Louis Armstrong Stadium

The new Louis Armstrong Stadium, a 14,000-seat open-air covered tennis stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, opened in 2018 as a replacement for the 1960’s era stadium of the same name. A unique ventilating system in the lower seating bowl and terra cotta louvered walls allow natural air flow throughout the stadium. On the east and west sides of the stadium, 14ft deep trusses span 240ft to support a fixed roof canopy which provides shade for the players and spectators. The stadium features a tension membrane clad retractable roof, comprised of two 20,800 sf panels which move together to cover the court for inclement weather. Closing and opening of the roof is achieved with a pull-cable system from a single remote electric winch. Geiger Engineers was the structural engineer for the project which included design of the structure from the deep pile foundations up to the mechanization and tension membrane of the retractable roof.