VISION 44 — GRAND STAND
Geelong Football Club’s new
grandstand is a best-on-ground
design performance. It signals an
entirely new fan experience, appearing
light of weight and light-filled. Plenty
aspire but few achieve the goal quite
so successfully. Standout performances
often belie seemingly modest numbers.
While there are plenty of larger and
more exotic stadia – Beijing Bird’s
Nest and Munich’s Allianz Arena for
instance – Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium
could appear underwhelming, but it
stands all lean, diamond-cut clarity.
It’s a theme reflected throughout –
from top to bottom, front to back.
The new $91 million Brownlow Stand is quite unlike any
other in the league. The fiercely proud and successful
‘Cats’ has been one of the stellar performers of the past
decade, but was slipping behind in terms of ground
facilities. Not to be caught napping, the club has been
inventive and proactive behind the scenes of recent
times. It has acquired one of the most interactive
stadiums going and been visionary enough to
support a design that feels as future-proof as possible.
Designed by global sports architecture and design
specialists Populous, the firm’s Brisbane office has
guided a project responsive to place and need.
The stadium’s vital statistics include a world first fan
portal of around 45 sq.m and featuring Viridian custom
laminate DecorFloor™ that overlooks the players’
warm-up area, an additional 6,500 seats, 4,700 sq.m
high performance GFC Training Centre, a 1,000 seat
function centre, 100 seat café with views to GFC warm
up area, 12 new hospitality suites, specialist community
rehabilitation – Barwon Health Sunrise Centre, two-level
Cats supporters’ shop and new media facilities.