Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne is one of Australia’s largest sporting and entertainment venues and attracts over 1.5 million visitors each year. Apart from the Australian Open tennis championship, this versatile venue hosts world-class sports and entertainment events from U2 to Torville and Dean.

The communication from our customer, Melbourne and Olympic Parks Trust, detailed the need for refurbishing three separate areas beneath the arena, effectively turning a dilapidated space into a state-of-the-art multi-function facility. A new merchandise store, café and extended Players Lounge, as well as extensive external structural works, needed to be carried out.

The transformation took into consideration the high-profile nature of the facility and the clientele. It demanded nothing less than a world-class solution. Accordingly, a number of premium materials, finishes and design ideas were specified.

Given the ever-changing events schedule, we had a lot on our plate, but all issues were satisfactorily resolved and completed within the timeframe. We broke the works down into three phases - demolition, fitout and external - and our flexibility and proactive approach served the project well. Staying in constant contact with the architect and customer Project Manager also kept things on track.

The customer was impressed by our professionalism and the press were inspired to write favourably about the changes. The perception of the new space lifted the prestige of the 2009 Australian Open to a new level.