Torrensville RiverDome Relocation
Project Details
Location: Thebarton, SA
Completion Date: May 2025
Size: 3073 sqm
Fabric: PTFE - Chukoh FGT800
Client: Badge Construction / South Australia DIT
Photography: © ProShots | Ahsan Q (AQ)
The Torrensville Bowling Club Relocation project – culminating in the creation of the striking RiverDome -aimed to deliver a fresh, purpose-built lawn bowls facility that retained the spirit and identity of the club’s previous venue.
Torrensville Bowling Club, one of Adelaide’s oldest lawn bowls institutions, has turned a necessary move into an opportunity to upgrade. As part of the South Australian Government’s River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project, the largest and most complex infrastructure project in the state’s history, the club’s former South Road home was acquired to make way for future development.
Rather than closing the club and retiring its much-loved dome roof, the South Australia Department of Infrastructure and Transport helped the club to relocate to the brand new purpose-built Thebarton Community Hub, a stunning new site on the banks of the River Torrens.
The Brief
The Torrensville Bowling Club Relocation project was brought to life through the combined efforts of the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, JPE Design Studio, BADGE Constructions, and MakMax Australia.
Rather than starting from scratch, the project team explored a sustainable solution – relocating the club’s existing tensile membrane structure. MakMax’s task was to carefully dismantle and reinstall the club’s original TensoSport Max Loggerhead-style tensile membrane bowls dome, a feat that required careful planning and collaboration.
The brief required not only the careful deconstruction of the original dome roof, but also the restoration and reinstallation of the steelwork and new membrane panels to suit the new design and riverside environment.
In line with the club’s legacy, sustainability and design continuity were key priorities, ensuring that the relocated lawn bowls roof would continue to serve the community in its new riverside home.
The Materials
The original bowls dome, completed by MakMax in 2019, was a Loggerhead-style tensile membrane canopy featuring a precision-engineered steel frame and a high-performance PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) membrane. Designed for durability, minimal maintenance, and long service life, the structure was well-suited to relocation—an excellent example of adaptable architecture in action.
Relocating the dome was essentially a reverse-engineering operation. The MakMax team carefully un-tensioned and removed each PTFE membrane panel, ensuring they were detached without damage to the underlying steel structure. The steel components were then dismantled section by section, labelled, transported, and stored for refurbishment.
Once on site at Thebarton, the steel framework underwent inspection, repainting, and some light modification to the side awning to fit the revised layout of the new clubhouse. Importantly, all core structural elements were retained, showcasing the reusability and longevity of our engineering approach.
As PTFE membrane loses some of its tensioning capacity after initial installation, it was decided to fabricate new membrane panels and fortunately, MakMax’s in-house digital archives contained all original 3D models, cutting patterns and fabrication plans, allowing the new PTFE panels to be manufactured with pinpoint accuracy – treamlining production and ensuring a seamless fit.
This section of the project exemplifies the benefits of working with a specialist tensile structure provider. From design documentation and engineering expertise to dismantling, refurbishment and reinstallation, every stage was managed with care, precision and efficiency.
The Result
The new-look Torrensville Bowling Club was officially opened on 25 May 2025, with the new dome roof earning the nickname the RiverDome in honour of its picturesque new river front setting. Featuring a modern clubhouse and all-weather lawn bowls facilities, the revitalised venue is a community asset that honours the club’s past while embracing the future.
The Torrensville Bowling Club relocation highlights the flexibility and adaptability of tensile membrane structures. In this case, adaptable architecture enabled a seamless transition—turning a challenging relocation into a triumph of design reuse, community value, and smart engineering.
