SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM KICKS NEW GOALS

The NSW Government is redeveloping the Sydney Football Stadium to reach an international standard that keeps NSW on the sporting map. The current Sydney Football Stadium (SFS) is facing a number of safety and compliance faults that need to be addressed at the risk of closure. The government has taken the step to demolish and rebuild it with an exciting new state-of-the-art stadium that features the latest innovations and technology that will promote a strong sporting culture in Australia.

Of the three firms with entries in the stadium design competition, Cox Architects came out on top with their innovative design. “Creating something that both ‘fits in yet stands out’ in that part of Sydney is obviously a tough ask for any design team, as is the task of creating a piece of seven-day civic infrastructure that provides superior amenity and services to multiple specialist and public groups,” said Cox Architecture's design director Pete Sullivan.

Cox Architects’ design “complements the natural parkland surrounds for the area”, as well as other significant Sydney landmarks, such as the Harbour Bridge, thereby allowing for the new stadium to flourish in its context. The stadium will feature a state-of-the-art roof, which will light up from the underside in the home team's colours and reflect noise back into the stadium to amplify the atmosphere.

Exposed natural timber beams and solar panels will partially power the stadium, and a stunning bronze façade will encase the stadium, reflecting “Sydney’s unique sandstone geology”.

ASPECT Studios will undertake the landscape, with a plan to seamlessly weave parkland, public and activated spaces around the new stadium.

Sports Minister Stuart Ayres says the design will create “a colosseum of sound and colour” that will “set the standard for rectangular stadiums in Australia”.

“Just like the western Sydney Stadium, we've used the natural environment as inspiration in the design, with a striking bronze façade in place that reflects Sydney's unique sandstone geology, and a lightweight cloud-like roof structure,” said Ayres.

Artist's impressions of the new stadium have been made available to the public, months ahead of the demotion of Allianz Stadium, which is due to commence in January 2019 and will be completed by 2022. The stadium is anticipated to welcome 1.2 million patrons a year.