Through innovative design, the Macquarie Point Multipurpose Stadium (Mac Point) is set to redefine Tasmania’s landscape as the go-to premier sports and entertainment destination. The future home of Tasmania’s AFL team, Mac Point, will be more than a stadium, it’ll serve as a cultural landmark for community sporting spirit and pride. Integrating sustainable design solutions, the stadium will leave a legacy of economic growth, environmental sustainability, and exceptional fan experience for generations to come.
Revitalising Macquarie Point
Designed to accommodate 23,000 spectators with a future expansion capacity, this landmark infrastructure project will transform the Macquarie Point precinct into a vibrant cultural and commercial hub. The stadium’s unique design features a translucent ETFE cushion roof supported by a timber and steel frame and a distinctive façade informed by local traditions. It embraces cutting-edge engineering and sustainability.
It’s expected to generate $2.2 billion in economic benefits over 25 years, creating long-term employment opportunities and serving as a catalyst for strengthened transport infrastructure to better connect communities and unlock further development.
AECOM, in partnership with COX + Cumulus Architects and world-renowned stadium roof designer Schlaich Bergermann Partner (sbp), is delivering multidisciplinary engineering services for the project. Together, we are shaping a venue that will elevate Tasmania’s global profile and attract high-profile events, concerts, exhibitions and sporting fixtures.
Design excellence rooted in place
During the design process, the project team considered the location’s history, surrounding spaces, user needs and the desire to create a truly exceptional fan experience. The stadium’s low-profile built form and woven-style façade design pay homage to the site’s cultural and industrial past. Informed by the Palawa community, the design reflects the traditional practice of weaving, symbolising the interconnection of cultures, stories and communities.
A key feature of the precinct is the restoration of Hobart’s heritage-listed Goods Shed. Reimagined as a dynamic venue for markets, performances and hospitality, the design of the Shed seamlessly integrates old and new, preserving its legacy while supporting the city’s thriving cultural scene.
Our environmental team led the decontamination of the former industrial site, providing critical insights into its site-specific geotechnical conditions, including soft soils, boulders, and underlying rock. This informed the stadium’s structural design for resilience and constructability.
Iconic engineering innovation and collaboration
At the heart of Macquarie Point’s design is its iconic dome roof, an elegant, fully roofed structure that balances spectator comfort with optimal conditions for airflow and sunlight penetration for natural grass growth. The design team developed a highly efficient structure with primary elements in steel and secondary timber members supporting the ETFE cladding. The elegant design seamlessly blends into its surroundings.
To meet the project’s tight planning timelines, we developed, with spb, a roof options matrix and used advanced digital workflows, for rapid decision-making and clear visual communication with stakeholders. This collaborative, parametric approach extended across all disciplines, for seamless integration of architectural intent and engineering performance.
Extensive optioneering for informed, cost-effective decision making
Our extensive optioneering throughout the design process has enabled the team’s success. Early in the design, we used collaborative scripting of geometries to integrate architectural development and engineering feedback. As the design progressed, option papers were produced to enable cost-effective, performance-driven decisions and foster agility in responding to client and stakeholder needs.
Sustainability and future readiness for Macquarie Point
Although the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) does not yet have a dedicated rating tool for stadia, we’re proactively collaborating with the GBCA to develop a pilot framework for this building typology. Our design integrates known Green Star parameters, should the client choose to register the project. A key focus has been on embodied carbon reduction from the earliest concept stages. This approach has enabled the accurate monitoring and reduction of embodied carbon throughout the design process, notably influencing the structural bowl raker system through embodied carbon considerations.
Timber plays a central role in the stadium’s sustainability strategy. Locally sourced timber is used in secondary roof elements, façade mullions, and cladding, demonstrating innovation in material application and a commitment to regional economic development.
State-of-the-art digital design for performance and comfort
CFD modelling was instrumental in optimising spectator comfort, a main design driver for Macquarie Point Multipurpose Stadium. By analysing airflow, wind direction and thermal performance, the team fine-tuned façade opening and roof geometry to ensure a comfortable environment year-round.
Parametric optimisation guided the roof-bowl interface, enabling efficient repetition and simplicity in construction. The roof’s geometry, derived from a torus, ensures uniformity in connections and intersections, simplifying construction while achieving architectural distinction. The interface of the roof and bowl was also optimised by assessing parametrically generated roof geometries to determine the most efficient option.
The interaction between the roof structure and cladding elements on the grass growth, spectator comfort and pitch shadows required constant optimisation and integration of various software packages. The team developed interoperability between software that allowed for streamlined option assessment.
Global expertise, local impact
Our integrated design approach for Macquarie Point, which leads all engineering disciplines and is anchored by a strong architectural team, COX + Cumulus, as principal consultant, has facilitated the project’s success. All engineering disciplines are highly integrated, ensuring holistic thinking and cross-disciplinary collaboration. This is underpinned by collaborative behaviours within the site office, seamless digital workflows and an agile design team. Our co-located team in Hobart is deeply connected to the project’s purpose and its potential to shape the city’s future.
We also drew on the expertise of AECOM Hunt, one of the largest stadium builders in the U.S, to validate constructability and programme assumptions. Their insights provided valuable assurance to the client and enhanced the project’s delivery strategy.
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