Perth Arena - Moving and Fixed Roof Lift [Archive]

yeahlow34

13-05-2010, 08:50 AM

This won't be of interest to alot of people, however thought I'd post it up. People involved in construction may be interested.

Perth Arena is a multi-purpose indoor entertainment facility with full opening and closing roof. It's situated right next to the old Entertainment Centre on Wellington Street, Perth (west end). Without going into too much detail, the entire fixed and moving roof element has been constructed at ground level. If you've driven past - you'll have seen the massive amount of steel being assembled. Basically, the idea was to construct the roof element at ground level, and then lift it into place using hydraulic jacks (on top of temporary jacking towers).

Should the weather be OK, tomorrow (14/05/2010) will see the roof being lifted roughly 40m into the air, to it's final constructed height. This is the first time this has been carried out (to such a large scale) in Australia. Whilst it will be a very slow process, it will be interesting to see the skyline of Perth change in the space of a single day.

This is just a heads up for those that may be interested. It hasn't been publicised throughout the media. I can see alot of Perth people being suprised on their way home from work on the train, as 2500t of steel that was situated on the ground in the morning - is suspeded ~40m in the air in the afternoon.

Joe

13-05-2010, 08:51 AM

What time mate?

hako

13-05-2010, 08:52 AM

Cool, been having a look whenever I go by on the train trying to visualise what it will look like. You work on the project?

AGIT8D

13-05-2010, 08:54 AM

Surely it would take hours to raise it and position it so you should have a pretty broad window of opportunity for photos/to witness it???

Someone chuck some photos up here of it, I'd be interested to have a peep

HANS YOLO

13-05-2010, 09:01 AM

i don't want to sling shit before the place is finished but they really should have increased seating capacity and gone LARGE....too small IMO

hostage_85

13-05-2010, 09:14 AM

I work to far away from the City to see this, but would be great if someone could grab some pictures. I love all this stuff :D

13-05-2010, 09:18 AM

Day off tomorrow. If the weather is good I'll drag camera along when I go into Perth.

dmwill

13-05-2010, 09:59 AM

So are those 4 blue towers the temporary things? I noticed they have a pulley kind of arrangement at the top of them - figured they might serve a purpose to lift something.

Would certainly be interesting to see.

yeahlow34

13-05-2010, 10:26 AM

What time mate?

It will start in the morning at some point. But it's incremental - it will take roughly 8 hours to complete the lift. Good to see it first thing, then midday, then afternoon.

Cool, been having a look whenever I go by on the train trying to visualise what it will look like. You work on the project?

Yeah mate, I'm full time on site on the project.

i don't want to sling shit before the place is finished but they really should have increased seating capacity and gone LARGE....too small IMO

Without wanting to go into detail, there is no need for it to be larger. The size perfectly fits the events the facility would hold.

So are those 4 blue towers the temporary things? I noticed they have a pulley kind of arrangement at the top of them - figured they might serve a purpose to lift something.

Would certainly be interesting to see.

Yeah the blue towers are temporary. They are only there specifically to lift the roof. Once complete, they will be dissassembled.

As for photos, I'll be getting stacks throughout the day. I'll upload some today of how it sits currently. Just need to check that there are no privacy type issues.

Daisy

13-05-2010, 10:26 AM

hostage_85

13-05-2010, 10:32 AM

Hey Yeahlow... Who supplied all the rigging equipment for the lift mate?

yeahlow34

13-05-2010, 10:50 AM

yeahlow - great post. have been wondering when it was going to happen.

most people probably could give two shits, but its quite a feat for little ol' Perth. i for one hopes the weather is good and goes off without a hitch.

Cheers mate. I'm very hestitant to post things about work, as often it's of limited interest. But I thought this lift in particular would spark some interest. This form of construction is not often used to this scale. And for it to be in Perth is quite cool.

Theres a few factors which contribute to whether the lift can or cannot go ahead. But at the moment it's looking good.

Hey Yeahlow... Who supplied all the rigging equipment for the lift mate?

The lifting equipment, and management system is carried out by a mob called Vector Lifting. They manage the lift itself. The rigging for the project however is by Perth Rigging. This element involves quite a bit of collaboration between the two.

hostage_85

13-05-2010, 10:53 AM

The lifting equipment, and management system is carried out by a mob called Vector Lifting. They manage the lift itself. The rigging for the project however is by Perth Rigging. This element involves quite a bit of collaboration between the two.

