About AAMI Park

Description:

Located about 1km to the east of the CBD and nestled between the Yarra River and the MCG, AAMI Park features a cutting-edge Bioframe design with a geodesic dome roof which substantially covers the seating area. The beauty of the design is that spectators will enjoy unobstructed views, free from pillars, walls or other support structures. This design required 50 per cent less steel than a typical stadium roof of the same size.

Built on Edwin Flack field, AAMI Park rivals the word’s best in becoming a world-class event and sports administration complex. It also features a sports campus, including an elite training centre and office accommodation that rivals the world’s best.  

Purpose

Victoria's burgeoning rugby and soccer codes have long awaited a dedicated stadium to accommodate elite level crowds in way that provides the intimate viewing experience afforded by purpose built venues. AAMI Park provides the missing link in Melbourne’s sporting infrastructure for a medium sized rectangular pitch stadium.

Playing tenants include A-League's Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart, National Rugby League's Melbourne Storm and the new Melbourne Super Rugby  team the Melbourne Rebels. Melbourne Football Club also use AAMI Park as an administration base whilst Olympic Park Sports Medicine Centre, Imaging@Olympic Park, Tennis Victoria and the Victorian Olympic Council have taken up residence.  

 

    

Capacity: 30,050
Budget: $267.5 million
Number employed during construction (on & off site): 1,200
Construction period: Late 2007 - May 2010

Construction

  • 2500 tonnes of steel used in the roof shell frames.
  • More than 20,000 square metres of cladding in the roof.
  • 40kmh of custom built aluminium framework in the roof.
  • 35,000 cubic metres of concrete used in the project.
  • 4,000 tonnes of concrete reinforcing steel.
  • 1,200 workers employed on and off site.
  • Turf was grown in Pakenham before transplanting to stadium   
    

Facilities

  • 136 x 82m rectangular pitch – accommodating rugby league, rugby union and soccer.
  • A sports campus including an elite training centre, gymnasium, lap pool, and office space for tenant sporting organisations.
  • 24 corporate boxes (seating up to 18 people each) with external seating.
  • A dining room with capacity for 1,000.
  • Merchandising facilities, food and beverage outlets and 14 bars.
  • A public café/bar and merchandise outlet on Olympic Boulevard.
  

 

 

 

 

Environmental Features

  • The bio-frame roof requires about 50% less steel than a typical cantilever roof structure. Given the high embodied energy of steel, its minimal use in the stadium represents a significant environmental benefit.
  • The structure will be clad in a triangular panelised façade made up of a combination of glass, metal and louvers. Rainwater will be harvested and stored from the roof.
  • Low water use fittings.
  • The roof LED lights are environmentally friendly, using around one tenth of the power when compared to an equivalent floodlit façade.
  • Elsewhere, low energy light fittings used where possible.
  • Maximum natural ventilation and light.
  • Recycled building material where appropriate.
  • Use of low embodied energy ‘hollow core’ concrete slabs.
  • Only plantation or recycled timber used.
  • An efficient, low embodied energy bio frame design.
  • Use of low Volatile Organic Compound carpet and paints.
  • A fully integrated waste management and recycling system.
  • A building automation system to minimise power use.
  • Bike storage facilities and good access to public transport, including its own dedicated tram stop. 
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Bio-frame Roof
  • At the heart of the stadium’s design is the bio-frame roof, a lightweight steel design based on the inherent structural efficiencies of the Buckminster Fuller geodesic dome. The bio-frame roof design is unique in Australia and the world and will give the stadium a strong identity.
  • This structure has been skinned in a triangular panelised façade that is made up of a combination of glass, metal and louvers, as well as potential for photovoltaic cells and rainwater collection. This allows the stadium to ‘breathe’.
  • Although the Bioframe approach appears to be very complex in its design and delivery, the alternative option of a cantilever roof is only marginally less complex.
  • The bio-frame’s lightweight support structure enables better use of internal space
  • Stadium design is moving away from an industrial aesthetic to a sculptural design. Together, the bio-frame and the cladding will form a highly sculptural organic object and create a bold look.
  • The unique design and high standard of amenities will assist in attracting spectators and corporate support for the tenant teams as well as positioning Melbourne favourably in a highly competitive sports and events market.
  • The steel frames and cladding panels for the Stadium's innovative bioframe roof are being manufactured at various locations in Australia. One group of steel frames is being fabricated in Mordialloc and Dandenong and painted in Laverton before being delivered on site. The other frames are being fabricated and painted in Launceston.
  • Stadium roof manufactured using raw materials such as steel and aluminium imported from overseas (not available locally). The labour intensive manufacturing work is being done here. Where possible, Grocon have given priority to Victorian and Australian businesses.
  • The unique design and high standard of amenities will assist in attracting and retaining spectators and corporate support for the tenant teams in Melbourne’s very competitive sport and entertainment market.
  • The stadium will be a high quality design addition to a world class sports precinct, close to the city, the Yarra and parklands.
    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About AAMI

AAMI is proud to be the official naming rights partner of the world class AAMI Park. Established in 1970, AAMI today has more than 2.5 million policyholders and is a leader in car insurance, home insurance, compulsory third party insurance and small business insurance. Insurance benefits such as no fault, no penalty; lifetime repair guarantee; lifetime rating one/maximum no claim bonus; valet service; progressive no claim discount on home insurance and the first general insurance customer charter were all introduced by AAMI.

    

Awards

- World’s Most Iconic and Culturally Significant Stadium (2012 Stadium World Congress)
- Professional Footballers Association Best Pitch Award 2011/12
- Professional Footballers Association Best Atmosphere 2011/12 
- Victorian Architecture Medal and William Wardell Award for Public Architecture 2011
- Finalist Australian Event Awards 2011 - Best Venue
- Winner of the Bentley Award, an international award for excellence in parametric modelling for structures (2008).
- Wallpaper* Design Award 2010 for Best Building Site, Cox Architects
- Award for Sports or Leisure Structures at the 2010 Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) Awards
- President's Award at the Australian Property Institute's 2010 Excellence in Property awards, for an outstanding development
- Stadia magazine World Top 5 New Stadiums 2010
- Electrolight - winner 2010 Melbourne Design Award for Product Lighting