Queensland Country Bank Stadium

Location Townsville, Australia

Operator Stadiums Queensland

Client Department of State Development

Architect COX architecture www.coxarchitecture.com.au

Counterpoint Architecture www.cpoint.com.au

Author COX architecture

Photos Andrew Rankin SB Creative Co

Official opening February 2020

Construction costs AUD 250 million (EUR 162 million)

RUGBY AND FOOTBALL STADIUM IN TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA

The Queensland Country Bank Stadium took a year to design and only two years to build. A fan-focused seating bowl and food-and-beverage facilities create an optimum game experience. The stadium accommodates up to 25,000 patrons for sporting events and 40,000 patrons in concert mode. The community-based design includes event plazas for game-day and general community use. Designed in association with Counterpoint Architecture, architecture firm COX worked in a deeply collaborative process with HPW, Stadiums Queensland, WATPAC and the North Queensland Cowboys.

Townsville is dominated by key geographic features: Castle Hill, Magnetic Island and Mount Stuart. The team developed a horseshoe-shaped stadium that opens towards the city and Magnetic Island to the northeast to avail of the afternoon sea breeze. The scheme developed an open northern community plaza to welcome arrival from the nearby hotel and entertainment precinct. Bridge connections were arranged to exclude vehicular traffic for major events and provide a stronger walkability to and from the city centre. The chosen site was a disused rail yard adjacent to a protected waterway. The design allows views into the stadium from the city to support active engagement rather than a fortified form. It provides a terraced seating/standing arrangement at the northern end to reflect the community feel of the previous stadium. Additionally, it supports an end-stage concert arrangement that minimizes seat kills and a single large video screen.

Allowing pre-event activities

A continuous concourse is provided for the full circumference of the stadium to provide democratic access. The northern arrival to the

concourse level is via a gently sloped ramp that provides a heroic entry and negates the requirement for stairs and lifts. Community plazas are provided at the north and south of the stadium to allow pre-event activities. The northern plaza includes a common area inside the ticket line for family activities. The western stand includes a variety of corporate offerings including sky terraces with panoramic views. A field club is provided with a corporate offering directly adjacent to the field of play with connectivity also to media rooms and player warm up facilities.

Inspiration from the form and narrative of pandanus tree

In place of conventional trusses, the innovative “pandanus” steel roof design features a bespoke “folded plate” form which cleverly uses steel bracing in the plane of the roof and between the roof backstays and the seating bowl’s steel rakers to stabilise the unique structural system. The ridges in the folded plate provide the structural depth necessary to support the cantilevering roof and roof-edge sports lights, and to safely resist cyclonic winds. The folded plate form results in a single layer of structure and cladding: visually crisp and clean.

Intermittent membrane “kites” are arranged around the perimeter of the bowl that provide a sense of enclosure and define the stadium in the sun. LED lighting projected on the kites provides drama and theming to the stadium.

Challenging climate conditions

The climate in terms of wind speed is a significant influence on the design. Townsville is within a cyclonic region. Wind loads are about 50 % higher than in Brisbane and 100 % higher than in Sydney and therefore the weight of steel required in response to these conditions is proportionate to these increased loads. The architectural and engineering teams have delivered a roof structure that responds efficiently to the wind but also provides an overarchingly light and elegant expression.

The roof could be fabricated from straight standard sections and safely and rapidly erected with large sections of the roof preassembled at ground level and safely lifted into position with minimal temporary propping. The final steel weight for the roof structure of 60 – 70 kg/m² compares favourably with international benchmarks, which is remarkable due to the high cyclonic wind conditions it addresses.

Stormwater run-off management was employed to protect the water quality entering Ross Creek. About 500,000 litres of rainwater storage from roof run off is used for irrigation, toilet flushing, post-game wash down and cooling tower water demand on match day.

Accessible design fundamental to design approach Fundamental to the design is the capacity for all patrons to circumnavigate the venue at concourse level. This is

JURY VERDICT

Designed as an intimate venue for football, rugby and special events, Queensland Country Bank Stadium is a key part of an urban renewal strategy for the city of Townsville. The stadium’s integration into the site and its vision are exceptional. The stadium planners recognised the importance of maintaining views north towards Ross Creek and the city centre by “unwrapping” the upper seating bowl and creating a much more approachable building façade. The structure of the stadium is unique, using triangulated or kite forms to frame and support the outside structure. This theme is carried into the building with a particularly appealing visual relationship between the roof structure and the seating bowl graphics. The social and commercial spaces in the stadium are well designed and significantly enhance the overall spectator experience, including exceptional efforts to accommodate a broad range of people with a disability such as multiple learning disabilities, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. For its exceptional urban planning, unique design and universal accessibility, the jury is pleased to award the Queensland Country Bank Stadium both an IOC IAKS Silver Medal and an IPC IAKS Distinction. democratic in philosophy but also practical in delivery of equitable and accessible movement without stairs or lifts required for this circulation. The strategy allows access to accessible seating locations around the venue that give patrons choice in terms of observing the field. All ramp grades to all footpaths are compliant. Tactile indicators are provided to all stair landings as raised and contrasting elements. Non-slip surface is provided to the extent of concourse.

All gate locations have wheelchair-width provision gates. The stadium offers different ways of vertical transportation: lifts, elevators, and stairs. Lifts are provided as alternative way of accessing the concourse where no accessible ramp can be provided. Escalators and stairs are designed with a minimum of 30 % contrast tactile and stair nosing from the finish floor colour. All front-of-house service counters include a dropped-down zone to facilitate wheelchair user transaction heights. The seating positions for visually impaired and blind spectators are located on the same side of the stadium as the commentators to facilitate the audio description of the match.

Accredited changing places facility

“Changing places” is an emerging requirement associated with people who cannot use standard accessible toilets. This includes people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, as well as older people. To allow use of toilet facilities in safety and comfort, many people need to be able to access a facility which has more space and the right equipment, including a height-adjustable changing bench and a hoist. The changing places facility installed includes a full-sized change table, ceiling hoist and shower – by the time of the official opening to be an Australian Stadium first.