Fabrication and installation of the steel structure and roofing system of the retractable roof over the central court of the National Tennis Centre in Bratislava.
The steel structure consists of arched truss girders with a 37.0 m span, arranged in a 3.050 m modular grid. The total structural length is 95.3 m, including a 3.0 m expansion section. The gable walls are cast-in-place reinforced concrete, 200 mm thick. The trusses have a theoretical depth of 800 mm, with a top chord radius of 28.0 m and a rise of 7.1 m. The girders are pin-supported on reinforced concrete walls, with every sixth arch stabilized by a tie rod. The structural members are made of tubular profiles, and overall stability is ensured by trussed bracing systems anchored to the end walls. The roof structure is divided into a fixed and a movable part. The fixed steel structure is supported by reinforced concrete columns with 12-ton steel capitals, while the main load-bearing system consists of spatial trusses mounted on sliding bearings. A central opening of 18 × 41 m accommodates the retractable roof.
This project received the main award and title “Building of the Year 2004.”
