Perth Arena
| Perth Arena | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Perth, Western Australia Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°56′54″S 115°51′7″E / 31.94833°S 115.85194°ECoordinates: 31°56′54″S 115°51′7″E / 31.94833°S 115.85194°E |
| Broke ground | 2007 |
| Opened | Projected: November 10, 2012[1][2] |
| Owner | Government of Western Australia via VenuesWest |
| Operator | AEG Ogden |
| Construction cost | Estimated A$548.7 million[3][4] |
| Architect | Ashton Raggatt McDougall, Cameron Chisholm & Nicol (WA) Pty Ltd |
| Capacity | Basketball / Netball: 14,846 Tennis: 13,910 Concerts: 15,500 |
Perth Arena will be a new indoor sporting and entertainment arena located on Wellington Street in the city centre of Perth, Western Australia. It is currently being built on the site of the former carpark for the now defunct Perth Entertainment Centre. With a requested minimum capacity of 12,000 for sporting events and 14,000 for concerts, Cameron Chisholm & Nicol (WA) Pty Ltd and ARM Architects have designed the venue to seat up to 13,910 for tennis events [5] and 14,846 for basketball[6] and a maximum of 15,500 for concerts. The architecture of Perth Arena is partly based on the Eternity Puzzle and the Round House.
The facility is being built in the heart of the city close to major transport hubs, particularly the William and Wellington Street platforms of the Perth Train Station and the Wellington Street Bus Station. It is considered to be the first (and western-most) stage of the Perth City Link project which will involve the sinking of the railway line between the Wellington Street Train Station and Lake Street. [7] The venue will have a retractable roof and trucks will access the site directly off the Freeway via Market Street.
The project is currently scheduled to be completed in August 2012 and when officially opened (projected) on November 10 2012[1][2], will be a major drawcard in the Perth City Link area's aim to re-join Perth's CBD and the entertainment precinct in Northbridge. [8]
The Tender for the project was won by construction company BGC. BGC moved into the site on the 28th of June 2007, and the project is now officially 'Under Construction'. The first concrete pour for the underground carpark section of the stadium occurred on 26 July 2008.
The Perth Arena is owned by VenuesWest (operates Challenge Stadium, WA Basketball Centre, Arena Joondalup and others on behalf of the Government of Western Australia and managed by AEG Ogden[9]. The inaugural CEO of the Perth Arena is local David Humphreys, former GM of Perth Entertainment Centre and Allphones Arena (formerly Acer Arena), in Sydney, Australia.
Likely tenants of the Perth Arena will include Perth Wildcats - National Basketball League (Australia)[10] and the Hopman Cup[11].
[edit] Setbacks
The Perth Arena project has been controversial since its construction was announced in 2004 due to its cost increases ($160m to $548.7m approx.))[3][4] and extension of the completion date (from Jan 2009 to mid/late 2012 approx.)). [12] [13]
Auditor General Auditor-General Colin Murphy reported in 2010 that “The initial estimates of the cost and opening date for the Arena were unrealistic and made before the project was well understood or defined”.[14] An example of the modifications to the original Arena design is the change of the carpark location from being built above the nearby railway line as a separate project to underneath the Arena itself. [10] [13]
It was reported in 2011 that mould was a problem in part of the site's insulation, although it is unclear as to the extent of the problem due to the apparent conflict between the representative of the non-site Union and the anti-Union constructor BGC. [15]
BGC's owner Len Buckeridge has described the building as a "squashed beer can" as part of his reasoning on the site running past its contract completion and handover date. [15] [16]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Perth Arena to open in November". PerthNow. http://www.perthnow.com.au/business/perth-arena-to-open-in-november/story-e6frg2ru-1226293528166. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
- ^ a b "First look inside Perth Arena". TheWestAustralian. http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/13115823/first-look-inside-perth-arena/. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
- ^ a b "Govt settles BGC arena row". The Western Australian newspaper. http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/12464088/govt-settles-bgc-arena-row/. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
- ^ a b "Perth Arena price tag nears $550m". PerthNow. http://www.perthnow.com.au/business/business-old/perth-arena-price-tag-nears-550m/story-e6frg2qu-1226231830772. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
- ^ "Perth Arena Events Mode: Tennis". VenuesWest. http://www.venueswest.wa.gov.au/cproot/948/3/Perth%20Arena%20Seating%20Plan_Tennis.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ "Perth Arena Events Mode: Basketball". VenuesWest. http://www.venueswest.wa.gov.au/cproot/947/3/Perth%20Arena%20Seating%20Plan_Basketball.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ "Perth City Link: About the Project". EPRA. http://www.epra.wa.gov.au/Projects/Perth-City-Link/About-the-Project/. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
- ^ "Perth City Link: Reconnecting the City". EPRA. http://www.epra.wa.gov.au/Projects/Perth-City-Link/About-the-Project/Reconnecting-the-city/. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
- ^ "VenuesWest Media Release". VenuesWest. http://www.venueswest.wa.gov.au/cproot/1061/3/Media%20release%20-%20AEG%20Ogden%20Signing.pdf. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ a b "Wildcats owner says Perth Arena will change basketball". PerthNow. http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/wildcats-owner-says-perth-arena-will-change-basketball/story-e6frg13u-1226042427573. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
- ^ "Perth Arena to ensure Hopman Cup stays in WA". WA Today. http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/perth-arena-to-ensure-hopman-cup-stays-in-wa-20100420-srev.html. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
- ^ "The Planning and Management of Perth Arena". WA Government. http://www.audit.wa.gov.au/reports/pdfreports/insert2010_01.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ^ a b "Summary of the Performance Examination: The Planning and Management of Perth Arena". WA Government. http://www.audit.wa.gov.au/reports/pdfreports/report2010_01.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ^ "Perth Arena costs have 'blown out', says WA auditor general". PerthNow. http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/top-stories/perth-arena-costs-have-blown-out-says-wa-auditor-general/story-e6frg12l-1225839241008. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ^ a b "AAP". "Mould another blow for Perth Arena". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/mould-another-blow-for-perth-arena-20110906-1jvgx.html. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
- ^ "AAP". "Barnett blames ALP for Perth Arena 'mess'". WA Today. http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/barnett-blames-alp-for-perth-arena-mess-20110704-1gy1i.html. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
