Cairns will join Townsville in getting a new rectangular stadium — before Brisbane gets one — with the far north securing $91 million to upgrade Barlow Park ahead of the 2032 Olympics.
Wood Central understands that the work, which involves the construction of a temporary 20,000-seat stadium, will see the venue host group stage matches for the women’s and men’s football tournaments before being scaled down to 5,000 seats after the games.
The upgrade will rebuild the current 1,700-seat West Stand with a new capacity of 3,500 permanent seats and 1,500 fully retractable seats for use over the existing athletics track – with new renders showing a grandstand supported by enormous glulam beams.
“In eight years’ time, our Aussie football stars could be playing here at Barlow Park in search of a gold medal in front of 20,000 people,” said Premier Steven Miles, with Andrew Liveris, the President of the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee, adding “the upgrade will ensure a greater sporting and spectator experience, delivered for use ahead of the Games and attracting multi-purpose use year round.”
The commitment comes as the Brisbane Games Venue and Legacy Delivery Authority are busy letting over $1.87 billion in games infrastructure contracts – as part of the Minor Venues Program:
“So far, $850 million in procurement for seven Games venue projects has been announced,” according to Catherine King, Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, including the Moreton Bay Indoor Sports Centre, set to host the boxing and the Chandler Sports Precinct, the home of the gymnastics, the diving, water polo, track cycling, BMX racing, and wheelchair basketball.
The new announcement comes after Wood Central reported on a $6 billion plan, supported by the Brisbane Design Alliance, to build a timber-rich “all-in-one” Olympic precinct at Hamilton Northshore.
“As the engineering partner of the Brisbane Design Alliance, Aureon is well-placed to provide sustainability and engineering service for timber buildings,” Quentin Jackson, Aurecon’s Principal and Sustainability Leader, told Wood Central. “Having designed the most significant mass-engineered timber buildings in Australia, we are responsible for 25 King Street (once the world’s tallest timber building), Monterey and the Boola Katitjin building in Perth.”
The IOC’s New Norms and Their Impact on Brisbane’s Olympic Venues
In May, Wood Central revealed that the Brisbane Games must be delivered in accordance with the International Olympic Committee’s “New Norms”— which include more than 100 measures to make the Games more affordable, beneficial, and sustainable. Importantly, this includes more sustainable building materials, like mass timber, green steel, and recycled concrete, and, where feasible, upcycling venues (like Barlow Park).
Last year, Premier Miles pledged to build greener, cleaner, and more sustainable venues as part of an AU $7 billion infrastructure commitment for the Brisbane games. As a result, organisers are now targeting a 6-Star Green Star rating for all new or significantly upgraded venues.
According to Toby Hodsdon, Associate Principal at Arup, these new norms create opportunities to build Brisbane’s venues out of timber. In a presentation last year, Mr Hodsdon said that timber-led venues not only help organisers meet sustainability targets but are also lightweight – and therefore assist with future alteration, increase the speed of construction, and manage supply risk.
Whilst timber solutions have constraints, namely durability (especially in subtropical areas), water egress, lack of knowledge, and insurance concerns, timber-led solutions, like a long-span timber roof, are proven and nothing new for the Olympic movement—with the Paris Aquatic Centre showing what is possible with timber-rich design.
Wood Central understands that the tender process for the Managing Contractor will commence shortly – with the appointment of the successful Managing Contractor expected in late 2024, allowing works to begin in late 2025 and finish in 2028.
- For more information about the Brisbane 2032 Minor Venues Program, click here. Renders and footage of the new Barlow Park upgrade are available from the Queensland Government website.
