New Perth Stadium Design Revealed

The 60,000-seat multi-purpose venue will be capable of hosting AFL, rugby, football (soccer), cricket, and entertainment events. The design from the team of Cox Architecture, Hassell, HKS and Arup is highlighted by a bronze facade wrapping the exterior that taps into the area's unique geology, while at night LED lighting will display the colors of the home teams.

Other notable features of the five-tiered, "fans first" stadium include a lightweight fabric roof that covers 85% of the seats and is illuminated at night to create a halo effect; two huge 240sm (2,580sf) video screens supplemented by 1,000 TV screens scattered about the stadium; and a flexible design that allows 10,000 seats to be added in the future.

The new Perth Stadium will anchor the Sports Precinct, which will offer year-round access to an amphitheatre, playgrounds, picnic areas, walking and biking trails, the Community Sporting Oval, and the Community Arbour for telling stories about the local Noongar Community. New transportation infrastructure includes the six-platform Stadium Station and a pedestrian bridge traversing the Swan River.

During an unveiling of the winning design at an event on the Burswood Peninsula, Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett stated: "The winning design successfully meets the State’s requirement for a world-class, multi-purpose stadium within a parkland setting, and does so with a uniquely Western Australian focus. The seating bowl maximizes stadium atmosphere, gives fans exceptional views and brings them close to the action, providing a special home ground advantage for our teams. These facilities will not only deliver an outstanding fan experience on event days, but will also provide year-round access to a magnificent recreational precinct. I’m also particularly pleased to announce that the successful negotiations for this contract have confirmed that the capital cost of the stadium is around $40million less than what was originally budgeted."

Westadium will begin construction of the $902.4m project by the end of the year, with a target of being open in time for the start of the 2018 AFL season.