Townville, Queensland, Australia

COX Architecture’s design for Queensland Country Bank Stadium, a horseshoe-shaped bowl facing north towards the city and Magnetic Island, was driven by a range of desires.

The stadium was won in a competition in 2016. The stadium took a year to design, and only two years to build.

Developed in association with Counterpoint Architecture, the architects also involved the local Wulgurukaba Peoples who played an important role in the stadium’s delivery. The Wulgurukaba people of Gurambilarra (Townsville) and Yunbenun (Magnetic Island) are the traditional custodians of the land on which the Queensland Country Bank Stadium stands.

The stadium needed to hold the proposed capacity without taking away from the close-knit community feel of its small suburban grounds. It needed to combine structural, functional and operational aspects of international modern stadia with engagement of its quintessentially Queensland surroundings.

Critical to the success of modern stadia of all types, particularly regional stadia, is a sense of place. In defining a sense of place for the North Queensland Stadium, design teams looked to Indigenous and local fauna to define possibilities.

This factor drove the design to create a unique sense of place that drew inspiration from the form and narrative of the Pandanus tree.

The Pandanus tree is native to North Eastern Australia, commonly found on the coast and inland tropical Queensland. They are found in littoral rainforests, sand dunes, coastal sandy areas, beaches and vine forests. The Aboriginal people used the edible fruits as medicine and fruit, also utilising the leaves to make clothing, hats, baskets and more.

The Pandanus tree is hardy and thus was the perfect visual representation of the Queensland spirit. The strap like tapered leaves were a suitable reference point for the roof geometry.

Of course, a stadium roof can’t be held up by a good story. Its structural scheme was developed to achieve structural efficiency in the face of cyclonic wind conditions with a construction methodology that significantly reduces propping and provides flexibility in construction sequences.

Multiple challenges were required to be assessed based on North Queensland’s tropical climate. Most Australian stadia’s have a language of elements and responses to climate including open concourses and minimized walls. North Queensland Stadium adopted a metal roof solution where a membrane is a potential alternative to cyclonic conditions and insulation against intense heat.

The stadium’s open-ended bowl allows afternoon breezes to travel through and create a relief.

Wind speed was a significant influence on design. Townsville wind loads are approximately 50% higher than Brisbane and 100% higher than Sydney meaning the weight of steel required must be proportionate to these loads.

The architectural and engineering teams worked hard to design a roof structure that responds to wind but also provides an overarching elegant expression for the structure.

Using the natural sweep of land, amenities and other ancillary service facilities are located at ground level under the main concourse.

Food and beverage facilities are located on the concourse for better engagement with the bowl, maintaining sightlines from the concourse through to the playing field at all times.

“The Stadium used the philosophy of maximising the passive design and architectural strategies as a basis for sustainable design,” states Richard Coulson, Director of COX Architecture.

“That is; build less, enclose less and connect with the city context.”

Architects: COX Architecture
Architects of Record: Counterpoint Architects
Clients: Department of State Development
Photographers: Andrew Rankin and Christopher Frederick Jones