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.

The requirements of this standard apply whether the tensile membrane structure is independent of or attached to another structure. ASCE/SEI 55-16 updates the previous edition (ASCE/SEI 55-10) and replaces Standard ASCE 17-96, Air-Supported Structures, thus placing those guidelines next to conventional tensile membrane structures and frame-covered membrane structures, all in a single standard.

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

The famous German Engineer - Architect Frei Otto has been awarded the 2015 Pritzker Architecture Prize one day after his death.

Frei Otto was regarded as the most influential person to drive the modern move to adopt large span lightweight structures using fabrics, timber gridshells and cablenets.

He was very passionate about sharing his knowledge and ideas through the establishment of the Institute of Lightweight Structures at Stuggart University and hence its broad range of publications as well as a large number of students that spent time there.

Australian Standard for Swimming Pools

A new Australian Standard AS 1926.1-2012 "Swimming pool safety - Safety barriers for swimming pools" has just been released.

The objective of this Standard is to assist pool owners/users in avoiding pool-related drowning by providing design, construction and performance of various barrier options, which are designed to restrict entry to the swimming pool area by young children.

As LSAA members are often involved in the provision of shade structures to pools and playgrounds, this new standard may have some relevance.

Perth Stadium Design Approved

The new Perth $900 million 60,000 seat sports stadium design has been approved. The winning design team comprises Cox Architects, Hassell, HKS and Arup.

The following article appears on the WA Government's Perth Stadium website.
http://www.perthstadium.com.au/winning-new-perth-stadium-design-revealed

Of particular interest is the fabric roof and possible aspects of the "bronze facade".

The new Perth Stadium will be a world-class five-tiered stadium with roof coverage over 85 per cent of its seats, a striking bronze facade that reflects Western Australia’s unique geology, LED lights that show home sports team colours, and a wide range of ‘fans first’ facilities including two of the largest video screens in the country.

• WESTADIUM’s new Perth Stadium design revealed
• Five-tiered stadium has striking bronze facade reflecting State’s geology
• State-of-the-art LED lights to show home team colours by night
• 85% of seats under cover; more than 70 food and beverage options
• Stadium to come in $40million under budget

Premier Colin Barnett and Sport and Recreation Minister Terry Waldron today unveiled the winning stadium design at a special event on the Burswood Peninsula.

Mr Barnett said contractual negotiations between the State Government and WESTADIUM to design, build, partially finance and maintain the new Perth Stadium and Sports Precinct were successfully concluded and the contract would be signed in coming days. 

“This is a very exciting day for all West Australians and I am delighted to reveal the design of this world-class venue, which will play a pivotal role in the transformation of Perth,” the Premier said.

“The winning design successfully meets the State’s requirement for a world-class, multi-purpose stadium within a parkland setting, and does so with a uniquely Western Australian focus.

“The seating bowl maximises stadium atmosphere, gives fans exceptional views and brings them close to the action, providing a special home ground advantage for our teams.

“These facilities will not only deliver an outstanding fan experience on event days, but will also provide year-round access to a magnificent recreational precinct.

“I’m also particularly pleased to announce that the successful negotiations for this contract have confirmed that the capital cost of the stadium is around $40million less than what was originally budgeted.”

Mr Waldron said this was an important day in the State’s sporting history which reflected the meticulous planning undertaken over the past three years and an unrelenting focus on successfully delivering a ‘fans first’ stadium.

“The emphasis on delivering a venue that has the fan experience at the very heart is very much in evidence in this design,” he said.

“Seat sizes are generous and each one will have a cup holder; fans will enjoy access to more than 70 food and beverage outlets; and those requiring higher levels of access - such as people in wheelchairs - will be able to use designated seating platforms across all seating tiers. 

“The technology provisions include 4G Wi-Fi coverage across the stadium and precinct, two giant 240sqm video screens - some of the biggest in the country - and a further 1,000 screens throughout the stadium so fans never miss any of the action.

“The stadium will include the widest range of seating and hospitality options of any stadia in Australia.”

The design of the sporting and recreation precinct surrounding the stadium is inspired by Dreamtime stories and the connection with the Swan River, and will have three distinct recreational spaces encouraging use by the community all year round.

A covered Community Arbour, linking the new six-platform stadium station to the river, will represent Noongar community stories.  The western section of the precinct will be home to an amphitheatre, two children’s playgrounds, picnic areas and a boardwalk while the community sporting oval to the north will be available for public use on non-event days, as well as providing event-day parking.

On site, WESTADIUM will now begin preparations for construction to start by the end of the year.  This will involve erecting site offices, mobilising machinery and other facilities necessary to accommodate a peak workforce of 950 during the construction phase.

The WESTADIUM consortium has significant international stadia experience and its members have been involved in an impressive array of past projects, including the recently completed and highly acclaimed Adelaide Oval redevelopment, ANZ Stadium Australia and the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in the USA. 

