Bankwest Stadium was Designed with a Sophisticated Understanding of Stadia

It is often lamentable when public buildings fall short of all that they could be. Stadiums, museums, art galleries and libraries are too often presented as ‘commercial’ developments; frequently lacking the enduring, universal qualities that make a truly civic project. It is therefore unsurprising in this context that a public stadium, such as Bankwest Stadium, was not also entered in the public architecture category of these awards. This attitude of public buildings being regarded as developments rather than offerings to the future impoverishes our cities and speaks poorly to the values of our time.

The stadium in Parramatta sits humbly within this context and yet delivers a project with an unexpected intimacy, humanity and tactility. Designed with a sophisticated understanding of stadia, every attempt has been made to offer humanising spaces, capable of traversing wide-ranging programmatic requirements, from a local weekend game to a full capacity star- studded concert. The decision to work with Australian steel inspired visual cues to memories of our city, exposing that an intimate experience is possible in this important civic building. The detail too, in the use of only local sections, is masterfully executed.

The architect has made this a work of clear and public dimension by providing the possibility of a personal experience through adroit plays of structure, repetition,proportion and careful physical dimension at every turn. Such attentiveness to these important architectural tools has become rare in this typology and in our profession generally;this project delivers all these things beautifully and with grace.

Project Information

Architect: Populous

Photography: Murray Fredericks