The construction of the Adelaide Oval Hotel involved the use of traditional building materials along with mass timber solutions from XLAM, helping the project stakeholders successfully navigate the challenges of the pandemic as well as stadium events.

Designed by COX Architecture, the Oval Hotel is built onto the facade of the Adelaide Oval stadium and is constructed using XLam prefabricated cross laminated timber (CLT) in conjunction with traditional materials, with the project progressing smoothly without causing any disruption to sporting or public events. The accelerated construction capabilities of CLT allowed project stakeholders to navigate the challenging circumstances of Covid-19 restrictions to meet the hard project deadline.

An iconic project for South Australia, the boutique 4.5-star Adelaide Oval Hotel is Australia’s first ever integrated stadium hotel, and is a prime example of a project designed, engineered, and constructed utilising the design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) process.

Adelaide Oval Hotel

With a beautiful timber and glass façade, stunning features and a spectacular view of St Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide Parklands and the city skyline, this hotel has become a must-see for visitors to Adelaide.

Built on two elevated pods, which follow the curve of the stadium stands, the hotel’s two wings branch out from a central reception pod above the East Gate and span over 20,000m². The hotel consists of 138 rooms over 5 storeys, and has the capability to host over 50,000 people at a time.

Working within a fully functioning environment and ensuring minimal construction impact on game-day patrons remained pivotal to the project. The stadium’s existing access, including the plaza and atrium entry, also were not affected throughout the development, nor was the seating bowl.

XLam CLT was paramount to meeting the project’s objectives of a fast construction phase that had minimal impact to the stadium’s events. Due to the high level of prefabrication and simplicity of handling CLT panels in construction, XLam helped enable rapid erection that reduced the overall construction program.

Structural System

Despite its size, several Covid-19 lockdowns and the Adelaide Oval remaining operational and open to the public throughout construction, the Oval Hotel had a strict 12-month deadline, which presented challenges to XLam, and the project stakeholders involved.

To overcome time constraints, a DfMA process was implemented to increase efficiency, while minimising the construction schedule and costs. XLam was engaged to provide construction sequencing, shop drawings, as well as CLT panel manufacturing.

While the on-site initial construction activity was constrained by the AFL season, XLam was able to immediately commence prefabrication to ensure the project remained on schedule. The CLT panels were prefabricated with CNC machines to guarantee the assembly of all components with a high degree of accuracy on-site.

To verify that the CLT panels for the walls and floors were placed correctly, reference marks were set to guide the panel placement and installation process. Once in place, the CLT panels were installed similar to concrete precast panels.

The hotel structure leveraged the existing foundations of precast concrete columns, which support a raised steel transfer. The pre-existing stadium structure also allowed for the lateral stability to install 5 storeys of CLT walls and floors, in turn, creating a complex yet efficient form of construction.

Outcome

After a massive 12 months for XLam and the project stakeholders, the Oval Hotel was completed on time and is now one of Adelaide’s most iconic buildings.

Project Details

Client: Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority

Architect: COX Architecture

Structural Engineer: XLAM

Head Contractor: Built Environs

Location: North Adelaide, SA, Australia

Building Methodology: CLT, GLT + Steel & Concrete

Architecture & Design Team

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