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People visit sports and entertainment facilities anticipating an enjoyable experience.

This begins with the approach to the venue and embraces the aesthetics of the facade and enclosure, seating comfort, and effectiveness of shelter, with event surety provided with closing roofs. These facilities now hold multiple events including sports, concerts, presentations and special product events with hospitality also at the forefront of the experience.

Unique Design Philosophy

Our unique design philosophy for these facilities – incorporating the construction sequence and methodology into the permanent works design – results in our designs being faster to build, more cost-effective, and lower-risk during construction.  Clients and contractors alike appreciate our integrated approach to design and construction, which benefits all stakeholders.

RBG Services

Our specialist structural, civil, digital and construction engineering services for stadiums, arenas, sports centres, aquatic, entertainment and convention eentres include:

  • Re-development or life extension of existing structures
  • Condition surveys
  • Additions and extensions
  • New facility design
  • Moving roof design
  • Structural façade design
  • Pitch drainage
  • Fabric structures (in collaboration with third party experts)
  • Independent technical reviews and certification

World’s Leading Specialist

Robert Bird Group can offer some of the world’s leading specialist sports engineering designers, who have contributed to the delivery of globally-recognised sports and entertainment facilities including:

  • Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Australia
  • International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sydney Australia
  • Telstra Theatre, Sydney Australia
  • Stadium Australia, Sydney Australia
  • Adelaide Oval Redevelopment Australia
  • Brisbane Cricket Ground Redevelopment Australia
  • Dubai Theatre UAE
  • Coventry Arena, Coventry United Kingdom

Long Span

Long span structures are a feature of many sports and entertainment facilities, and their design often requires consideration outside of national codes.  We apply advanced methods of analysis including consideration of system-buckling to provide certainty of structural behaviour under all static and dynamic loads and environmental conditions, including temperature effects and wind loads which are often the most critical factors.

It is also important to consider early in the design process how these long span structures can be safely and efficiently constructed. Robert Bird Group has the advantage of specialist expertise in Construction Engineering, which we apply throughout the design process from the initial structural concept design to final drawings. This holistic approach assists safe and efficient delivery, thereby reducing risk and saving time and money.  RBG has developed world leading capabilities in Staged Erection Analysis, ensuring the actual stresses in the structure during and after construction are properly identified. We are often engaged to provide this specialist expertise on structures designed by ourselves as well as those designed by other engineering companies.

Seating Dynamics

Sports and entertainment facilities are enjoyed in congregation, where large numbers of people gather and engage in rhythmic activities including Mexican waves, dancing and general excitement. Consequently, these structures require special attention to ensure that their dynamic response due to crowd behaviour does not threaten the safety and serviceability of the design. Developing a clear understanding of these potential effects early in the design process is crucial to avoid wasteful rework later in the design, or unexpected problems during the operation of the facility.

RBG has great experience in this area, and our global sector leader was an integral part of the UK Institution of Structural Engineers dynamics working group that produced the current design guidelines now used worldwide. Our lead designers in sports and entertainment facilities across the regions have advanced expertise in this field.

Exceptional Loads

Wind loads are amongst the critical load effects for sports and large entertainment structures. RBG has extensive experience with advanced methods of post- processing wind tunnel test results to achieve structural efficiency and surety. We also have specialists in seismic design from many regions.

Exceptional loading from physical threats can also be evaluated by RBG to assess the robustness of the structure to such loading effects as accidental impact and blast, for example.

Parametric Geometry

Robert Bird Group’s long span and façade designers utilize advanced methods of 3D modelling to explore structural efficiencies and geometric coordination. Parametric modelling is a powerful tool for optimising structural efficiencies through the design process, and RBG is a leader in the research and application of digital design and visualisation techniques.