‘Sunshine Coast Arena’
Maroochydore, Queensland
Principal Consultant: Marchese Partners + RWA Sports Architecture
Marchese Partners and RWA Sports Architecture have joined forces to turn Federal MP Ted O’Brien’s vision for major entertainment centre in the Maroochydore CBD into a bold and forwardthinking concept that would provide an entertainment facility to accommodate international standard performing arts such as opera, ballet, musicals, and theatre as well as flexible spaces to be adopted for the Olympics, including a basketball arena which could accommodate up to 6,000 people. The venue would create a post Olympic legacy and add significant value to the community and its people while contextually responding to the region and become a major attractor and destination.
'Sunshine Coast Stadium Expansion'
Kawana, Queensland
Principal Consultant: Aspect + Marchese Partners + RWA
In 2019, RWA were engaged alongside local architects Aspect and Brisbane based practice Marchese Partners to lead the design of a significant expansion to the existing regional stadium precinct on the Sunshine Coast. The redevelopment plans involved increasing the stadium's seated capacity to almost 12,000 seats for rugby league, rugby union and soccer as well as concerts, festivals and other community events. RWA provided critical specialist input to the seating bowl configuration, field of play requirements, athlete and officials requirements as well as the design of the building form. RWA were instrumental in ensuring the design represented industry best practice in regional stadium design whilst fully optimized to achieve maximum ‘bang for buck’. In addition to the project design phases, RWA also led the design for a future 'end state' of 25,000 seats. In 2021, work on the proposed design was abandoned as the project took a new direction with the announcement of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the likelihood the venue would need to be further upgraded to cater for soccer preliminary finals during the Games.
'Melbourne Park - KIA Arena'
Melbourne, Victoria
Principal Consultant: NH Architecture + RWA
Following our previous successful collaboration on the Melbourne Park Masterplan for Stage 3, RWA teamed up with NH Architecture + Snøhetta to design the much anticipated KIA Arena. This new venue has a total capacity for tennis of 5000 seats making it the largest open-air Show Court at Melbourne Park. Although it will be used during the Australian Open for tennis, the seating bowl can be used year round for live music concerts and festivals. The seating bowl has been configured with removable seats to allow a stage to be erected at the northern end with operational access for vehicles to court level during event bump in/bump out. RWA were instrumental in the design of the innovative seating bowl that will boast the best sightlines of any venue at Melbourne Park. Enhanced amenity seating and a generous number of wheelchair platforms also make this venue a market leader in universal accessibility. KIA Arena was shortlisted in 2022 Victorian Architecture Awards (Public Architecture and Melbourne Prize), and shortlisted for 2022 World Architecture Festival in Completed Sports Building category.
‘Margaret Court Arena’
Melbourne Park, Victoria
Principal Consultant: NH Architecture + Populous
Engaged to perform architectural services as an employee of Populous: Ralph Wheeler
The redeveloped Margaret Court Arena has once again put Melbourne Park at the forefront of world class arena design and innovation. Although the primary impetus for the redevelopment was driven by the desire to maintain the Australian Open’s place at the forefront of world tennis, the venue is a truly multi-purpose facility with the flexibility to successfully host other sports, including basketball and netball, as well as a range of premier concerts & public events. The $183M redevelopment includes seating for 7500 spectators, fully glazed internal concourses and the fastest retractable roof of its kind in the world with a closing time of less than 5 minutes. The venue incorporates numerous sustainability initiatives that have contributed to it becoming the first LEED Gold accredited arena in Australia.
'Melbourne Park Championship Court Ladder'
Melbourne Park, Victoria
Lead Architect: RWA
RWA is currently collaborating Tennis Australia to create a visionary masterplan for the Championship Court Ladder at Melbourne Park, home to the Australian Open Grand Slam. This strategic study looks at how to reimage the tennis viewing experience. Rather than traditional seating allocation in fixed grandstands, the proposal looks to provide multiple spectating options depending on whether spectators prefer to stand, sit or simply pass through. Viewing multiple tennis courts at once is another pioneering concept tested by the Masterplan study. The innovative concepts proposed by RWA aim to put Melbourne Park and Tennis Australia at the forefront of the evolving sport and entertainment industry whilst creating new revenue streams.
