Maxs Blog

Adelaide Oval Redevelopment

The Adelaide Oval is one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the world. It will enhance its reputation even more when the current construction is completed.

Once again, Aussie Rules football will be a magnet to crowds – AFL football will be scheduled for season 2014 … Why was it ever displaced? Andrew Daniels, CEO Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority, emphasized the advantage of football so close to the CBD … a venue with heritage.

Footy Park, AAMI Stadium, will soon become a historical reference point … like VFL Park in Melbourne’s outer suburb of Glen Waverley … it never became the VFL demographic centre of Aussie Rules. Rightly, that is the MCG.

Always difficult to shift the demographic centre of the great game to a centre bounce ‘out of town’. Also, Convenience, with a capital ‘C’. Foot traffic … Everyone will benefit … especially the Casino, as Adelaide Crows and Port Power fans spill back into the city after the siren.

Why am I writing about this iconic cricket ground in the shadows of a landmark church? Not because I was once run out controversially by 20 yards without leaving the crease in an England v Australia Test Match in 1974/75, or because I shared a commentary box with both Richie Benaud and Alan McGilvray. No. It is as an architect. Yes, in another life I was a qualified architect … in fact, I practiced for 10 years. And I love the Adelaide Oval.

After speaking at a monthly SANFL luncheon at AAMI Stadium, seated between Leigh Whicker, Executive Commissioner, South Australian National Football League, and former Premier of South Australia, John Olsen, I was invited to pull on the hard hat for a site visit weeks later.

David Johnson, Managing Director of Mott MacDonald Australia and New Zealand, was kind enough to make the visit happen.

Triple M radio personalities, Mark Ricciutto, Brownlow medallist, and Chris Dittmar, squash champion, also made the tour of duty.

I arrived at the building site overdressed … it was like a muddy archeological dig site or a bombsite … littered with nearby machinery and pile drivers … gaping ulcers of red clay … large puddles of trapped rainwater … no place for a pinstripe suit!!! A good look massacre. Photo opportunity.

We began at the rear of the old scoreboard at the cathedral end, where a fabulous meeting point (deck) is being constructed … maybe there should be a large flat screen/electronic scoreboard housed in the back of the historic old number cruncher? That way the fans would not miss a wicket or goal … and wouldn’t spill a drop!!!

The Triple M boys were capturing sound bytes at an extraordinary rate … so much to say … from the knot of people clustered under the branches of the much loved trees. From here we could see the completed $30 million Western Grandstand – seating 14,000 spectators over 4 levels.

The member’s facilities include a 650 seat dining room … a far cry from the old dressing rooms at the back of the George Griffen, Sir Edwin Smith and Mostyn Evans stands.

Russell and Cox, architects, have collaborated to produce a grandstand that is both elegant and refined … given the heritage that underpinned the site. Still to come … the current project’s 2 new grandstands, lifting the capacity of the ground to 50,000.

We made our way past where the Victor Richardson gates used to be, past a well protected century old tree (part of the heritage and design).

The ground has been re-ovalised – not following the accumulated footprints consolidated over the past century of evolution. Instead, crowds will be up to 15 metres closer to the centre wicket action. This vision is essential to making Adelaide Oval a cutting edge stadium on the world stage in the 21st century.

Here architect and engineers carry iPads around the site – not rolls of drawings. At the top of the screen and image of a grandstand cross section, detailing engineering will appear. Scroll left or right … more detail … different views.

We have travelled a long way from tracing paper and rapidograph. To change a mistake, we used a razor blade and burnished the surface with a rubber. Now, CAD machines create quick time virtual reality “fly throughs” … it is an exciting age of technology for architects, engineers, designers, photographers and artists … so too sport and the stadiums that house the contests.

Soon we are standing in a position to use line of sight to imagine the concrete walkway which will carry pedestrians back to the city.

I’m told dressing rooms will be housed beneath where we stand … city end. Players will walk past sightscreens and/or goal posts to tread the hallowed turf.

The scale of the concrete footings at the base of each light tower is stupendous to the layman’s eye … but image the cantilever/topple effect to stabilize? These lights will be better than any other facility in Australia … maybe a batting advantage not appreciated under lights before? … surely we can play a Test match over 4 days under day/night conditions? Don’t let’s get involved in this conversation.

Before long we are standing at ground level close to the end wall of the new Western Grandstand … 5 connected bays … covered by 5 diagrid roof shells. Each highly engineered steel structure spans 30 x 30 metres and is supported at a mere 6 point.As we make our way back past the kiosks, bars and museum with the practice wickets on my left … images of M.H.N. Walker right arm over left ear hole, bowling to Ian and Greg Chappell or Doug Walters before padding up to Lillee, Thomson or the late Terry Jenner come to mind. The Jeff Thomson collision with Alan Tusner v Pakiston – a sickening thud.This feathering of the roof structure gives it a softness and elegance not always pursued … Well done.

I challenge everyone to take the time to follow the progress of this beautiful project. It will change the dynamics and infrastructure available to a sporting event life in Adelaide.

Maybe the contractors/clients can place a few QR codes containing both oral and pictorial history, in the form of video tapes, to the hoarding enclosing the site? Maybe architects and engineers will comment about their design and construction concepts? Turn cyclone mesh fences into television screens via a mobile smart phone?I believe, completed, this stadium will be at the cutting edge of technology – a place to attend, become a member of and spend at the venue … all with smart core technology.

www.adelaideovalredevelopment.com.au