Critical maintenance undertaken to preserve Collingwood’s Glasshouse HQ

Engineers have been called in to help preserve Collingwood’s home base, undertaking critical maintenance works to ensure the building’s stability is not compromised.

Ash Johnson shows off his talent during a VFL match against the Geelong Cats at AIA Centre last month. Picture: Getty Images

Collingwood’s footy and netball headquarters and Melbourne’s last purpose built building from the 1956 Olympics have undergone critical maintenance works to preserve its unique design.

The heritage-listed AIA Centre, lovingly referred to as the Glasshouse by Melburnians in years gone by, has undergone three weeks of repairs to maintain the building’s stability.

Engineers tightened 26 vertical tie down rods which pretension the steel superstructure in Melbourne’s iconic sports precinct and provide lateral stability.

Melbourne and Olympics Parks Trust chief executive John Harnden said maintaining buildings such as the AIA Centre was important, to ensure they could be enjoyed by clubs and the wider community.

“The AIA Centre is a significant building in our city’s history – not only as an architectural achievement but in having made an important contribution to Melbourne’s cultural and sporting landscape,” he said.

Collingwood AFLW players take to the field at AIA Centre. Picture: Getty Images

“From the 1956 Olympics to its life as the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre, and now as the home of Collingwood, this building is unique, and we are proud to have it within the Melbourne and Olympic Parks precinct.”

Built to host the swimming, diving, and water polo at the 56 Games and listed on the National Heritage Register and the Engineering Heritage register, it was the first building of its kind in Australia.

It remains the only post-tensioned steel building in Victoria.

The retuning works were completed by engineering firm WSP, which incorporates the practice founded by engineer Bill Irwin who with architects Peter McIntyre, Kevin Borland and John and Phyllis Murphy won the 1953 design competition for the building.

WSP principal director Phil Gardiner said it was designed to be “material light’’, reflecting the challenging post-war times in which it was built.

Collingwood star Mason Cox poses inside the AIA Centre, otherwise known as Glasshouse, which recently underwent critical maintenance works. Picture: Getty Images

“The ingenious use of the tensioned tie down rods, which created what was described as the world’s first post tensioned steel structure, allowed the precious structural steel content to be minimised,’’ he said.

Tie rods at each of the trusses are anchored to the ground via a complex spring system, requiring the correct amount of tension to ensure the structure remains within a permissible stress range.

“Over time, due to weather, ground movement and surrounding infrastructure changes, the springs and rods lose their tension,’’ he said.

“They also get dirty, rusty and start to corrode.

“As such, adjustment of the post tensioned tie-down-rods is undertaken periodically.’’

In addition to the tensioning works, the AIA Centre is in the process of a $15 million redevelopment to set up a medical and sports performance hub in partnership between Collingwood and Monash University.

Originally published as Critical maintenance undertaken to preserve Collingwood’s Glasshouse HQ