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Clarity Anti-reflective IGUs: Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, Adelaide
The Memorial Drive Tennis Centre is the beating heart of South Australian tennis, home to the prestigious Adelaide International tournament. As part of the recent $44m stage 2 upgrade, the new corporate suites overlooking centre court feature 200sqm of nearly invisible, anti-reflective IGUs. Utilising a complex, double layer laminated makeup with Guardian Clarity, these panels achieve an incredible internal and external reflection value of just 0.88%, while still meeting the required SHGC and U values.
Located adjacent to Adelaide Oval, the Memorial Drive Centre was established in 1914 under the name South Australian Lawn Tennis Club. In October 1921, the Governor of South Australia officially opened the tennis courts. In the years since, Memorial Drive has since become an iconic venue for tennis events, as well as music and cultural events, and is considered to be one of the finest outdoor venues in Australia.
In 2019, the venue underwent an $11 million redevelopment, followed by a $44 million second-stage upgrade which was completed in 2023. The purpose of the upgrade was to modernize the facilities and enhance the spectator experience. The renowned architecture firm Cox Architecture led the project, while SHAPE Group managed the construction. Packers supplied the major glazing package for the upgrade.
"Tennis SA has transformed its heritage facilities at Memorial Drive into an all-weather international standard stadium facility by roofing centre court, improving player and spectator amenity and securing Adelaide’s place on the Association of Tennis Professionals and Women’s Tennis Association circuit."
Objective: Achieve Internal / external reflection of <1%, SGHC 0.7 and U Value 2.6
Glare and reflections can pose problems for sporting venues with large areas of exposed glazing to direct sunlight. These include reflections and glare impacting the viewing experience for the audience, and creating visual distractions for those on the field, particularly during crucial moments of the game.
The primary objective for the glazing to the corporate suites was to meet a reflection value of less than 1%. Due to the shading provided by the expansive roof over over the main court, the glazing design was not constrained by excessive heat gain or loss, so SHGC and U Value requirements were modest in comparison to reflection values.
How to achieve reflection of less than 1% within an IGU
Standard Clear Glass had an internal/external reflection of around 8%. Other glass manufacturers offer anti-reflective glass that reduce this to around 3-4%. However, by using Guardian Clarity double-sided anti-reflective glass, the internal/external reflection for the overall glass make-up of the project was reduced to less than 1% (approximately 0.88%). making the glass virtually invisible.
To achieve the required <1% reflection, and meet the required SHGC and U Values, a custom laminated glass makeup of four layers of Clarity as manufactured into Insulcool insulated glazing unit. The Guardian design team worked closely with Cooling Brothers to arrive at a final glass makeup of a custom laminated 12.38mm double sided Clarity / 12mm Air Gap / 12.38mm double sided Clarity.
While the U value and SHGC aren't considered exceptional, the final values of 2.6 and 0.7 still offer improvements over clear glass. Had the project required higher thermal performance, the flexibility of custom laminating would have allowed a Low-E coating, or tinted glass to be included to achieve a higher thermal performance.
Guardian Clarity - the invisible glass
Guardian Clarity Glass is an innovative glass solution from Guardian that appears virtually invisible from almost all angles. This is achieved through a special sputter coating process that does not use silver during manufacturing. Clarity is the perfect choice for architects and building designers who want to create a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. It has a very low tint and superior natural colour contrast, allowing for true representation of colours and vision through the glass.
How does Clarity effect thermal performance?
While Clarity in a monolithic glass makeup does not significantly improve the thermal performance of glass, it does have a lower SHGC than standard clear glass. When combined in an IGU with a high-performance soft coat such as Ultra Plus, Clarity can improve façade performance for applications such as a curtain wall or retail shopfront from a typical reflection value of 11-15%, down to ~4%. By incorporating multiple layers of Clarity, even lower reflection values can be achieved, as this project demonstrates.
"Cooling Brothers were able to manufacture and supply the specialised Clarity IGUs to a complex project specification and demanding timeline. To have a glass processor in another state provide this level of service has really opened up our eyes, and options for future projects"
MATTHEW MORRISSEY
Managing Director, Packers
