A stadium shaped by the place it belongs to.
Macquarie Point is a former industrial site on the Derwent River waterfront, close to the centre of Hobart. The brief for a new 23,000-seat multipurpose stadium here carried a mandate that went well beyond sport: to respect and respond to the site's layered history, its relationship to the waterfront and the city, and the cultural significance of the place to the Palawa community.
We are working alongside lead design consultants COX Architecture on a design that takes its cues from this context. The stadium's low-profile form and woven facade reference both the former railway roundhouse that once occupied the site and the maritime heritage of the waterfront. The facade patterning is culturally informed by Palawa community members, designed to reference the continuing practice of weaving and the opportunity to weave together cultures and stories in this new public building. A translucent ETFE roof, supported by a hybrid structure of steel and Tasmanian-sourced laminated timber, will fully enclose the venue while allowing natural light to reach the playing surface below.
A public building, not just a match-day venue.
Our role on the project brings local architectural knowledge to a team with deep national and international stadium experience. That contribution has shaped the design in specific ways: how the building mass responds to the surrounding topography and heritage edges, how view corridors to kunanyi / Mount Wellington and the waterfront are maintained, and how the material palette draws on locally sourced, responsibly managed Tasmanian timber rather than defaulting to generic stadium finishes.
A stadium of this scale risks becoming a fortress when there is no event on. From the outset, we have worked to ensure the precinct's edges invite people in rather than shut them out - dispersed entries, active frontages, public concourses and plaza spaces designed to be porous, legible and comfortable on any day of the week. The heritage-listed Goods Shed on the site will be retained and reimagined as a space for markets, performance and hospitality, integrating the precinct's industrial past into its public future. Passive ventilation, daylighting and shading strategies are embedded in the design, alongside a commitment to long-term durability, low maintenance and adaptability. A 1,500-person function room with views to kunanyi / Mount Wellington, a stage pocket in the northern stand, and a continuous accessible concourse connecting every gate make this a civic building as much as a sporting venue.
