Exclusive first look: green-top Brisbane Arena sets the pace for 2032 Olympics

Unveiling his vision for a key 2032 Olympic Games venue, Queensland Premier Steven Miles hopes to channel the buzz from Paris into Brisbane Arena.

Artist’s impression of the exterior of the drop-in pool to be built for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.

Swimming at the Brisbane Olympics will lift the thickly vegetated roof off a new, $2.5bn arena ­designed to fold into an inner-city parkland.

Renders released exclusively to The Weekend Australian by the Queensland government show that the relocated Brisbane Arena will rise like a green-topped layer cake on the western fringe of the CBD.

It will seat 15,000 people and feature a drop-in pool for the 2032 Games, in line with how the rocking Paris La Defense Arena has been configured and venue planning for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

In providing this first look at the new hall, Premier Steven Miles said: “Like most Queenslanders this week, I’ve been cheering my heart out as our Aussie swimmers chased gold in the pool in Paris.

“Their pool looks spectacular. And so will ours at the new Brisbane Arena.

“Swimming will be one of the most popular events for spectators and a temporary pool in the new arena will mean that 15,000 fans can cheer on our Aussie swimmers.

“It’s worked in Paris, it’s planned for LA, and we’re on track to deliver it here in Brisbane.”

The auditorium was to have been constructed on an elevated deck above busy Roma Street railway station before cost blowouts and emerging issues with the tricky build scuttled the plan. A ­review of Olympic venues commissioned by Mr Miles found in March the projected price tag would surge from the budgeted $2.5bn to $4bn if it stayed there.

Artist’s impression of the interior of the drop-in pool to be built for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.

The new site, on the northern side of the adjoining Roma Street Parkland, about 500m from the station, will likely allow costs to be contained to the $2.5bn pledged by the federal government under a deal with the state to fund 2032 Games venues.

Potentially, the arena could even be cheaper given the build will be more straightforward. Asked recently if Canberra’s contribution could be affected by the change of site, Anthony Albanese said: “We have a fixed amount of commitment that we’ve said, we’ve budgeted for it.”

The state government, which will have carriage of the project, is following the debate over the relatively slow swim times in Paris. Only one world record time has been set in the competition to date, by China’s Pan Zhanle in the 100m men’s freestyle, against six in Tokyo in 2021 and eight at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

This has been attributed to the depth of the drop-in pool at La ­Defense Arena.

At 2.15m it is markedly shallower than the standard 3m used at the last two Games, creating water turbulence that can disrupt a swimmer’s rhythm and slow their speed. However, the pool in Paris is still deeper than the ­required minimum of 2m.

A spokesman for Mr Miles said “finer details like exact pool depth” would be worked through during the detailed design development stage. The Labor Premier told The Weekend Australian: “We’ve got eight years to deliver the Games and we’ll see what works and what doesn’t, and continue to listen to the experts.”

Queensland Premier Steven Miles at the site of Brisbane Arena in the Roma Street Parkland. Picture: Annette Dew

Construction of Brisbane Arena was expected to begin in 2026 and finish in 2031. In its post-Games configuration, the hall would seat up to 17,000 and host concerts, shows and sporting events.

“This venue will not only ­provide the perfect backdrop for Olympic and Paralympic swimming events, but also offer lasting legacies as a world-class facility in the heart of the city,” Mr Miles said.

Until now, the three-year-old program to ready Brisbane for the planet’s biggest all-sports tournament has been dogged by controversy over the main Olympic stadium, forcing Mr Miles to axe a plan hatched by his predecessor, Annastacia Palaszczuk, to rebuild the ageing Gabba stadium close to the CBD.

At the same time, he rejected the finding of a venue review panel headed by former LNP mayor Graham Quirk for a new $3.4bn stadium at Victoria Park in Brisbane’s inner north. Instead, Mr Miles adopted the recommendation of International Olympic Committee powerbroker John Coates to upgrade the 1982 Commonwealth Games stadium at suburban Nathan, even though it is not on a train line.

State Opposition Leader David Crisafulli, riding high in the opinion polls, has promised to review the venue decisions if the LNP wins October’s state election.

But Mr Miles appears keen to use the buzz from Paris to orchestrate a reset on the Games. On Friday, he announced an $87m urban renewal program to pave the way for the main athletes’ village at Northshore Brisbane.