Perth’s new bronze-façaded $902 million sports stadium by design team Cox Architects, Hassell, HKS and Arup has begun construction with the first of its more than 2,000 concrete piles being driven into the ground.
Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett and Minister for Sport and Recreation, Terry Waldron were on site to witness milestone that officially marked the start of work on the project.
The foundations of the Stadium will soon start to take shape with the first concrete slab to be poured by mid-2015. Enough concrete to fill 21 Olympic pools will be used to stabilise the Stadium’s five level structure which is due to be open in time for the start of the 2018 AFL season and hold up to 60,000 people—85 per cent of which will be seated under its halo like roof.
The project will be developed by Westadium, a consortium led by Brookfield Financial and John Laing and will be the major part of the biggest sports stadium project in Australia. Westadium's spokesperson John Flecker emphasised the design’s seating bowl, lightweight fabric roof and tech-heavy facilities as key features.
“The new Perth Stadium seating bowl will deliver unrivalled sightlines and a distinctive architectural language in the form of its lightweight fabric roof that gives the impression of hovering over the ground,” said Flecker.
“Within the building, concourses will be generously provided with an array of food and beverage concession points, superb restaurants and bars offering stunning city views across the river and into the bowl.”
“The extensive incorporation of state of the art IT, LED displays, lighting and signage will facilitate home team colours to the advantage of both players and fans.”
WA Premier Colin Barnett unveiled the stadium design with Westadium representatives back in July and declared that it will be “without doubt the best sporting stadium in Australia.”
Barnett also declared the designs seating bowl as a key feature and said its form will be pivotal in creating a stadium that is uniquely Western Australian focussed.
“The seating bowl maximises stadium atmosphere, gives fans exceptional views and brings them close to the action, providing a special home ground advantage for our teams,” said Barnett.
“Seat sizes are generous and each one will have a cup holder; fans will enjoy access to more than 70 food and beverage outlets; and those requiring higher levels of access - such as people in wheelchairs - will be able to use designated seating platforms across all seating tiers.”
4G Wi-Fi coverage is a technology provision of the design, as is the two 240sqm video screens and a further 1,000 screens that will be feature throughout the stadium.
The stadium will be housed in a bronze coloured façade and will be covered in an exterior architectural lighting system, which will utilise LED lights to show the home team colours by night.
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.
All Images: Perth Stadium
