Brisbane’s m3architecture has floated an idea to refurbish the Gabba in preparation for the 2032 Brisbane Summer Olympics.
The QLD Government is preparing to demolish the stadium, with m3architecture planning to utilise the iconic ground as a warm-up facility and creating a new stadium on the adjacent site currently utilised by the Cross Rail River project.
"All the materials from the dismantled stadium could be re-purposed or re-used on other projects," says m3architecture Director, Michael Lavery.
"The site could then become much-needed green space for the community. This area currently has one of the lowest ratios of publicly accessible council parkland to population in Brisbane."
Following the Olympics, Lavery says the stadium could be disassembled and make way for a park. The practice’s Director says investment in the Olympics should deliver quantifiable, long-term benefits.
m3architecture's proposal provides new city infrastructure in the form of a transport hub, and improved links between the city and suburbs via pedestrian plazas that would bridge major roads. The new parkland would be elevated and protected from flood, with provision for water collection and purification.
"It will reflect poorly on Queensland and Australia if the Brisbane Games are less sustainable than the two Games that will come before it," Lavery says.
"The 2024 Paris Olympics has committed to using 95 percent of existing buildings and for the LA Olympics in 2028, it's 100 percent."
"m3architecture's proposal is a test-case that applies climate-positive design principles to a specific project to prove it can be done," concludes Lavery.
"As a State, we need to walk the talk. A climate-positive Olympics is achievable, and we have the design skills right here to deliver it. A $1b-plus investment should be delivering value to taxpayers and a legacy to our community. Anything less is a lost opportunity."
