COX Architecture chosen to design new Tasmania Stadium

COX, a leading Australian architectural firm, has been chosen as the Lead Design Consultant for the Macquarie Point Multipurpose Stadium in Tasmania.

The new stadium in Hobart would be home to the Tasmania Football Club of the Australia Football League (AFL).

COX has designed sports venues including Optus Stadium, Sydney Football Stadium, Dunedin Stadium and the redesign of the Adelaide Oval.

Director Alastair Richardson told ABC News that while it was incredibly early days, they had some ideas, but were “wary” of earlier artistic renders. He said:

They give some clues of what we don’t want to do. 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.

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, and obviously is respectful to the Cenotaph in terms of how it sits just below the escarpment.

Can we sink it slightly? What does that look like? How do we maintain the envelope such that the height is there in relation to cricket and football for example? But is as low as possible in terms of the perimeter.

Richardson also said he was confident the stadium could be built within the A$715 million budget set for the project.

James Avery, CEO, Stadiums Tasmania, will be speaking at the second Australian edition of the SVB LIVE Global Networking Events series, being held at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, on June 25, 2024. Book your ticket here.

Macquarie Point Development Corporation (MPDC) CEO Anne Beach said the appointment of COX followed a competitive market testing process. She said:

The COX team brings extensive expertise in designing stadia across Australia and internationally, including Adelaide Oval, Optus Stadium in Perth, and Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

The team includes local Tasmanian architectural firm Cumulus Studio, and specialist engineers and technicians, including AECOM, local experts Cova, Aldanmark, and Pitt & Sherry, as well as international partner Schlaich Bergermann Partners (SBP), who brings experience in world-leading designs such as SoFi Stadium in California.

This partnership brings national and international expertise and excellence, which will not only deliver this exciting development, but leave a lasting legacy in our local industry.

Beach said the consultancy included a commitment to establish:

• Four internships for architecture students working with COX in the Hobart project office.
• Four undergraduate placements working with AECOM.
• As well as internships working with SBP in Germany.

Beach said Cumulus’ deep understanding of local services, materials and products would play a pivotal role in optimising the use of Tasmanian materials throughout the design and construction process of the project:

The collaboration between COX and Cumulus Studio represents a fantastic opportunity for Tasmanian architects and businesses to contribute to this exciting project.

Work is continuing to share a stadium concept design with the community in the middle of this year, which will be informed by the Mac Point Precinct Plan, and the requirements of Stadiums Tasmania as the future operator of the facility.

Check out the latest sports and entertainment venue development news in the newly launched, subscription-only, SVB Global Report here.

Sports Venue Business has unveiled a raft of new offerings under the SVB LIVE banner, including Networking Events and a Webinar Series, culminating in an Annual Conference & Exhibition; the 2024 edition being held at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, on October 9th and 10th, with an Opening Night Icebreaker on October 8th. An Expert Council featuring some 25+ top industry executives is helping to frame the content.

#SportsVenueBusiness – The leading platform for sector news, views & developments

#SVBLIVE – Elevating the Live Experience