Melbourne consortium wins design competition for Gold Coast Cultural Precinct

A design by ARM Architecture, the Voronoi DNA, has been revealed as the winning plan for the new Gold Coast Cultural Precinct.

The design, estimated at $305 million, boasts a multi-coloured, spiralling museum tower, skate park and a 10,000 seat outdoor amphitheatre.

The Melbourne-based company was one three finalists selected from 75 teams that submitted ideas to a judging panel.

ARM Design Director Howard Raggatt says the precinct will bring many different types activities together in one place, stating "we wanted to see them all as part of human culture.

"Bungy jumping is culture, swimming is culture, the skate park that we've got in there is culture, the basketball court, drinking coffee is culture."

Part of ARM's multidisciplinary team, Schuler Shook Theatre Planners are extremely pleased to be involved in the winning design.

Schuler Shook Partner Robert Shook, ASTC explained "Schuler Shook is extremely pleased to be a part of ARM's extraordinary design team for this significant arts project.

"We are looking forward to collaborating once again with ARM, with whom we completed the very successful renovation of Hamer Hall at Arts Centre Melbourne."

The Schuler Shook project team consists of Robert Shook, as Partner in Charge of Theatre Planning; Jim Hultquist, ASTC, as Senior Theatre Planner, working from Schuler Shook's Melbourne office; while noted Australian theatre consultant Richard Stuart will once again be part of Schuler Shook's team for this project, as he was for the Hamer Hall renovation.

The design competition judging panel chairman Professor of Architecture at Griffith University Gordon Holden says choosing ARM Architecture was a unanimous decision.

Professor Holden says the cohesion of the design was a winning factor, explaining "rather than if you have a composition that if you took one bit away didn't feel right, the voronoi, this accommodates the diversity of forms that might come in.

"We saw that as such a strong, powerful, unifying idea to give coherence throughout the whole process."

Professor Holden led an eight-member independent jury.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate added that the winning design "links an expanded Living Arts Centre, beautiful outdoor garden and water-play Artscape and a striking 14-storey New Arts Museum."

All designs will be on display at an exhibition at the Gold Coast City Gallery which runs from today (22nd November) until 15th December 2013.

The design submission estimates the project will be develope in four stages, with a completion date in 2022.

The schedule will however depend on funding and discussions over the city's masterplan.

For more information go to www.goldcoastculturalprecinct.info/