Germany

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Redesign of the Tennis Facility

The historic tennis facility at Rothenbaum in Hamburg received its current appearance in 1997. The tennis stadium, the DTB and press building, as well as the spectator stands, were comprehensively redesigned according to the plans of the architectural firm Schweger und Partner. The center court and the spectator stands were equipped with a textile roof, whose inner part can be opened within a few minutes. With an area of 3,000 m², this movable roof was at that time the largest convertible roof in Europe and set new standards in the technical conception of the drive systems, becoming a model for all subsequently realized convertible stadium roofs worldwide. The roof structure, consisting of a highly tensioned steel/cable support system with a free span of about 100 meters and a textile covering made of technical polyester fabrics, as well as the drive systems, were developed by the engineering firm Sobek und Rieger under the project management of Alfred Rein.

Roof Membrane

After more than 20 years of use, the roof structure was thoroughly renovated in 2019 under the engineering planning of AR Ingenieure. The membranes of the inner and outer roofs were renewed, the corrosion protection of the steel structure was repaired, and the drive systems of the inner roof were extensively overhauled. A non-destructive inspection of the supporting cables using a magnetic inductive method ensured that cables no longer sufficiently load-bearing were replaced with new ones.

The comprehensively renovated tennis stadium proved its worth during the Hamburg European Open from September 20 to 27, 2020. The final match between Andrey Rublev and Nikoloz Basilashvili could be played undisturbed thanks to the closed center court roof, regardless of the weather conditions.

Project participants :

Installation: 2020
Membrane: Verseidag B6915 10.000 m²
Civil Engineering: Alfred Rein Ingenieure, Stuttgart
Membrane contractor: Textil Bau, Hamburg
Pictures: Textilbau GmbH