Ahh true... Yeh i know them, Vector Lifting is one of my clients. I work for a company called "Unirig" we manufacture heavy lift slings and crane ropes etc...

DRKWRX

13-05-2010, 12:47 PM

sweet! should have some free time tomorow will go have a look, a timelapse would be cool but fuck standing around for 8 hours :lol:

jagerbomb

13-05-2010, 01:14 PM

whats the best spot for viewing schweetie? will there be restricted access around the site?

dmwill

13-05-2010, 01:55 PM

I was always baffled what the big steel structure was in the middle - but that is obviously the roof....

http://www.dhw.wa.gov.au/pertharena/images/images_39.jpg

_S9_

13-05-2010, 01:57 PM

Sweet - i pass this on the bus access road twice a day. will be good to finally see it lifted!

dmwill

13-05-2010, 02:01 PM

Found a bunch of interesting pics here...

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=323151&page=8

In the words of Top gear - what could possibly go wrong? :P

jonn

13-05-2010, 02:20 PM

Same lifting system they used for Wembley stadium in the UK. We also used the system to lift a platform out of the water in NZ. Simple idea and it works very well. Pretty sure the company we used was Italian and at the time they were the only guys that did it worldwide.

yeahlow34

13-05-2010, 02:25 PM

whats the best spot for viewing schweetie? will there be restricted access around the site?

Schveeety!! There's a pedestrian footbridge on the East side of the site (crosses from northbridge to city). This would be a good viewpoint. The site itself is in lockdown, so it will be a ghost town in the actual site. But as far as I know anything outside is as normal.

Another good spot would be the Western footpath, adjacent to the FWY exit. Unobstructed view from there too.

I was always baffled what the big steel structure was in the middle - but that is obviously the roof....

http://www.dhw.wa.gov.au/pertharena/images/images_39.jpg

That photo's about 2-3months old, but gives you a good idea. The two megatrusses (big long steel things) support the moving roof elements. You can see part of one of the fixed roof elements beginning assembly on the right. Moving roof elements yet to commence assembly in that pic. The hydraulic jacks are connected via wires to each end of each megatruss. Those trusses are about 130m long!

I'll try dig up some recent aerial photographs now.

American Dave

13-05-2010, 02:27 PM

Why has it taken so damn long to build this relatively small arena and why has the cost blown on so badly I all I want to know...world best practices, nope not in Perth.

American Dave

13-05-2010, 02:27 PM

Why has it taken so damn long to build this relatively small arena and why has the cost blown out so badly I all I want to know...world best practices, nope not in Perth.

yeahlow34

13-05-2010, 02:31 PM

Why has it taken so damn long to build this relatively small arena and why has the cost blown out so badly I all I want to know...world best practices, nope not in Perth.

Not really sure what to make of your post, bro. Just read the media, they get it spot on all the time.

mod

13-05-2010, 02:33 PM

WoW finally and we supplied majority if all of the flat steel for these guys here at Intersteel to Vector Lifting and Cays Enginering....
biggest hung of junk imo lol

HANS YOLO

13-05-2010, 02:36 PM

what type of events will this arena be targeted at?

duste

13-05-2010, 02:37 PM

That's what that is! If that photo's about 2-3 months old how long has it taken all up to put it all together?

Pretty keen on seeing it go up, might try to get all my shit for Uni done early and head up for a gander.

RMX

13-05-2010, 02:55 PM

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=323151&page=8

Thread suggests the Burswood Dome will be demolished once finished?

True?

If so, About time that shithole was leveled.

Keen to see pics of the lift.

As for sizing I cant see a problem. Wiki states 13,500 for Tennis/Basketball and 15,500 for concerts.

Similar capacity to Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne and if larger events are needed there are other venues.

yeahlow34

13-05-2010, 02:58 PM

The arena is designed as a multi-purpose arena. Meaning it can cater for a variety of sports including tennis (hopman cup), basketball, netball, volleyball, etc. It has also been acoustically designed for concerts. Meaning it's a facility specifically designed to have premium sound for concerts. Reasoning behind this is to try and promote international acts to come to Perth.

It has removable seating options, and active wall systems to alter the configuration. I.e - you can have a smaller event with the walls closed in for an intimate concert (1,000 people). Or you can open into end-stage mode, and have a large concert (18,000+ people). Also houses bars, and a tavern.

