TEXTILES.ORG
Retractable roof system is a technological first.
Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based Polyfab USA has provided a temporary shade cover on Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, N.Y., for the 2015 U.S. Open tennis championships.
More than 50,000 square feet of Polyfab’s Comtex® White were used along with high-performance Dyneema® tensioning cables, all engineered and fabricated by Solar Shade USA LLC of Rich Hill, Mo., and installed by Birdair Inc. of Williamsville, N.Y.
The superstructure for the retractable roof over the stadium is complete, with more than 6,000 tons of steel surrounding it, in a technological first: constructing a stand-alone support system for a retractable roof over an existing stadium. However, since the roof is not yet complete, the tournament organizers were concerned about shadows from the roof elements causing problems for the players on the court, so the temporary shading was installed.
Work started immediately following the 2015 event on the two retractable panels as well as the installation of a ventilation system. The retractable roof will be ready for the 2016 U.S. Open.
Polyfab’s COMTEX is a 10-ounce per-square-yard, superior, fire-rated knitted HDPE shade fabric designed for large tension-membrane structures and architectural shade sails.