Macquarie Point Stadium in Hobart does not yet have a final conceptual project, but the newly appointed architects who will deliver the venture say it will be different from the previously proposed version and will not be a concrete block. What has the new design consultant for the Tasmanian arena proposed?

What has been planned so far?

With Australian football being hugely popular in Tasmania and the local community lacking a regional representative, a new team, the Tasmanian Football Club, is planned to join the Australian Football League. However, for the idea to come to reality, one of the crucial requirements for a Tasmanian team to join as the 19th team is the construction of a new, big and modern stadium.

Although the topic of the stadium is of interest to local residents, there are still many people who are not just involved in sport, but are also keen on online entertainment. To this end, they find the instant withdrawal casino in Australia, so they do not have to wait long for the money they have won.

After consultation with AFL league officials, a change was made and Macquarie Point was chosen as the preferred location in September 2022. The site is not far from Regatta Point, where was the second preferred location for the new venue. The choice of this site eliminates the need for an artificial wharf.

The abandonment of the movable roof and the reduction in capacity to 23,000 were intended to reduce costs. These have indeed been reduced, although relatively little, as this time the cost of Macquarie Point Stadium is estimated at A$715m ($475m).

© AFL

Concept change

Australian firm COX Architecture has been appointed as the lead design consultant for the stadium. It won a tender worth around $38 million. The enterprise has in the past designed sports venues such as Optus Stadium in Perth, Allianz Stadium in Sydney and redesigned Adelaide Oval.

The new architects promise a changed face for the arena, claiming the old concept does not fit their vision, and director Alastair Richardson said his firm has a few ideas for potential designs. When you look at the renders done last year it was seen a lot as a solid mass. The aim is that it will not be a solid mass - he said.

The team that will build the new arena includes local Tasmanian architecture firm Cumulus Studio as well as specialist engineers, technicians, local experts and international partner Schlaich Bergermann Partners (SBP), which brings experience in world-leading projects such as SoFi Stadium in California. In addition, during construction, more than 10 architecture students working in the design offices will get an additional internship.

This building needs to be scaled, transparent, open, something that actually has an engagement with the city and not a concrete wall, sort of blocking off its access. Richardson said that to add lightness to the arena, the roof would also need to be transparent. One of the key things we want to do is to really make sure that this engages with the streetscape, that this engages with people walking around he said. The construction will be carried out in such a way that the Cenotaph Second World War military monument is left untouched.

© AFL

In addition, an extensive analysis of the size of the stadium and the pitch was carried out last year as to whether this would fit into the planned site. According to the analysis, everything is in order and Macquarie Point will be the final site to anchor the arena. The price of the project will be retained, with A$715 million calculated to be enough to complete the transparent project.

Macquarie Point Development Corporation remains optimistic that the stadium will be completed in time for the 2029 season. An updated conceptual design for the stadium is expected to be released in the middle of this year. We look forward to seeing it!