As for roof construction. It has taken around 3 months to assemble the main trusses, fixed and moving roof elements. Sounds a long time - but this is incredibly complex steelwork.

LarryDavid

13-05-2010, 03:31 PM

Been wondering when this was going to happen.

So how long will it take to put the permanent supports in place?
I wouldn’t like to be working under the thousands of tonnes of steelwork being supported by four jacks :eek3:

yeahlow34

14-05-2010, 07:13 AM

So how long will it take to put the permanent supports in place?
I wouldn’t like to be working under the thousands of tonnes of steelwork being supported by four jacks :eek3:

The four columns to support it will be slid under over the next week or so. But the roof won't actually be fixed to them, until it is connected to the Southern building structure. It will site around 500mm above them. The towers have been designed for all the additional wind loading, and lateral loading whilst suspended in the air, however the permanent columns have not.

hostage_85

14-05-2010, 07:21 AM

The Jacks will support no worried mate... I havent seen construction work on buildings, but i have seen Oil Rigs Jackets made up and been there while they do work there and the safety they go through is Insane

DTM-031

14-05-2010, 07:23 AM

pgc

14-05-2010, 07:30 AM

Someone should set up a time-lapse video. That would look insane.

yeahlow34

14-05-2010, 07:47 AM

It's not going to have the acoustics of the Convention Centre will it? From memory they built that with the intention of concerts, till they had one and realised how much it sucked lol

Acoustics is a really technical area, which I don't pretend to understand. But the design is based around providing premium sound. The arena shape aids this. The convention centre doesn't really have the best shape to promote quality sound. From what I've heard from acoustics buffs, should be great for concerts.

yeahlow34

14-05-2010, 08:19 AM

They started lifting around 8:00, and fuck me it's cranking. About quarter of the way up already. Can't really see it moving, but when you do something else for 15min, you can see the difference.

hostage_85

14-05-2010, 08:37 AM

Hopefully someones getting some good pics :D

yeahlow34

14-05-2010, 10:13 AM

Here's some pics I got, walking around the site. It's just a point and shoot, and I'm a shit photographer...but you get the idea. It's about 60% of the way up in the last pic. It's alot quicker than I expected.

As for time-lapse camera - there is currently two on site ;)

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN013.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN014.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN021.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN026.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN028.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN032.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN034.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN036.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN043.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN044.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN049.jpg

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN067.jpg

sprint347

14-05-2010, 10:18 AM

Badass!

Finally the dome and entertainment center can be put to rest.

duste

14-05-2010, 11:23 AM

Managed to get a couple driving passed, VGA camera ftw:

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/1986/051410113800.jpg

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/4894/051410113900.jpg

Such an amazing thing to see, that was about 12pm and it looks to be just about in place? As I was driving passed there was some bloke in a hi-vis taking shots with a big fuck-off camera, so there'll be some hi-res shots somewhere sooner or later.

Missile

14-05-2010, 11:28 AM

Im sure that Packer and Burswood have a trick up their sleeve - they have been wanting to knock the Dome down for a while but just couldn't justify it with the amount of bookings.

Great shots. Seems as though the lift is progressing well and is trouble free!

yeahlow34

14-05-2010, 11:40 AM

Lift was complete at around 11:30am. They're now getting to work on installing the column supports. Looks pretty amazing just suspended in the air.

I've spoken to about 8 photogrphers on and around the site. I should get a hold of some quality pics soon. Expected to be on the news tonight, as there was a bunch of media outside the site.

Milhouse

14-05-2010, 12:10 PM

just drove past it, looks very ominous floating 40m above the ground haha

very cool idea !

AGIT8D

14-05-2010, 12:14 PM

yeahlow34

14-05-2010, 12:37 PM

Drop a skid and steal the limelight! "Hoon jeapordizes lift"

Haha, mate. I'll be honest, I considered ripping nuts under the roof itself. Once in a lifetime opportunity. Unfortunately it's not worth my job :( Maybe worth the minute of celebrity stardom though!

yeahlow34

14-05-2010, 12:42 PM

Shes complete. ~3000t suspended around 35m in the air. Quite a sight!

http://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv143/yeahlow34/SCAN092.jpg

Joe

14-05-2010, 12:46 PM

just drove past it, looks very ominous floating 40m above the ground haha

very cool idea !

