Mount Coot-tha or Mount Olympus? Bold vision for Olympic pool to loom over Brisbane 2032

Olympians could compete with spectacular city views for attention if the Games venue review adopts a bold proposal to build Brisbane’s Olympic pool on Mount Coot-tha.

Brisbane-based architect Richard Groves has presented his vision for a 15,000-seat aquatic centre, perched above the Mount Coot-tha quarry, to the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority’s 100-day review of Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure.

With its “breathtaking” views of Brisbane, the venue could integrate with Brisbane City Council plans to transform the quarry into a tourism, recreation and environmental destination in time for the Games.

The project would include two indoor warm-up pools and two event pools with a retractable roof and facades, which would allow both indoor and outdoor competition.

Post-Games, the venue would seat 8000 and be a permanent home for aquatic sports, such as swimming, diving and water polo.

“Brisbane is such a centre of excellence for swimming and other water sports,” Groves said.

“Anything we build should have positive impact that lasts much longer than the 2032 Games.”

Groves took his vision to national architectural firm Bates Smart, which brought the concept to life through its design and rendering.

Bates Smart director Mathieu le Sueur, the firm’s Queensland studio lead, said the venue would endure beyond the Games and attract global attention.

“The deliverability, accessibility, and adaptability of this project are key considerations, but it is the lasting legacy for Brisbane that truly sets it apart,” he said.

Project management firm Codicote has estimated the cost at between $500 million and $800 million.

For many, one of the lasting memories from the Barcelona 1992, the Games of the XXV Olympiad (for which Brisbane unsuccessfully bid), was the sight of divers at the Montjuic pool twisting through the air, with Barcelona serving as their backdrop.

That was not lost on Groves, who came up with the Mount Coot-tha concept during a visit to Montjuic.

“The imagery generated from those [Barcelona] games, of the divers with Gaudí’s la Sagrada Familia in the background, is unforgettable,” Groves said.

“That inspired our ‘eureka’ moment. We can harness Mt Coot-tha and its great views. We could further enhance Mt Coot-tha as a significant place in Brisbane and the facility could be permanent.”

While Brisbane might not have the Sagrada Familia dominating its skyline, few could argue the view from Mount Coot-tha is not spectacular.

In their submission to the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority’s 100-day review, the RDA/Bates Smart design team has a simple pitch: “This is where history will be made.”

“Arriving at the pool deck in Brisbane will be one of the most unique experiences in world sport,” they say.

The centre would include a retractable facade and partly retractable roof, opening the facility up to a “breathtaking view of Brisbane and beyond”.

“As a legacy, these retractable elements will minimise the need for [heating, ventilation, and air conditioning] when not being used in event mode, which we envisage will be most of the time,” they say.

Athletes’ change rooms would be under the main stand, while International Olympic Committee and VIP lounges for the Games would be housed under one of two temporary stands at either end of the venue.

“Across the road, at the same level and connected by a dedicated athletes and VIP bridge, will be the warm-up pools, to be dedicated to the exclusive use as a high-performance training headquarters for the Australian aquatics organisations post-Olympics,” they say.

“For the Olympics, there will [be] 14,000 to 15,000 seats depending on IOC and World Aquatics requirements, all with great views, close to the action. The diving tower will be slimline design. Accessible seats will be a priority at deck level and at the main promenade level, all lift-accessible.”

One thing not in Mount Coot-tha’s favour is how separated it would be from the rest of the city. So how would people get there?

For the Games, the Brisbane Metro would have to play a part. As would some new road infrastructure.

“Importantly, we have proposed building new off ramps and a flyover bridge on the M5 to connect directly to the Mount Coot-tha Road. This move connects the Athletes Village at Northshore Hamilton, cutting travel time to 18 minutes,” the design team says in its submission.

“These upgrades also connect the whole SEQ Motorway—a permanent roadway improvement.

“Brisbane Metro buses could access Mount Coot-tha via a circuit, as shown on the map [see embedded document]. These buses can carry up to 150 passengers, are accessible and are fully electric, helping to reduce emissions attached to the Games.

“We’ve designed the Aquatic Centre drop-off to efficiently manage Brisbane Metro bus logistics.”

As it stands, Olympic swimming is earmarked to be held in a drop-in pool at the proposed Brisbane Arena at Roma Street, with diving to be held at Chandler.

Proponents of a sports precinct at Victoria Park have made the case for a new aquatic centre to be built there, incorporating the existing Centenary Pool at Spring Hill.

Swimming Australia has long argued for a legacy pool, rather than the planned drop-in, but it has not publicly declared its preferred location.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, meanwhile, has made a pitch – backed by billionaire Gina Rinehart – to host swimming at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre at Southport, were Commonwealth Games events were held in 2018.

What sets the Mount Coot-tha proposal apart from other sites, the design team argues, is that it is almost shovel-ready.

“The facility is sited to make the most of its abundant amenity, especially views to the Brisbane CBD. No existing parkland is destroyed, but instead we turn an existing brownfield site into a memorable Olympic legacy project, to be the new National Aquatic Centre,” they write in its submission to the review.

“Construction will not interrupt any city functions, traffic or otherwise. Minimal noise disturbance would occur due to distance from residential areas. No demolition is envisaged, and there would be very little in the way of sitework excavation, so building could start immediately.”

The project could be completed by 2028, the design team says, which would give Brisbane ample opportunity to test the venue before the 2032 Games.

A high-performance centre would be built on a car park and connected to the aquatic centre via two footbridges across Sir Samuel Griffith Drive.

“These will meet the needs of the various stakeholders involved, including the athletes, the general public, the aquatics organisations who we envisage to headquarter at the facility in the future, the Olympic (and future) broadcasters, Brisbane City Council, and the tourism and events industries of south-east Queensland,” the team says in its submission.

The stands would face east and south, which the designers say will negate glare issues, with the sun setting behind the stands.

“Stands will be designed to optimise north-east breezes and Brisbane’s famous sub-tropical weather,” they say.

“During the Olympics, being in winter we have designed for a north-east dawn and north-west sunset as the opening day will occur nearly one month after the winter solstice.

“The main events facility, with Olympic swimming, diving and water polo pools, is accessed directly at grade from Sir Samuel Griffith Drive. This is designed with curved floorplates, walls and facades that sit perched into the Mt Coot-tha Forest landscape, much like a beehive, and will be seen from around Brisbane as an iconic legacy of the 2032 Olympics.”

One of the renders suggests it could be used as a concert venue. Groves and le Sueur said the main pool deck level could be regularly “flipped” for events, to maintain year-round activation.

Le Sueur said such “city-making legacy” was the cornerstone of the project.

“We need to deliver the right aquatic centre, in the right place, so that it has lasting positive impact for Brisbane,” he said.

“Our histories as architects show that we know how to design this kind of architecture

“… An Olympic Aquatic Centre on Mt Coot-tha would become a key place for Brisbane, and would hopefully remain a significant place for many decades to come.”