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Click here to view the animation of the roof in motion

Street CraneXpress Ltd have now commenced works on the innovative moving roof over Wimbledon's Centre Court.

The project has begun with the building of a test rig to ensure synchnonisation of all the moving parts of the structure.

The roof will be a retractable 5,200 square metre folding fabric concertina. The fabric is flexible - meaning it can be folded into a compressed area when not in use - and translucent, so that Centre Court should have an "open" feel even when the roof is closed. The fabric is a special waterproof structural material that is very strong, highly flexible and translucent.
The retractable roof is divided into two sections, with a total of nine bays of structural fabric - four bays in one section and five in the other. Each of the nine bays of structural fabric is clamped on either side by prismatic steel trusses. There are 10 trusses spanning approximately 77 metres across the court. The ends of each truss are supported by a bogie that moves along two rails positioned on the new ‘fixed’ roof of the Centre Court.

In preparation for closing the roof, one section is parked in its folded state at the north end of the court while the other is parked at the south end. A combination of electro mechanical actuators (similar to hydraulic jacks), motors and arms form the mechanism for closing the roof. The mechanism moves the trusses apart and, at the same time, unfolds and stretches out the fabric between the trusses over the court until the two sections meet in an overlapping seam above the middle of the court.

The arch shape to the tops of the trusses helps the structure to withstand loading from elements such as snow and wind when the roof is stretched and closed over the court. The shape also assists in providing sufficient 16 metres clearance for even the highest of lobs.

A key element of the design has been to allow natural light to reach the grass, while an airflow system removes condensation from within the bowl to provide the optimum internal environment for the comfort of spectators and players when the roof is closed.

The roof has been designed to close in under 10 minutes. If the roof is being closed for rain, court covers will protect the grass in the usual way while closure is in progress.

After the roof has been closed, play can resume in approximately 30 minutes, depending on climatic conditions allowing television companies - who provide the bulk of Wimbledon's revenue - to be able to broadcast almost unbroken coverage of play on every day

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