6th May 2009 07:00
Hightex Group plc ("Hightex")
Completion of Wimbledon roof contract
6 May 2009
Membrane business update
Hightex is pleased to announce that it has completed its work on the membrane element of the new retractable roof over the Centre Court at the All England Club, Wimbledon. This modern, highly visible, retractable roof will enable all weather play during the Championships at Wimbledon. The installation work began in late 2008.
The retractable roof over Wimbledon's Centre Court is a type of 'folding fabric concertina'. This allows the roof to be folded into a highly compressed area and parked over the fixed canopy when not in use over the court. More than 7,000 square metres of a very strong. flexible translucent woven PTFE material have been used for the roof, which will still allow a level of natural light to reach the grass. The roof has been designed to close and open in under 10 minutes. It is divided into two sections with a total of nine bays of structural fabric - four bays in one section and five in the other. Each of the nine bays of structural fabric is clamped on either side by prismatic steel trusses. There are 10 trusses spanning approximately 75 metres across the court. The ends of each truss are supported by a set of wheels that move along a track positioned on the new 'fixed' roof of the Centre Court.
Hightex specializes in large span roof systems particularly for sports stadia, and has built a reputation for innovative solutions to meet the designers' wishes. Hightex has also built a range of different retractable roof systems including moving truss and cable supported systems.
Charles DesForges, Chairman, said that "Hightex is delighted to have been involved in the design, fabrication and installation of the new retractable roof at the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon. The completion of such a prestigious project marks the commencement of a new era in the field of stadium architecture and Hightex looks forward to the initiative taken and precedent set by the AELTC being followed by the owners of other sporting facilities both existing and new, so that major events can take place without interference from adverse weather conditions."
Enquiries:
Charles DesForges, Chairman, Hightex Group plc +44 (0) 20 7603 1515
Singer Capital Markets, Jeff Keating +44 (0) 20 3205 7500
About Hightex
Hightex has a long history of building large span roofs and facades using architectural membranes, exemplified by the Abuja Stadium for the All African Games in 2003 as well as the Berlin Stadium, Germany, used for the most recent FIFA World Cup Final in 2006. Hightex has been awarded the contract to provide the membrane roof as part of the upgrading of the First National Bank (FNB) Stadium in Johannesburg, which will be the stadium for several first and second round matches, one quarter-final and the final match at the FIFA 2010 Football World Cup, and also the complete membrane façade for the new Green Point Stadium in Cape Town also for the World Cup.
In 2006 Hightex completed one of the largest membrane projects in the world, designing and constructing the energy-saving, sound-optimised, triple layer membrane roof for the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
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