Harbourfront Centre Stage | Blackwell Structural Engineers

Program

The project is a renovation to the iconic Harbourfront Centre stage to add a raised seating gallery and more rain protection while maintaining its silhouette. Designed with architect Athos Zaghi, the new fabric membrane canopy is wholly supported by the existing masts. Its system of struts, cables and fabric act as a closed system to prevent the need for tie downs. To achieve this, Blackwell worked closely with the engineer of the original structure, Peter Sheffield. By creating a design without masts or tie downs, the circulation and seating beneath the canopy was free to be reimagined by the architect. Given the tight intermingling of the new and existing structural elements at each mast, Blackwell also led the design of the rainwater diverter system to weave in between these systems.

Fabric Structures