The Western Australian government has announced that the WESTADIUM consortium led by Brookfield Financial and John Laing, with design teams HASSELL, Cox Architecture and HKS, will develop, build and maintain the biggest sports stadium project in Australia.
Located in Burswood, Perth, the $900 million multi-purpose stadium will hold 60,000 people and host Australian sport matches, as well as major rock concerts and entertainment events.
According to Premier Colin Barnett, WESTADIUM was selected as the preferred respondent after four months of rigorous evaluation of three shortlisted private sector consortia bids.
“The State’s evaluation team…ultimately determined that WESTADIUM represented the best overall value for money for the design and construction phase plus the contract’s 25 year maintenance period,” he said.
The contract is expected to be awarded by the end of June when negotiations between the consortium and State conclude. The successful design will then be released.
Aerial photo of the new Perth Stadium site, March 2014
A&D reported in 2012 that the Project Definition Plan for the stadium outlines environmentally sustainable design as a factor, while the government has also specified a ‘fans first’ approach, whereby potential users will help determine what design elements and amenities will be included in the final architectural plan.
Physical pre-construction site works have already been completed ahead of schedule, and the former industrial waste dump site is now left to settle under 740,000 tonnes of sand surcharge to ensure it is fully prepared for construction to begin at the end of this year.
The stadium is scheduled to be open in time for the start of the 2018 AFL season.
Cabinet has appointed the Confidem consortium, which is made up of Capella Capital, John Holland and Spotless, as the reserve respondent if negotiations between WESTADIUM and the State fail.
Images: perth stadium
