COMMONWEALTH GAMES VENUE A WINNER
30 Nov 2017
Built for the GC18 Games, the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre (GCSLC) has been awarded the 2017 Urban Design Award for the way it “seems to ‘reach out’ to the landscape”.
The Gold Coast Urban Design Awards celebrate the best of our built environment, recognising design, livability and sustainability.
Receiving the Urban Design Award were joint entrants Civil Engineers Cardno, John Graham and BVN. Commenting on the project, the Jury noted, “This is a very popular building within the local community, and the combination of architectural and landscape building embraces its role, making a series of rich and engaging spaces for occupation and activity.”
The Jury went on the say, “The insides of the building seems to ‘reach out’ to the landscape with verandas and generous peninsular terraces that, when we visited, were full of activity – running children, people warming up, cooling down, sipping coffee or just enjoying views out to fields and landscape beyond.”
City of Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate commented “Excellent urban design projects help make our city internationally renowned for the high standard of our built environment and livability for our residents. These awards help foster the development of buildings and places that reinforce local identity and support social diversity and cultural expression.”
The precinct is preparing to be on the world stage during the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, which will run from 4 – 15 April 2018, and throughout the games the GCSLC is the nominated venue for the badminton, wrestling and weightlifting programs.
Attendees from the 70 participating countries will include members of the royal family. The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, visited earlier this year to thank volunteers for their contribution ahead of the Games.
Following the Commonwealth Games, the GCSLC will be a major site for community and professional sporting groups, particularly netball and basketball, and is set to receive a large number of users. The facility can accommodate a 5000 strong crowd as an arena setup.