Global built environment consultancy Arup has been appointed to lead the Victoria Park precinct master plan.
The precinct will include the new-build 63,000-seat stadium which will host the opening and closing ceremonies for the games, the new-build National Aquatic Centre and the Brisbane Athlete Village at the Brisbane Showgrounds, which will be home to 15,000 athletes and officials during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“This is the first major contract awarded for stadium delivery following years of Labor’s blowouts and empty promises as we continue to restore the confidence of Queenslanders when it comes to delivering a legacy Games on time through our 2032 Delivery Plan,” said Queensland’s deputy premier and minister for state development, infrastructure and planning, Jarrod Bleijie.
“Bringing on board global experts marks a major step in delivering generational infrastructure that will leave a lasting legacy for Queensland.
“This phase of the master plan for Victoria Park precinct will ensure key venues, including Brisbane Stadium and National Aquatic Centre, are designed on time and with a clear vision to benefit Queenslanders for decades to come.”
Arup project director Penny Hall said the master plan contract was an exciting prospect for the firm.
“The opportunity to reimagine the inner Brisbane precinct as a world-class hub for recreation, events, entertainment, and lifestyle as a lasting legacy for Queenslanders well beyond the Games is both familiar and tremendously exciting for our team to be a part of.
“Our track record at Arup includes working hand-in-hand with communities, partners and government having helped deliver not only a world-class Olympic and Paralympic Games in London but also a lasting legacy that continues to thrive nearly 15 years later.
“Our local and global experience partnering with host cities reaches from the Sydney 2000 Games through to Paris more recently has been focused on master planning with a once-in-a-generation lens that the Queensland Government’s vision for the VPP also demands.”
Alongside the appointment of Arup to helm the precinct master plan, the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA) has opened expressions of interest for architects to design the stadium and aquatic centre.
