The LaTrobe University Sports Park and Stadium is the first multi-use site of its kind in Australia. This highly sustainable development combines student use, research, professional sport and community activities into one vibrant and consolidated site.
Designed as a multiphase project, the vast 140-acre park integrates 12 cascading high-performance pitches accommodating the Australian Football League, rugby, cricket, field hockey, soccer and baseball along with indoor teaching, research and world-class court facilities for netball, basketball and volleyball.
The Sports Stadium is developed as a gateway academic and recreation building linking the Sports Park with the university and co-locating six high-performance courts, a 2,500-seat spectator venue, sports science facilities, and teaching, training and research labs, along with varsity and regional club offices.
At the heart of the design is the transparent teaching “bar” containing state-of-the-art sports science technology, including advanced physiology and biomechanics labs opening outward to the fields and courts. With its efficient “six pack” planning and phasing for three additional courts, this exceedingly cost-effective building creates a simple prefabricated gable-roof massing that integrates a full passive-ventilation, daylighting and photovoltaic strategy. The photovoltaic panels on the roof are capable of generating roughly 724,000 kilowatt hours per year, allowing for net-positive operation. The highly prominent west facade acts as a shading device for event space and as a transparent beacon for community and campus arrival into the sports park.
