Wimbledon Court No. 1

The Wimbledon Championships are more than just a tennis tournament. It is a worldwide symbol of the connection between tradition, excellence and elegance. Since 1877, the oldest Grand Slam tournament in the world has thrilled sports fans and culture lovers alike. What once began with 22 participants and an entrance fee of one shilling has developed into one of the most prestigious events in international top-class sport.

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club has been the fusion of sporting dedication and British flair for over 140 years. Every year, the tournament attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world to London – in an atmosphere that breathes history, under a standing seam roof from BEMO.

The facility includes 19 grass courts, various training courts and croquet playing areas. The main courts, Centre Court and Court No. 1, are normally only used during the Championships – they are where history is made.

Wimbledon is the only one of the four Grand Slam tournaments to be played on real grass, a trademark that makes Wimbledon unmistakable worldwide. Legends were born here: from Boris Becker, who became the youngest Wimbledon winner of all time in 1985 at the age of 17, to Roger Federer, who went down in history as the record men’s champion with eight titles. One woman can surpass Federer’s eight titles: Martina Navratilova won Wimbledon nine times.

The longest match in tennis history also remains unforgotten: John Isner against Nicolas Mahut in 2010. Eleven hours and five minutes over three days – a symbol of drama, endurance and sporting greatness.

What does a tennis tournament have to do with a manufacturer of roofs and facades? A lot – because from 2017 to 2019, Court No. 1 was extensively renovated and modernized. Additional rooms and facilities were created and the total capacity was increased to 12,400 seats by the addition of two new tiers.

An integral part of the renovation was a tailor-made roof construction that can be moved and covers the court, so that play can continue regardless of the weather. The implementation of this construction project was a masterpiece of engineering – planned by KSS Architects and realised in cooperation with BEMO Systems and Lindner Prater.

The close cooperation with Lindner Prater was crucial in overcoming the challenges of the project. The architecture of the roof, with its large spans and curvy shape, was so complex that conventional systems would have reached their limits. The BEMO team’s planning was based on a high-precision 3D scan of the existing structure. The roof was realized with a load-bearing shell and conical standing seam profiles, which were made of two-layer, PVDF-coated aluminum.

In order to bridge the different distances between the structure and the outer surface – keyword tolerance compensation – the roof was constructed with the unique BEMO-FLEX substructure. This ensured that the outer roof cladding corresponded to the design planned by the architects.

The challenge in the renovation of Court No. 1 was not only the geometry of the standing seam roof, but also the confined space of the historic facility. Therefore, Lindner Prater and BEMO built two external mock-ups on site before the work began. This allowed the team to better understand the complexity of the system, its strengths and weaknesses, and the process and duration of the installation. Digital modelling with Building Information Modelling (BIM) was also essential in order to implement the roof shape precisely and efficiently.

Due to the space available, materials had to be installed within three days of delivery. For the assembly of the standing seam profiles, the workers were attached to ropes and belts. Each standing seam panel was individually conically shaped and marked according to the different lengths and inclinations of the roof curve to facilitate positioning during installation.

With an iconic building like this, it is not surprising that the world-famous Wimbledon green (similar RAL 6007) is also reflected in the roof design. In this way, Court No. 1 blends harmoniously into the existing structure.

The new Court No. 1 is more than a stadium. It is an architectural statement that combines technical innovation, functional excellence and design sensitivity. Wimbledon thus remains at a world-class level not only in terms of sport, but also architecturally.

With the renovation of Court No. 1 in Wimbledon, BEMO and its partners have created a showcase project for modern architecture in existing buildings. For architects, this project is an invitation to think in a new way. It shows how great things can be achieved with digital planning methods, tailor-made systems and respect for the place.