+1!

Looked awesome when I drove down Roe St just then.

IMHO I reckon thats about the best view you'll get of the site (across the rd from Metro's).

Rantopotamus

14-05-2010, 01:25 PM

Thanks for posting mate... Very interesting!

manual

14-05-2010, 02:39 PM

has been pretty awesome to watch from central park ... well what we could see with one building obstructing partial view.

westy

14-05-2010, 02:44 PM

I thought they were building this for soccer or something, only saw it for the first time mid last week, knew nothing about it

14-05-2010, 02:48 PM

They are.

American Dave

14-05-2010, 03:05 PM

Not really sure what to make of your post, bro. Just read the media, they get it spot on all the time.

sorry should have made myself more clear in previous post...I was just referring to WA Auditor General's latest report on the project...ie Perth Arena project will be three times over budget, and almost three years late in opening – with the taxpayer having to make up the budget blow-out of more than $300 million.

Good to see progress is being made just the same.

Fukushima

14-05-2010, 04:54 PM

bet quite a few beers got cracked this arvo

RS_Gav

14-05-2010, 08:25 PM

bet quite a few beers got cracked this arvo

I reckon'!! Awesome pics mate. You can almost see the beads of sweat dripping off the suits foreheads in those pics!!

duste

15-05-2010, 08:24 AM

Looks pretty dardy at sunrise:

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/3396/051510071300.jpg

Pete

15-05-2010, 08:31 AM

Wow that is insane !! I work in construction too, and find that sort of thing really amazing.

ATM we have a Zublin crew on site tunnelling under a sand dune into the ocean.. can't wait til we get the photos of that as well.

Volatile Rob

15-05-2010, 09:38 AM

Butcher

15-05-2010, 02:17 PM

I guess thats for the binningup de sal plant yeah?

yeahlow34

15-05-2010, 02:29 PM

bet quite a few beers got cracked this arvo

Oh my god. I am so fucking hungover!

All the boys hit it pretty damn hard last night. Floating around the city seeing various drunken groups from the site was interesting. Looking forward to the next milestone on site now.

Autopilot

15-05-2010, 02:58 PM

Quite amazing in the flesh, Pics don't do it justice.

Pete

15-05-2010, 07:13 PM

Where is that being done?

Sounds very interesting, whats the tunnel for?

I guess thats for the binningup de sal plant yeah?

Yep, We are building the De-Sal plant for SSWA ( Southern Sea Water Alliance ) between Binningup and Myalup, just behind that Gull servo.

The massive pipe they are laying under the ocean is the entry/exit of the plant for the saltwater. With this plant they are doing 100% in, 50% being produced into drinkable water, the other 50% will get mixed with the left over salt and sent back out to sea. Quite an interesting process.

Should be done with the first i think 50gl stage by end of the year, then if we win the next contract we go onto build another plant next door to make another 50gl as well.

15-05-2010, 07:15 PM

Saw this today - fantastic looking thing.

Well done to those involved.

Lozzle

15-05-2010, 09:57 PM

Saw it today! Was a big surprise since I don't drive along that bit o the freeway a lot.

mitchy

17-05-2010, 02:13 PM

see this on the way to work every day... was certainly interesting to see it suddenly 40m up in the air.

also just had a customer of mine buy a HD camera to do a time lapse video of a newly patented construction technique, where they plan on assembling 7 units in 6 weeks up north...

yeahlow34

17-05-2010, 02:30 PM

Speaking of time-lapse camera's, heres the link to one of the cams that was set up by an engineer:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OyPgrCJ3vyw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OyPgrCJ3vyw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

xr06t

17-05-2010, 02:32 PM

so do they build the stadium now under the roof? is that how it works?

also check out how much batting around the crane driver does hahaha

ReaperSS

08-06-2010, 11:16 AM

sam5709

08-06-2010, 05:43 PM

awesome picture :D, had the pleasure of going past this on the freeway a couple weeks ago, such an awesome sight to see in person.

SSICK

08-06-2010, 05:46 PM

so do they build the stadium now under the roof? is that how it works?

also check out how much batting around the crane driver does hahaha

crane driver on my site has a 22'' lcd, dvd and internet, few hours of down time each day.....nice easy and good pay! bastard.