Architect condemns Sydney Football Stadium rebuilding plans

Philip Vivian, Director of the multidisciplinary design firm Bates Smart, has criticised plans by the NSW Government to demolish and rebuild Sydney's Allianz Stadium (Sydney Football Stadium) at Moore Park.

With the venue set to stage its final event next month before the redevelopment begins, Vivian argues that the $981 million rebuilding will be a counterproductive expenditure, working to the detriment of the city and its residents.

Citing the Roman Coliseum as an example of how "the ancients" incorporated structures into their social fabric as spaces for public spectacles, Vivian said that modern stadiums contrarily have become “mono-functional objects, isolated on the periphery of the city and surrounded by car parking”.

Adding that a “renaissance is underway”, Vivian said that stadiums can be catalysts of urban renewal, and as such, should be re-integrated into the city’s fabric as accessible anchors for entertainment districts.

Bates Smart, which has a record of re-imagining public spaces as places to stimulate community engagement, has proposed an alternate plan which would escalate urban renewal and optimise public transport.

Vivian advised "we propose that Moore Park Stadium’s replacement be built over Central Station’s railyard; creating the benefits of public transport accessibility, catalysing the development of the railyards to connect Surry Hills to Chippendale, and having broader economic benefits for the state, the city and surrounding neighbourhoods.”

Vivian’s intervention may be too late as the NSW Government is expected to announce the winner of the competition for the rebuilding of the venue in October.

Image: Bates Smart's concept for a new Sydney stadium above the city's central Railway Station, courtesy of Bates Smart