Macquarie Point Multipurpose Stadium

The Macquarie Point Multipurpose Stadium will be Tasmania’s first multipurpose stadium and will host not only AFL matches and other sports, including cricket, but also arts and cultural events. Therefore, the design is a stadium that can be easily adapted to different circumstances and offers many opportunities to create a new place of public interest for the city.
The structural design of the roof exemplifies innovative engineering solutions that meet both functional and aesthetic requirements. At its core is a single-layer discrete gridshell ingeniously shaped on a polygonised torus surface to perfectly align with the oval field and bowl geometry. The gridshell combines steel primary members with timber secondary members. The structure is crowned with an ETFE cushion envelope, chosen for its exceptional light transmission properties and structural efficiency.
The design response to the brief satisfies the clear height requirements for AFL and cricket while minimizing the overall height of the stadium, ensuring seamless integration with the urban landscape. The lightweight nature of the structure, coupled with the transparency of ETFE, effectively manages sunlight and shadow, promoting natural grass growth on the field. The structural solution elegantly balances complex engineering challenges with environmental considerations, local industry involvement, and architectural vision.