Perth Arena

Perth Arena (currently known as RAC Arena) is an entertainment and sporting venue in the heart of the city of Perth, Western Australia, designed to hold up to 15,000 people. With its geometric architecture, the landmark building is the first stage of a major urban regeneration programme. The venue has a retractable roof and supporting facilities including VIP boxes, multipurpose event rooms, refreshment outlets and a 700-space basement car park.

Multidisciplinary approach 

We provided mechanical, electrical and fire protection services engineering, along with specialist sustainability and lighting consultancy for the arena, first assisting the architectural consortium win the design competition and then working on the concept and detailed design.

Although the architectural vision was bold, it responded to an ambitious and functional brief aiming to maximise the facility’s commercial potential while minimising environmental impact. We met this challenge with a flexible design, incorporating a variety of air-conditioning solutions that deliver considerable savings in both energy and operating costs. When fully occupied, the arena is cooled with displacement ventilation, supplied through the tiered seating stands. The public circulation area surrounding the stadium is treated with natural ventilation but can operate in mixed-mode if needed.

Successful outcome 

The result is a commercially viable stadium with a high level of adaptability, capable of hosting large-scale live events, from international concerts and dance spectaculars to World BMX, netball and basketball championships and major tennis tournaments, including the Davis Cup. Since opening with Sir Elton John in November 2012, approximately 3 million people have visited the Arena for 350+ major events.