How the roof works

The retractable roof over Wimbledon’s Centre Court is a type of ‘folding fabric concertina’.

This allows the roof to be folded into a highly compressed area when not in use over the court. About 5,200 square metres of a very strong, flexible, translucent waterproof material is used for the roof.

A key element of the design has been to allow natural light to reach the grass, while an airflow system will remove condensation from within the bowl to provide the optimum internal environment for spectators and players when the roof is closed.

The retractable roof is divided into two sections with a total of nine bays of structural fabric — four bays in one section and five in the other. Each of the nine bays is clamped on either side by prismatic steel trusses. There are 10 trusses spanning approximately 77 metres across the court. The ends of each truss are supported by a set of wheels that move along a track positioned on the new ‘fixed’ roof of the Centre Court.

In preparation for closing the roof, one section is parked in its folded state at the north end of the court while the other is parked at the south end. A combination of hydraulic jacks and arms form the mechanism for closing the roof.

The mechanism moves the trusses apart and, at the same time, unfolds and stretches out the fabric between the trusses over the court until the two sections meet in an overlapping seam above the middle of the court.

The arch shape to the tops of the trusses helps the structure to withstand loading from elements such as snow and wind when the roof is stretched and closed over the court. The shape also assists in providing a cleareance of 16 metres for high balls.

The roof has been designed to close in under 10 minutes. If the roof is being closed for rain, court covers will protect the grass in the usual way while closure is in progress.

After the roof has been closed, play can resume within a period of between 10-30 minutes, depending on climatic conditions.

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