Centre Court of the Future
The Centre Court of the future will offer a larger 15,000 capacity, more comfortable seats, and a retractable roof over the court.
The New Retractable Roof on Centre Court
2009 will see Centre Court gain a new, modern retractable roof, enabling all weather play.
In both open and closed positions, the new roof will provide an unparalleled, reliable and non-slippery playing environment. It will act as protection when playing in unfavourable weather conditions and its transparency will allow natural light to reach the grass. With the roof open, it will improve growing conditions throughout the year, particularly at the southern end where the benefit of extra light will be achieved. On cloudy days when the roof is closed, extra lighting will aid visibility.
The roof has been designed to close/open in under 10 minutes and will be closed primarily to protect play from inclement (and, if necessary, extremely hot) weather during The Championships. Play will be suspended while the roof closes/opens, before being resumed once both the court surface and bowl have attained the optimum conditions for players and spectators. This process will take between 10-30 minutes depending on the prevailing climatic conditions.
How the roof works
The retractable roof over Wimbledon’s Centre Court is a type of ‘folding fabric concertina’ which allows it to be folded into a highly compressed area, when not in use over the court. About 5,200 square metres of a very strong and flexible, translucent waterproof material will be used for the roof.
A key element of the design has been to allow natural light to reach the grass, while an airflow system will remove any condensation from within the bowl to provide the optimum internal environment for the comfort of spectators and players when the roof is closed.
The retractable roof is divided into two sections with a total of nine bays of structural fabric — four bays in one section and five in the other. Each of the nine bays of structural fabric is clamped on either side by prismatic steel trusses. There are 10 trusses spanning approximately 77 metres across the court. The ends of each truss are supported by a set of wheels that move along a track positioned on the new ‘fixed’ roof of the Centre Court.
What do these improvements mean for you?
With the new, wider padded seating, you will experience optimum comfort, and the new retractable roof means fewer interruptions and guaranteed play, so all you and your guests need do is sit back and enjoy an unforgettable day of refined luxury with one of our fantastic, award-winning hospitality packages in our exclusive Centre Court Skyview Suites or at the luxurious Gatsby Club!
For further information about Centre Court’s new roof, click on the following links to read what the press have to say:
