Australian Stadium Placed Among World’s Best

The Populous-designed Bankwest Stadium has been awarded second place by a jury panel of international design experts for StadiumDB’s ‘Stadium of The Year’ Awards.

Located in Australia’s Western Sydney city of Parramatta, the project embraced the NSW Government’s requirements for a strong sporting base for two Rugby League and Football (Soccer) while creating an extraordinary live atmosphere for fans.

Populous Principal, Al Baxter, said the design of the stadium ensured spectators of both national sporting codes, plus entertainment and events, were closer to the action than any stadium in Australia.

“The seating bowl brings spectators in as close as possible to the field of play, providing the best viewing quality.

“The specially designed roof, where fabric is mounted on the underside of the structure, enhances the acoustics, heightens the intensity and creates a great atmosphere.

“Another key design inspiration was to incorporate aspects of the manufacturing and industrial heritage of Parramatta and the greater Western Sydney area through the inclusion of raw, industrial design.

“Exposed steel on the exterior of the stadium, in the concourse entries as well as the precast concrete units create the distinctive, horizontal patterned façade and are all an unapologetic nod to western Sydney’s industrial roots,” Al said.

StadiumDB reported all four members of the awards jury were unanimous in their judging.

“Bankwest Stadium was simply one of the very best stadia opened in 2019 and strong contender for Stadium of the Year, (finishing behind Tokyo’s Olympic showpiece, Japan’s National Stadium).

“While Populous have designed many widely praised stadia worldwide, they still managed to create something quite unseen here, in Western Sydney.

“The aesthetics of this stadium is somewhat turned upside down: what is usually hidden by architects, here is exposed – the steel and concrete support structure becomes the main visual strength. Meanwhile, the roof’s membrane landed on the bottom of the girders rather than on top. This allowed it to become the illuminated part, also a boost for acoustics inside.

“Extensive hospitality offerings and great attention to family-friendliness (including playground along the east stand) are the features that make this stadium great for fanatics, businesspeople and families alike!” the jury noted.

Populous designed significant costs efficiencies into the project including each steel element designed to specifically fit on the back of a standard 12.5 metre truck, reducing disruption for residents during the build.

Additionally, the stadium was delivered on time and on budget, with the close collaboration of the design and delivery teams from concept to construction being key to that success.

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