‘Caulfield Racecourse Grandstand’
Caulfield, Victoria
Lead Architects: Woods Bagot + RWA Sports Architecture
Following on from RWA’s involvement in the Caulfield Racecourse Masterplan, we are currently collaborating with Woods Bagot to complete the design for a state-of-the-art new main grandstand as well as upgrades to the adjacent existing heritage listed grandstands. The $150M project will completely reimagine the MRC members, owners and corporate guest experience at the racecourse with new high end restaurants, bars and viewing areas. A roof top terrace will provide racegoers with an exclusive raceday experience with views over the new parade ring and home straight. A large basement and central production kitchen will service to the new grandstand and broader event precinct.
‘Eagle Farm Racecourse Grandstand’
Eagle Farm, Queensland
Principal Consultant: Hassell + RWA Sports Architecture
RWA’s contribution to the Eagle Farm Racecourse redevelopment over the past 10 years culminates in their current involvement in the design of new John Power Grandstand, affectionately otherwise known as ‘The Terraces’. In partnership with local architects, Hassell Studios Brisbane, RWA are leading the design of this groundbreaking project that will incorporate market leading hospitality spaces for members, corporates and public. Conceived as a series of shifting landscape terraces that rise from track level as a collection of horizontal plates that capture views to the home straight, parade ring, videoscreen and winning post.
'Casey Fields Boutique Stadium'
City of Casey, Victoria
Principal Consultant: NH Architecture + RWA
This Concept Masterplan document was completed as part of City of Casey’s aspirations to develop a new boutique regional stadium for soccer, rugby union and rugby league within the Casey Fields Sports Precinct at Cranbourne East. The Concept Masterplan aims to expand and enhance the recently completed Stage 1 of the development. Stage 2 will involve upgrades to the western pavilion and construction of a new competition pitch for rectangular field sports as well as a new multi-purpose turf training pitch. Stage 3 will involve the construction of a new east stand increasing the capacity of the venue to 4,000 spectators vastly improving the overall precinct’s ability to attract and retain major events and sports at professional and amateur levels.
‘Pat Rafter Arena’
Tennyson, Queensland
Principal Consultant: Populous
Engaged to perform architectural services as an employee of Populous: Ralph Wheeler
Pat Rafter Arena is Centre Court at the Queensland Tennis Centre. A significant feature of the purpose-built facility is that it provides a fixed roof solution to permanently shelter 5,500 spectators from the heat and rain, whilst still maintaining the atmosphere and tournament status of an outdoor event. The roof, designed to act as both parasol and umbrella to over both the court and the spectators, provides a cost effective and practical solution that enhances the characteristics that are special to tennis. The facility caters for both top-class and community tennis. Each year it hosts the Brisbane International tennis tournament (ATP World Tour 250 Series), a precursor to the Australian Open Grand Slam in Melbourne.
‘ASB Tennis Centre Redevelopment’
Auckland, New Zealand
Principal Consultant: Jasmax
Sports Architect: Populous
Engaged to perform architectural services as an employee of Populous: Ralph Wheeler
The ASB Tennis Centre is the pre-eminent tennis venue in New Zealand hosting two major tournaments each year - the Heineken Open for men and the ASB Classic for women. The rest of the year centre court can be hired for social tennis. The proposed redevelopment will allow the venue to become a multi-purpose venue capable of hosting world class tennis as well as concerts and secondary sports such as netball, basketball and beach volleyball. The centre court will increase its seating capacity to 3500 seats to satisfy ITF requirements for ATP World Tour 250 Series tournaments. The Project Brief was a critical guiding document for the final design completed by Jasmax.