USTA Arthur Ashe Stadium Roof

Flushing

United States

Awards and Recognition

No items found.

Arthur Ashe Stadium is the crown jewel of tennis in the United States. As the largest tennis stadium in the world, the stadium is the main stage for the US Open and exemplifies how sporting venues can be adapted to enhance the spectator experience.

Located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York, Arthur Ashe Stadium is the central component of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Named after the winner of the inaugural US Open, the stadium was originally constructed as an open-air venue in 1997. After many years of unfavorable late-summer weather impacting the tournament schedule, USTA commissioned a retractable roof to create a more adaptable venue for tennis fans.

The original design of Arthur Ashe Stadium did not include provisions for the future installation of a retractable roof. The design team was therefore challenged by the USTA to develop a retractable roof that would have minimal impact on the existing structure while preserving the architectural prominence of the original stadium.

‍

Owner: United States Tennis Association

Architects: ROSSETTI

Structural Engineers: WSP

General Contractor: Hunt Construction Group

Steel Fabricator: Canam

Given CAST CONNEX’s reputation as an industry leader in delivering turnkey structural cast steel solutions, three project stakeholders, the design team, USTA’s design consultants, and the project’s steel contractors, independently contacted CAST CONNEX to explore the use of custom-designed steel castings for the architecturally critical connections of the retractable roof overbuild.

CAST CONNEX designed and supplied 16 custom-designed architecturally exposed structural steel (AESS) end connectors for the 38-inch (965-millimeter) diameter steel braces. These 3.9-ton (3.5-metric-tonne) cast steel components anchor the primary elements of the roof’s seismic load-resisting system (SLRS). CAST CONNEX worked closely with the design team to develop the connectors’ architecturally expressive forms, which would be difficult to replicate using conventional fabrication methods. The steel castings satisfy the architectural vision for the large, complex connections while meeting the stringent structural requirements of the retractable roof.

Considered works of art by USTA leadership, the custom-designed steel components for Arthur Ashe Stadium provide both silent strength and engineering artistry to this ambitious addition. The project demonstrates how form and function can coexist, with CAST CONNEX delivering engineering precision while enhancing the visual expression of a world-class venue.

‍

No items found.

View Custom Castings

Design-Built Structural Solution

CAST CONNEX offers design-build services for custom-cast steel nodes and components. We leverage steel casting manufacturing to offer our clients unparalleled opportunities for optimization and beauty in structural form.

Design and Supply of 3.9-Ton AESS Brace Connectors for New Retractable Roof over Existing Stadium. Each of the 3.9-ton, custom designed cast steel connectors is used at the bottom-side brace connection for the 38-inch diameter steel braces which form the primary elements of the seismic load resisting system (SLRS) for the new roof. Working closely with ROSSETTI, CAST CONNEX developed the connector’s shaping to meet the architect’s vision for the connection while meeting the stringent structural requirements.

The public design commission requested that the US Tennis Association employ steel castings at the column base connections given the high level of visibility of these junctions to audience members and the general public watching the US Tennis Open. The design commission suggested the use of castings as they provide significantly improved aesthetics over conventionally fabricated connections. Given Cast Connex’s industry renown expertise in delivering turnkey structural cast steel components for building and bridge structures, all three project stakeholders – the design commission, the USTA’s design consultants, and the project’s contractors – independently contacted Cast Connex to discuss the potential to incorporate steel castings at these architecturally critical connections.

According to Danny Zausner, the chief operating officer of the National Tennis Center, the public design commission has called the column base assemblies incorporating Cast Connex’s steel castings “works of art”.