Brisbane is in a race to avoid global embarrassment, with an alliance of the world’s top architectural firms—which, amongst other things, is pushing for timber-rich design—to save the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
And despite the Steven Miles-led Labor government facing an election wipeout in October, the government has now sent out tenders for the early works as part of the $1.6 billion upgrade at QSAC.
But it doesn’t have to be this with a new group, the Brisbane Design Alliance, busy designing an “all-in-one” $6 billion Olympic Precinct on the proposed timber-rich Athlete’s Village at Hamilton Northshore site.
Spearheaded by Australian-based Buchan architects, Japanese architect Nikken Sekkei, and stadium specialist HKS, the principal architect behind SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, as well as NRA Collaborative and Aurecon, the team is pushing for a 60,000-seat stadium to be built on the banks of the Brisbane River.
The stadium would be the precinct’s centrepiece, along with a hotel overlooking the venue, a 2500-apartment Athletes’ Village, pedestrian walkways, an aquatic and wave pool centre, and retail and restaurant hub.
And the best thing of all: the Olympic Precinct won’t cost the taxpayer an extra cent with the alliance working with private developers, landowners and select government departments to bring the mega plan to life – privately funded, just like Optus Stadium in Perth.
The only catch: the state government (and Premier Steven Miles – who is still wedded to the controversial QE2, Lang Park and Gabba developments), offer up the 150-hectare site between Bretts Wharf on Kingsford Smith Drive and the Royal Queensland Golf Club and help fix the transport problems that still plague Brisbane’s Northshore.
Speaking to the Brisbane-based Courier Mail, HKS Australia director Andrew Colling said the pitch was more than a first-class stadium for 2032. The design incorporated plans to include an extra 12,000 residential dwellings around the precinct after the Games.
“The need to solve the issues this city faces for the next 20-30 years is bigger than any one company, so we pooled our experts together,” Mr Colling said. “Our Northshore scheme responds to projected population growth over the next 25 years, providing a mixed-use precinct unmatched in Queensland, located on the shores of our famous river and supported by a private finance model that will minimise cost to the state.”
“A new, world-class stadium at Northshore can be purpose-built for cricket and Aussie rules while creating a unique Brisbane 2032 Olympics experience and venue to be proud of.”
“You can’t have the opening ceremony drone shot over Mount Gravatt cemetery; it will look like the 1982 Commonwealth Games at QSAC.”
Other post-2032 additions would include a high-performance sports medicine centre, canals behind the retail hub and stadium, an elevated walkway or “Highline” connecting the stadium precinct to Doomben Station and a bridge across the river to Bulimba.
The stadium would allow spectators to view the Brisbane City skyline as they watch events and, if desired, would become home to the Brisbane Lions and Cricket Queensland:
“We have 12-18 months to consolidate the land requirements … if we can get that sorted, construction will go full steam ahead,” Mr Colling said, adding that the project would need to be shovel-ready by early 2026 to meet the Olympic deadlines. “The state should seriously consider this.”
Why timber design is critical to delivering a once in a generation Olympics
Last year, Mr Colling spoke of the potential for a (then) revamped Gabba Stadium to feature a timber shell “with blended greenery and sandstone instead of a cookie-cutter concrete stadium.”
Speaking to the Courier Mail, Mr Colling said the stadium could incorporate a parkland observation deck on its roof and a cocoon of timber and sandstone to “create something that’s not only distinctly South East Queensland but distinctly Australian.”
According to Phil Schoutrop, Buchan’s Brisbane Principal, the trio share a love for community-centric architecture and is looking forward to bringing timber-rich designs to life over the next decade.
“The 2032 Olympic venues, and the spaces in between, need to capture our communal spirit and not end up being generic places that could be anywhere,” Mr Schoutrop said.
Nikken Sekki has a dedicated ‘Wood Lab’ and was behind the design and delivery of ‘The Ariake Gymnastics Centre’—the primary gymnastics venue for the Tokoya Games. “Timber is a beautiful material that resonates with Brisbane’s subtropical climate and local architecture,” said Hiroshi Miyakawa, an Executive Design Fellow for Nikken Sekkei.
“To design for Brisbane, we need to look in the mirror,” Mr Colling said. “Who are we, and what will make a great addition to our city for 2032 and the next 50 years and beyond?”
- To learn more about Brisbane’s plan for the 2032 Olympic Stadiums, visit the Wood Central special feature.
