© Carol Darby
Design of the arena is a joint venture between by ARM Architecture and Cameron Chisholm Nicol, who based the striking form on the Eternity puzzle, with references to one of Perth’s oldest buildings: the twelve-sided Roundhouse in Fremantle.
© Carol Darby
Its bold, puzzle-inspired exterior made with ALUCOBOND® in Custom Colour Arena Blue, Cream, Black, Sparkling White and Silver Metallic reflects its role as Perth’s premier venue for large-scale sport and entertainment events.
© Carol Darby
Our architectural strategy was simple: provide a core multi?functional arena without compromise and then surround it with variable circulation and a striking configuration. Most venues of this type provide continuous repetitive spaces around the core function. We have explored this building typology another way. Instead of a singular facade we have created extreme variability, giving the building a different face from every angle.
Design director Howard Raggatt, founding director at ARM Architecture
© Carol Darby
The design of the arena’s envelope in Yves Klein blue is carried through to some of the interiors, where it is complemented by timber-panelled concourse areas and other surprise pockets of colour.
Perth Arena has superior acoustics and a flexible design, allowing for crowds of up to 15,500 people. The retractable roof can open in seven minutes allowing natural light to flood the centre court. It also features five multi-purpose event rooms, half a dozen food and beverage outlets, state of the art acoustics, function spaces, corporate hospitality suites, cafes and a basement car park.
© Carol Darby
Sustainable features include mixed mode natural ventilation to public concourses, displacement air conditioning system through the seating plats reducing energy consumption, photo voltaic (solar) array on the roof, WELLS (Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards )-rated fixtures and fittings and waterless urinals. Hard-wired sustainability measures include one of the largest photovoltaic solar-power arrays of any building in Western Australia.
+ Project facts
Location: Wellington Street, Perth, Western Australia
ALUCOBOND® Plus in Colours Custom Colour Arena Blue, Cream, Black, Custom Colour Sparkling White and Silver Metallic
ConstructionType: rear ventilated triangular cassette system
Architects: ARM in association with CCN Architects
Fabricator/Installer: Alcom Fabrications (Fabricator) Annapurna (Installer)
Year of construction: 2012
Copyright pictures: © Carol Darby
+ All images courtesy Carol Darby
