made up of less-noticed but equally important phases. Completed in 1997, the stadium was built without a roof. Because of this, matches were susceptible to the elements and the tournament schedule was often altered because of delays and cancellations. To fight the elements, the U.S. Tennis Asso- ciation (USTA), the body that owns and operates the facility, announced in 2013 it was adding a retractable roof to the arena, following the lead of fellow major venues for Wimble- don and the Australian Open. T at roof, at a cost of a reported


$150 million, is structurally inde- pendent from the stadium itself and is expected to be operational by the 2016 event in late August. T e hulk- ing steel frame was already in place for last year’s tournament, missing the polytetrafl uoroethylene fi berglass membranes that will eventually cover the roof and provide protection when inclement weather hits. Of course, the project is much more


complicated than simply slapping a roof structure over an existing arena. T e new structure is supported by eight steel columns spaced around the perimeter of the stadium that are joined to ground-level concrete piers. Each base is a point where two diago- nal braces are connected to a vertical steel column by cast steel connections. As fans walk into the arena, they stride right past the connections that are in place to help keep the roof up. Enter Cast Connex, Toronto, and


eventually its chosen partner for the proj- ect: Bradken, Kansas City, Missouri. Around February 2014, Cast


Connex, a supplier of castings and forgings with engineering and design capabilities, was contacted by steel fabricator Canam Group (Saint- Georges, Quebec, Canada). After a 2014 request from the New York City Design Commission, the USTA and the outside builders were tasked with creating the connections for the structure base that were strong and also attractive, since they are visible to spectators entering the arena. Cast Connex was asked to deliver a custom-designed product, with the


A person sits near one of the eight connections around Arthur Ashe Stadium.


connections and braces in place by November 2014. “From a structural perspective, the


entire weight and lateral system of the roof goes through these connec- tions,” said Carlos de Oliveira, prin- cipal, Cast Connex. “T e connections are also important from an archi- tectural perspective, given that these connections are the only location where spectators can interact directly with the new roof structure.”


According to de Oliveira, each


of the connections weighs around 7,700 lbs. (3,492.7 kg) and connects to 30-in. (76.2 cm) diameter steel braces on one end. On the other, they’re welded to the 40-in. (101.6 cm) diameter columns. “T ey’re at the interface between


the very large diameter bracing and columns,” de Oliveira said. “T e cast- ing transitions from the round brace down to a relatively thin vertical plate,


Mar/Apr 2016 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | 27


Photo Courtesy of Cast Connex.


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