Uncertainty over Brisbane 2032 venues has led to the Olympic body delaying by a year a decision on which sports will feature. In another false start for organisers, the International Olympic Committee has confirmed it will bend its rules and announce the 2032 sports program next year.
The IOC usually determines the line-up seven years ahead of the opening ceremony, which, for Brisbane, would ensure a 2025 deadline. However, it has decided to “defer the timeline” to give Brisbane organisers more time to review the infrastructure, which is set to be revealed on March 25.
One of those venues, already locked in, includes the new Chandler Sports Precinct, set to undergo a $257 million redevelopment in preparation to host gymnastics, diving, water polo, track cycling, BMX racing, and wheelchair basketball.
A key part of the Game’s $1.87 billion Minor Venues Program, the refurbished Centre will have 10,000 seats and feature two halls—one for ten multi-sport courts and the other a 2,400m2 gymnastics facility—which will host a range of sports, including basketball, volleyball, netball, badminton, and gymnastics, before and after the Games.
Earlier this month, Wood Central spoke to Professor Keith Crews, Chair of the World Conference on Timber Engineering slated for Brisbane this year, who said organisers have a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity’ to deliver a lasting legacy not just for Brisbane but all parts of Australia – by using smarter timber design.
“It involves careful design and use of products like cross-laminated and frame timber. You know, there are some places where you would put cross-laminated timber, and it’s a waste of timber resources. So, we need to be cognizant. We want to use our resources. We want to maximise the use of the resource so we can use it further in the future.”
Professor Keith Crews– Director at the Australian Research Council’s Research Hub to Advance Timber for Australia’s Future Built Environment – who spoke to Wood Central about the 2032 Games.
Pointing to the Athletes Village – slated to be built using mass timber – Professor Crews said the key is to design and develop the accommodation in such a way that it can be repurposed into high-value apartments, thus delivering on the IOC’s New Norms: “That creates a very interesting business model because then, we’re not building this for a six-month period but a 50-year design lifecycle that flows back to the supply chain.”
The IOC’s New Norms and Their Impact on Brisbane’s Olympic Venues
The “New Norms” include more than 100 measures to make the Games more affordable, beneficial, and sustainable. Importantly, they include using more sustainable building materials, like mass timber, green steel, and recycled concrete, and, where feasible, upcycling venues.
In 2023, then-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.
As the first games to be delivered under the “New Norms,” the eyes of the Olympic World are now on Brisbane to build on the legacy of Paris, dubbed the Timber Games, Milan, and Los Angeles—which are the first to align with the Paris Climate Agreement.
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 and water egress in exposed locations, lack of knowledge among specifiers, and insurance concerns, timber-led solutions, like a long-span timber roof at Chandler, are proven and nothing new for the Olympic movement.
About the $1.87 Billion Minor Venues Program
Wood Central understands that more than a quarter of the Minor Venues Program has already come to market – with the contracts to be administered by the independent Games Venue and Legacy Delivery Authority. Many of these venues, like the Chandler Sports Precinct, will break ground several years before the Games and open five or more years before the 2032 Games.
The Queensland and Australian Governments have committed to sourcing at least 30% of procurement from Queensland SMEs for the Minor Venues Program and to targets for 10-15% of all the hours on the projects to be undertaken by apprentices or trainees—helping to deliver the pipeline of construction workers our growing state needs.
- Please Note: This is a snippet from a Wood Central exclusive interview with Professor Keith Crews – the conference chairman for WCTE 2025. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.