The consortium is led by three key members, Brookfield Multiplex (design and construction), John Laing (equity investor and asset management) and Brookfield Johnson Controls (facilities management).

Fact file

• The new Perth Stadium is due to be open in time for the start of the 2018 AFL season
• The Project Definition Plan released in December 2012 stated the project budget was $902.4m, consisting of $820.7m for the stadium and $81.7m for the sports precinct, plus $16m for project management
• Finalisation of the design-build-finance-maintain contract for the stadium and sports precinct confirms the project is within budget
• High resolution images of the stadium and sports precinct plus a new Perth Stadium fact sheet are available.
• The LSAA acknowledges the source of the above article.

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Preferred bidder named for new Perth Stadium

Tuesday 15 April 2014

The contract to design, build, finance and maintain the new 60,000 seat Perth Stadium and Sports Precinct has reached another important milestone with the naming of WESTADIUM as the Preferred Respondent.

• WESTADIUM is Preferred Respondent to build new Perth Stadium
• All three bids were world-class and satisfied strict criteria
• Negotiations to conclude mid-2014

Premier Colin Barnett said each of the three shortlisted private sector consortia submitted world-class bids that addressed the technical, operational and commercial requirements of the State’s Request For Proposals.

For this article and further information see: Perth Stadium Website or http://www.perthstadium.com.au/

Shady business: call for sun safety reform

Gaps expose childcare kids to poor shade design and installation.

A CHOICE investigation has uncovered gaping holes in the regulation of the shadecloth design and installation industry which potentially compromises the sun safety of childcare centres.

Even those centres certified as SunSmart by the voluntary Cancer Council Australia program may have unwittingly bought shadecloth with a low level of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) protection or had it incorrectly installed.

In Queensland and Victoria shade installers require a builders’ licence, in itself no guarantee of expertise in this area. In other states and territories virtually anyone can be in the business despite the environmental, planning and public health issues involved.

More than 3,500 childcare centres around Australia have SunSmart accreditation but while the Cancer Council recommends shade audits to check the effectiveness of shade structures, there’s little evidence these take place. Regulation is left up to the states.

Shade audits of seven childcare centres in Australia found none complied fully with the regulations despite two being SunSmart certified. The problems included inadequate UV protection levels of the shadecloth and poor shade design.

CHOICE says the problem is exacerbated by buck passing as to who is actually responsible for issues relating to shade and checking that shadecloths have at least a 94 per cent UVR block.

In NSW Department of Community Services (DoCs) regulations specify childcare centres must provide ‘adequate shade’ based on Cancer Council NSW & NSW Health Department guidelines but using a shadecloth with less than 94 per cent UVR block is not necessarily grounds for non-compliance.

“Accountability is hard to pin down. Responsibility for shade provision falls across different organisations whose resources are already overstretched to adequately police sun protection policies for childcare centres,” said CHOICE spokesman Christopher Zinn.

CHOICE would like to see state governments better monitor child care centres’ compliance with the Cancer Council guidelines. Shade audits and installation of any shadecloth, as required by those guidelines, should be enforced as a condition of licensing for child care centres.

NOTE: This is a copy of the summary article from Choice Magazine's Website.  www.choice.com.au

Viewers of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Concert held outside Buckingham Palace would have been impressed with the elegant tensioned fabric structure.

Minneapolis Dome Collapses

The pounding snow caused the roof of the 64,000-seat Metrodome in Minneapolis to "deflate" Sunday morning, Minnesota State Patrol spokesman Lt. Eric Roeske said. Workers wielding shovels could be seen clearing the roof of the heavy white stuff, while photos from inside the darkened stadium showed much of the field covered with snow that fell from a gaping hole in the dome.

"Obviously the weight of the snow would affect how much air pressure is necessary to keep that roof up," Roeske said. "Something caused that air pressure not to be strong enough or high enough to keep that roof at its normal position."

TensileDraw: the Tensile Structure Software

TensileDraw is an AutoCAD and RHINO fully compatible and integrated plug-in software package developed in collaboration with Maffeis Engineering & Consulting. It can simulate well balanced force stress distribution on the membrane surface without complicating file exportation and related compatibility problems.

The great versatility of the application is most significant: it can calculate the form of complex geometry fabric structures thanks to the generation of a warp and weft beam mesh reproducing the orthotropic behaviour of fabric material.

International Design Competition for the new Japan National Stadium

A new stadium is being proposed by Japan Sport Council that aims to be the "greatest stadium".

There has been an International Design Competition for the new Japan National Stadium and a short list of 11 international design groups has been selected.

Two reasons for the new stadium are to boost Japan's bid to host the 2020 Olympics as well as the FIFA World Cup.

Flinders Street Station Design Competition

There are six groups who have been shortlisted for the next stage of the Design Competition for revamping Melbourne's iconic Flinders Street Station.

Most groups involve local and international firms. The next stage of the process is due to be completed in July 2013 after each group develops their design concepts further and have briefings with government departments.

More details can be found here.