABCB has released a new document called the National Model Code of Conduct for Building Surveyors.

December 2020. It can be downloaded HERE

A relatively new book about the incredible legacy of physical models used for designing and understanding of lightweight structures has been published by Spector Books (part summary below from their website).

In the 1950s, Frei Otto’s tent structures left their mark on the horticultural shows of the new Bonn Republic; together with Behnisch & Partner he created the roof landscape for the Munich Olympic Games in 1972. The innovative potential in his work is based on the interdisciplinarity of a mode of thinking that took in architecture, technology, art, science, and society. He saw nature as a model and tried throughout his life to harness it for the sake of architecture and civil engineering — and thus also for the future.

An updated Second edition of AS 4174:2018 "Knitted and woven shade fabrics" has been released.

It replaces the first edition published in 1994.

The main contents are:

Section 1 Scope and General

Section 2 Horticultural Shade Protection Fabrics

Section 3 Human Shade Protection Fabrics

Appendices - 6 Appendices

[Update August 2019: There has been an Amendment No 1 issued with some revised wording and typo corrections]

The Second Annual Summit Conference being held in Melbourne from 25-26 June 2018 will be concentrating on the Fire Issues pertaining to dangerous cladding in particular.

Details of the event can be found at the following webpage, from which the text below is extracted with acknowledgement.

Event Details - Agenda and Booking

"2017 was a tragic turning point for the construction and safety industry with the Grenfell Tower fire in London. For Australia, it was a particularly sobering reminder of the narrowly avoided disaster at Melbourne’s Lacrosse Tower fire in 2014.

As governments, taskforces, regulators, and industry bodies continue to work together to ensure that no such tragedy happens again, the much broader discussion around non-compliant products and accountability has come into focus. In addition to the risks associated with some cladding products, the sector is coming under further scrutiny on topics such as glass, wiring and waterproofing."

There has been considerable backlash to the NSW State Government's proposal to demolish and re-build several stadiums in Sydney.

It would seem that the original decision to demolish the Sydney Olympic Stadium may have been done very hastily.

After some weeks, it would appear that a review of the decision is in order.

A recent article by ArchitectureAU can be found AT THIS LINK

A new (future) draft version of the NCC (National Construction Code) is now available for public comment. Comments are due by COB April 13 2018.

To view this document (in PDF format) you may need to login or register at the ABCB (Australian Building Codes Board) website https://www.abcb.gov.au/

Of interest to many involved in lightweight structures, and in particular tension membrane structures, are the new requirements related to fire. These new requirements have been the result of a number of fatal fires in Australia and overseas. See this article for an interim report related to fires and cladding.

There are a number of product orientated "white papers" that may be of some interest to designers located HERE

To download, you have to give your contact details which may not appeal to all.

An Interim Report has now been published by the recently formed Victorian Cladding Taskforce. 

The taskforce follows the serious Lacrosse Building fire in Melbourne Docklands (November 2014) and later the Grenfell Tower disaster (71 fatalities, June 2017) in London (see Grenfell_Tower_fire ) involving the use of highly combustible cladding panels.

The report covers the use of aluminium composite panels (ACP) with a polyethylene core and expanded polystyrene (EPS) cladding, for class 2, 3, or 9 buildings of two or more storeys, and class 5, 6, 7 or 8 buildings of three or more storeys. 

A PDF copy is available here

An earlier report on the Lacrosse Fire by Giuseppe Genco (Melbourne Building Surveyor) in April 2015 can be downloaded here

Prepared by the Tensile Membrane Structures Standards Committee of the Codes and Standards Activities Division of the Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE

Standard ASCE/SEI 55-16 provides minimum criteria for the analysis, design, and performance of membrane-covered cable and rigid member structures, collectively known as tensile membrane structures. It is applicable to both permanent and temporary structures.

Within CEN/TC 250/WG 5, CEN/TC 248/WG 4, the TensiNet Association and COST Action TU1303, an international team of researchers, engineers, architects, material producers and manufacturers has been working on this report, which provides background information in support of the implementation and development of a future Eurocode for the Structural Design of Tensile Membrane Structures.

Tensioned Membrane Structures have unique properties compared to the more conventional built environment. Besides their low self-weight and high flexibility these structures are known to be 'optimally' constructed, as they are only loaded in tension. It results in shapes adapted to the flow of forces and a minimum of material needed to realise the span.

Important revisions have taken place for fire detection and control in buildings across a number of Standards.

These set out the minimum requirements that should be in place during design and construction to ensure compliance.

Recent revisions include:

AS/NZS 1668.1:2015
The use of ventilation and air conditioning in buildings - Fire and smoke control in buildings

AS 1670.1:2015
Fire detection, warning, control and intercom systems - System design, installation and commissioning

AS 1670.4:2015
Fire detection, warning, control and intercom systems - System design, installation and commissioning - Emergency warning and intercom systems

Article added February 2016. For more information, see SAI Global website

The Australian Building Codes Board have recently published a new standard for Temporary Structures.

The LSAA contributed to its development. 

This Standard is intended for use in the design, construction and use of temporary structures. It provides criteria for structural safety (particularly determining appropriate wind actions), fire safety (including fire resistance of materials, fire safety services and equipment, and egress), access, sanitary facilities and certain ancillary provisions.

It is still open for adoption by particular State or Territory Authorities.

A copy may be found HERE