Sir John Guise Indoor Arena, Port Moresby

NDY was part of the successful Peddlethorp consortium which was selected to redevelop the Sir John Guise Indoor Arena in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Other New Zealand members of the consortium included project managers Xigo, cost consultants Rider Levett Bucknell, and structural engineers Structure Design. The New Zealand consortium members partnered with local PNG consultants including Peddlethorp PNG, M&E Partnership, Cost Consultants and Stocks & Partners.

The Peddlethorp consortium was appointed by the Venues Infrastructure & Equipment Committee (VIEC) for the PNG 2015 Pacific Games and design work occurred during 2013, with the build finalised in time for the Pacific Games which commenced on July 4, 2015.

The design scope included:

• Complete renovation of the existing sports arena both internally and externally, including new roof, new cladding, new architectural ceilings with acoustic treatment, new sports floor
• Renovation of the facilities including observation rooms, toilets, change room/lockers, match officials changing rooms, medical and first aid rooms
• Increased venue seating from approximately 600 to 1,700 seats, most of which are retractable
• New sports lighting to IBF standard for two basketball courts side by side
• New public address system with facility for court-side commentary
• Complete renovation of the remainder of the two level building which comprises an entry atrium, offices and two squash courts, including the addition of a lift to meet accessibility criteria.

Unlike the other venues, the sports arena had to be fully air conditioned. This was achieved with a number of large packaged units supplying air through exposed ductwork and swirl diffusers. The fire protection strategy within the arena was particularly challenging, requiring both high, and lower level sprinklers. The lighting scheme was designed using standard fluorescents, and mounted on the existing space frame roof structure.

An existing and new generator provide 100% standby for the facility, and active voltage conditioners were incorporated into the Main Switch Boards to ensure appropriate power quality to the venue.

Facilities were designed with ease of maintenance in mind.