CommBank Stadium in Parramatta

Location Parramatta, Australia Client / operator Venues NSW

Architects Populous AU – 2008 Chippendale www.populous.com Author Populous

Photos VenuesLive Populous – Murray Fredericks Official opening March 2019

Construction costs AUD 360 million (EUR 243 million)

AUSTRALIA’S FIRST LEED V4 GOLD CERTIFIED BUILDING

COMMBANK STADIUM IN PARRAMATTA

In 2020, CommBank Stadium was the first building in Australia to announce LEED v4 Gold Certification from the US Green Building Council. Smart decisions in design, planning, construction, and operation contribute to the high grade of sustainability. Design processes and solutions were implemented which saved time, and reduced truck movements. More than 90 per cent of materials from the old Parramatta Stadium were recycled to construct the new stadium and the project used sustainable sources of energy, sun shading, waste recycling, and natural ventilation and cooling strategies. The use of beam-line fabrication techniques, and the simplification of a complex structure into simple parts minimized the amount of steel handling.

Making the complex simple Adoption of bolted flange plate connections and open sections in the structural design enabled an automated “beam-line” approach to steelwork fabrication, reducing manual labour and producing structural members ready for delivery and installation on site. By creating custom steel sections, the connection detailing was simplified and optimised the design by reducing the weight of the roof trusses and eliminating over 2,000 connection plates within the roof and grandstand structure. Outside of the structural ingenuity, there were many other examples of creative and innovative techniques including the adoption of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) solutions such as permeable paving and Open Bio-Swales which avoided excavation within 15 metres from the riverbank and eliminated lengthy environmental approvals and high-risk excavation. The heat island effect which plagues the area was reduced by recharging the underground water-table and keeping the local subgrade moist, improving ground temperatures.

The roof The 28,000-m² roof is an innovative combination of PTFE & ETFE fabrics that allow enough natural light in for the natural growth of the turf whilst reflecting sunlight to reduce heat gain and providing spectator coverage from the elements. The fabric roof forms a halo, providing a 100 per cent dripline coverage for spectators, which is an Australian first. The roof also features 309 solar panels above the fabric line with 100 KW of photovoltaic array to feed clean electricity directly into the building.

Rainwater is harvested from the main roof and stored in a 250,000 l underground tank, used to irrigate the pitch and flush the 564 toilets and numerous urinals in the building.

The facade The design of CommBank Stadium celebrates local manufacturing heritage along with exposed steel in its natural form. The western facade, which from the „west loaded stand“ faces Parramatta Park, is articulated vertically and horizontally to reduce its scale to the park. The energy efficiency is enhanced through reducing windows and openings facing west into the setting summer sun. Significant windows and openings in the western facade are designed with external sun protection or planted roof top gardens to minimize heat and prevent glare from entering the building, while also providing a physical and visual connection back to the parklands through green space.

Innovative turf technology CommBank Stadium features an innovative underground drainage system that can suck water out of the field. This is the first of its kind in Australia and ensures the stadium is playable even after heavy downpours. The drainage system has been likened to a reverse-cycle air conditioner. It uses a small suction fan about a metre in diameter and is modelled on those used at a number of European golf courses to keep the fairways and greens playable after heavy rain.

Offsite completion The 4,500 tonnes of Australian steel were designed to be transported and assembled on site. Painting of the steel structure was completed offsite to reduce construction time and improve the quality of the paint and steel finish. This approach has enabled the roof to be designed to be disassembled and reused in the future if desired. Also designing the roof to expose the steelwork, enables rain to naturally clean the steelwork and eliminates temporary scaffolding access for maintenance, leading to a 20-year paint manufacturer warranty. The roof was also designed with walkway structural members to enable safe maintenance of lighting.

Adaptability to user demands The diversity of events requires a venue that can be highly adaptable, and the stadium’s unique design features allow it to change shape – based on demand – in a matter of hours. Designed for long-term viability, the 30,000-seat venue can flex into multi-sporting modes for football, rugby league and rugby union, and into concert mode.

Features such as the stadium’s 360-degree LED screens across two levels and dual 19 x 8 m big screens allow the venue to be themed for each hirer while simultaneously meeting commercial and advertising demands and providing an engaged and interactive experience for patrons.

56 external-facing LED uplights can be used to project coloured light onto the roof sails, meaning the stadium can be lit-up in different home club’s colours from night-to-night and is also used to raise awareness for various charity and community campaigns.

Ten internal spaces and nine external spaces cater for functions anywhere between 2 to 900 guests with the stadium regularly hosting business meetings, expos, product launches, school formals, banquet dinners, conventions and much more. The Cumberland Lounge, while a key event space, also doubles as Western Sydney’s largest function space – catering for up to 900 guests.

Impact on operation and maintenance Innovative environmentally sustainable measures that were introduced into the stadium included recycling rainwater from the roof into underground storage tanks and a range of passive design measures including ventilation and natural cooling/heating, an on-site gas fired co-generation system. There are 800 m² of photovoltaic solar panels on the western roof harvesting up to 75,000 kVA of power at any one time. Since opening the stadium, 242 MWh of power has been harvested, and 167 tonnes of carbon have been offset – the equivalent of 14 acres of forest.

State-of-the-art Building Management System (BMS) The BMS monitors all utility usage (electricity, water, and gas) throughout the building and provides the stadium’s operations team real time usage data. This enables the stadium team to immediately identify any unnecessary usage (such as leaking pipes) and respond accordingly.

The air conditioning system is programmed to operate only when required and needs motion in the space for the system to run to designed temperatures.

Highly efficient LED lighting based on motion technology is installed throughout the building effectively. Essentially, these only switch on when they detect a motion within the space and switch off automatically after a few minutes and when no motion is detected. The same technology is applied to the escalators available in the west side of the stadium.

On the field of play, tonnes of grass clippings and worn turf are recycled each year, often propping up fairways and greens at golf courses throughout Western Sydney.