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Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York

Arthur Ashe Stadium is the largest outdoor tennis-only venue in the world by capacity, and it is the main stadium of the U.S. Open.

Location

  • New York, USA

Client

  • United States Tennis Association

Project Status

  • Stadium completed 1997; retractable roof completed in 2016

Architect

Named after champion player Arthur Ashe, the arena has over 22,500 seats, 90 luxury suites, five restaurants and a two-level players’ lounge. It is part of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the New York borough of Queens.

We were the structural and MEP engineer for the stadium, which opened in 1997 on the site of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs. Following years of bad weather wreaking havoc with the US Open’s schedule, USTA announced plans to put a roof on the stadium as part of a US $500 million renovation.

All-Weather Protection for Tennis Stars and Fans

When the stadium was built, the design did not include provisions for future installation of a retractable roof. So our structural engineers needed to work with Rossetti, the architect, to find a way to construct a roof with minimal impact on the existing structure. The solution was a roof that doesn't actually touch the stadium.  

The lightweight retractable poltetrafluoroethylene membrane roofing system is supported by 1,700 self-supported structural beams. Although completely blended with the stadium, the roof structure blends seamlessly with the rest of the venue when closed - an act which takes less than 10 minutes. 

 

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