Wimbledon No.1 Court London
Commercial (Office / co-working)
Information
Requirements: Walkway cladding for iconic stadium
Project Location: London
Designer: KSS Group/Grimshaw/Sir Robert McAlpine
Products Used: Golden Oak
2019 marked the culmination of the ‘Wimbledon Master Plan’ - an ambitious project to significantly improve the Club, its grounds and facilities. The project included a £70m renovation of No. 1 Court led by main contractors Sir Robert McAlpine, who previously managed the build of London’s Olympic Stadium.
The project’s architects, KSS, drew up a cutting-edge design for No. 1 Court that centred around a one-of-a-kind retractable roof. This key component is flanked by two new tiers containing 900 seats – taking the stadium’s capacity to 12,400. KSS also added a two-level public plaza to take the place of Court 19, alongside upgraded seating, concessions and catering.
Over 400 people worked through 2018 and early 2019 to bring the project over the line in time for the No. 1 Court Celebration on 19th May. The event was broadcast live on BBC One and featured three tennis matches alongside appearances from tennis legends, Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe. 2.2 million hours were worked to bring the Court to life and materials totalled 2,300 tons of steel, 130km of electrical cable and 40 miles of scaffolding. Building supplies were considered on their ‘traditional and innovative’ merits and sourced from all over the world.
"Many different options were considered and discussed with the Club for the No.1 Court façade, but Millboard’s Golden Oak fitted the fundamental criteria of wood-look alike with minimal maintenance requirements."
Garo Davidian, Technical Director at KSS Group
