Concept designs for the new $715 million home ground of the Tasmanian Devils football team have been unveiled, with plans indicating the multipurpose stadium in nipaluna/Hobart's Macquarie Point is slated to become the world's "largest timber-roofed stadium."
Cox Architecture was announced in May 2024 as the lead design consultant for the project alongside Tasmanian architecture practice Cumulus Studio, specialist engineers and technicians AECOM, Cova, Aldanmark, and Pitt and Sherry, and international partner Schlaich Bergermann Partners (SBP).
The stadium form, with its low profile and woven-style facade, was inspired by the historic character and formation of the roundhouse structures that once served the state's railway network on site. Within the venue, a seating bowl design has been adopted, in a move that seeks to bring crowds closer to the field. The facility will house approximately 23,000 seats.
A defining feature will be a fixed and transparent, dome-shaped roof, which will be supported by an internal frame made from steel and Tasmanian timber. The transparency of the roof will allow natural light to penetrate, assisting with natural turf growth and eliminating the need for sizeable light towers. The see-through roof portion will be composed of a fluorine-based plastic material called ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) that is resistant to corrosion and temperature fluctuation.
Minister for Sport and Events, Nic Street, said the stadium design is "welcoming, functional and uniquely Tasmanian.
"When completed, the stadium will be the largest timber roofed stadium in the world," Street said. "While developing this stadium is an important step in realising our dream of seeing our own AFL and AFLW teams running out on our own field, this facility will offer so much more.
"The maritime heritage of the broader area has also been taken into account, and culturally informed under the guidance of Aboriginal community members."
The renders indicate a stage pocket in the northern stand will host entertainment and performance events, while simultaneously minimising impact to the field. The facility will also include a 1,500-person function room with views of kunanyi/Mount Wellington, and separated catering and back of house facilities with a below-ground service road.
Accessibility, inclusivity and pedestrian flow has been prioritised through the inclusion of a single continuous concourse that will service the whole stadium.
Under the plans, an existing 1915 goods shed that was granted heritage listing in early 2024 will be relocated to a different area on the site.
A State Significant Development Application is being prepared for submission this July 2024.
