Melbourne’s Docklands Stadium will be redeveloped to include a multi-purpose “town square” under designs by Grimshaw with Smartform.
The redevelopment will revitalize the stadium’s eastern and southern entry points.
At the southern end, a community meeting place will be created, which will include indoor and outdoor spaces, as well as new cafes, bars and restaurants to welcome pedestrians from the Southern Cross railway station via the Bourke Street footbridge.
Some walls of the existing stadium will be removed to create a visual connection between the plaza and the playing field.
The redevelopment of Docklands Stadium by Grimshaw with Smartform.
Image: Development Victoria
The plaza will also be able to host events such as markets. Inside the stadium, a host of food and beverage venues will be refurbished and athletes’ changing rooms will be upgraded.
At the eastern end, overlooking Wurundjeri Way, a city-side extension will be created to include function rooms with views of both the CBD and inside the arena. The redevelopment will also include additional bicycle parking facilities and a sensory room, a quiet space that will allow children and adults with autism, dementia, PTSD and other similar conditions to deregulate from sensory overload.
Development Victoria, Sport and Recreation Victoria and the AFL are jointly managing the redevelopment of the stadium.
“The designers have captured our desire to amplify the stadium’s ability to host multiple events across a calendar year and ensure fan experience has been front of mind when designing the upgrade,” said ALF chief executive Gillon McLachlan.
“By renovating the existing structure, it will provide a more environmentally sustainable way of building, as well as ensuring minimal disruption to fans.”
Docklands Stadium was originally designed by BVN (Bligh Lobb Sports Architecture) and Daryl Jackson Architects and opened in 2000. In 2018, the Victorian government allocated $225 million to the redevelopment of Docklands Stadium.
A town planning permit application will be submitted to City of Melbourne shortly and a construction tender will go out in late November. If approved, construction will begin in mid-2021.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
