For the first time in its history, the City of Pardubice has decided to recruit top European architects to design a major new civic amenity. On Wednesday, the City announced an international architectural and urban planning competition to find a winning design for the planned Dukla Sports Centre. This multifunctional sports complex will rank among the most important sports facilities built in the Czech Republic since the turn of the new millennium.
Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun has released a proposal for a new covered roof stadium/arena to be built in Western Sydney.
Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that Mayor Mannoun’s plan is for a venue resembling the University of Phoenix Stadium, with a playing surface that can be wheeled out of the venue for maintenance purposes when not in use for sport, revealing a convention and event centre floor.
Artist’s impressions of the ambitious venue have been drawn up under the direction of Mayor Mannoun in a bid to win the backing of the NSW Government and gain inclusion in its recently announced AUD$1bn strategy to develop and refurbish sports stadia across metropolitan Sydney.
Stating that the venue would need to flexible to ensure the venue was not just used by sporting teams and had wider use as a convention and event centre, Mayor Mannoun told The Daily Telegraph:
We’re drawing on inspiration from the University of Phoenix stadium (with a) proposal (for) an entertainment centre that can turn into a sports venue.
No facility we presently have in Sydney would get usage like this: everything from local netball games, to professional sports to camper van expos, music concerts and high school graduations.
With the recently announced strategy initially backing the upgrading of Parramatta (PIrtek) Stadium, longer term plans for a new venue in Western Sydney have focused on Penrith and the Blacktown International Sportspark.
University of Phoenix Stadium.
Under Mayor Mannoun’s plan, the roofed stadium of about 30,000-seats would be part of an entertainment and cultural precinct at Woodward Park, 800 metres from Liverpool train station and a kilometre from the M5.
It is estimated the total precinct would cost about AUD$600m, of which AUD$400m could be raised through developer contributions. About AUD$200m would be needed from the NSW Government, including money raised through potential land sales.
Mayor Mannoun has reportedly secured an agreement with the Wests Tigers NRL team to create a new home in Liverpool if it can secure federal funding to help build a centre of excellence at Carnes Hill.
Images: An artist’s impression of the planned Liverpool precinct, with its roofed arena (top) and the University of Phoenix Stadium (below).
See more at: http://www.ausleisure.com.au/news/
The multi-function sports and leisure facility located within Suzhou Industrial Park in China has broken ground. Mott MacDonald is providing building services, energy planning and LEED green building consultancy services to Suzhou Industrial Park Sports Industry Development Co. Ltd (SIPSID) for the project. The project comprises five facilities on a single campus – a 45,000 capacity stadium and 13,000 seat sports and entertainment arena, an international-standard swimming complex, an athletics track and training centre and a retail mall and hotel. Mott MacDonald is defining the design strategy for all mechanical, electrical and public health services for the campus infrastructure and buildings. The consultancy is also advising on all energy saving and sustainable design aspects, as well as providing analysis using building simulation techniques to support design ideas.
Mott MacDonald is also acting as the accredited consultant to support SIPSID and the design team to achieve LEED certification. Jie Cheng, Mott MacDonald’s project manager, said:
Suzhou Industrial Park has been developed for the past 20 years as a joint project between the Chinese and Singaporean governments and now hosts many international high technology companies and automotive manufacturers. Mott MacDonald has project managed various industrial projects in Suzhou and we are looking forward to this new, exciting development.
Construction of the Suzhou Sports Park is expected to be completed by early 2017.
Check out Mott MacDonald’s work at the London Olympics in the Winter Showcase Issue of PanStadia & Arena Management magazine.
