Artist's impression of Colonial 
Stadium in concert mode (58k).

Colonial Stadium is a multi-entertainment zone featuring restaurants, bars, gaming rooms, nightclub, radio station and television studio, offering a range of event experiences seven days a week.

here is scarcely a day when the media isn't filled with stories of the exploding impact of the Internet and digital technology on our everyday lives. The number of television channels and Internet services around the world increases constantly. All of these services require material to program, and sport is relatively cheap to package and broadcast to this medium.

International stadia expert Rod Sheard believes we are beginning to see concrete examples of how digital technology is transforming the venues where sport is played because the potential digital television and Internet audience from stadia and arenas is enormous.

The most appropriate example of a sporting venue that has captured this wave of digital technology opened in Melbourne, Australia on 9 March, under the architectural guidance of HOK+ LOBB Senior Vice President, Paul Henry. The 52,000 seat Colonial Stadium is the jewel in the crown of the redeveloping inner city Docklands area, on the edge of Melbourne's CBD. Rod Sheard, also senior vice president with HOK + LOBB believes Colonial Stadium, which cost $430M to build, has broken the mould.

"Colonial Stadium is really a very special building because while many buildings are innovative for one reason or another, Colonial has broken the mould in a myriad of different ways," said Rod who recently completed the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and is designing Wembley and Arsenal stadia in London. "Colonial Stadium is dramatically new and brings together a whole range of ideas we have been developing over a number of years."

"As well as harnessing the power of the digital revolution, Colonial has the first retractable roof and moving tier technology in a large stadium in the Southern Hemisphere. The closing roof will fundamentally affect the future nature of sport. Its impact on providing spectator comfort, creating atmosphere and containing light and noise breakout, cannot be underestimated."

New Intimacy

The flexibility and intimacy of Colonial Stadium will change both cricket and Australian Rules (AFL) forever. Spectators will realise the atmosphere such intimacy creates when South Africa takes on Australia in the cricket this year, or at a major AFL clash, or how close every one of the 50,000 spectators will be to the action when Colonial hosts a future Bledisloe Cup.

The proximity of Colonial to the CBD and its sophisticated public transport system linking it to the huge range of shops, restaurants and hotels that is part of downtown Melbourne, is another hallmark of the new generation of stadia. "Colonial is an urban stadium, a catalyst for the regeneration, a landmark for Melbourne. Stadia, like Colonial, have become 'social cathedrals', a reference point in the wider cityscape" added Rod.

The 'Total Event Experience'

"But Colonial Stadium will also provide a total event experience. Event flexibility has been a key component of the design, so the stadium can attract not only sports events but a huge range of entertainment events as well. A multi-entertainment zone featuring restaurants, bars, gaming rooms, nightclub, radio station and television studio, accessible both from inside and outside the stadium will mean Colonial can offer an a range of event experiences, seven days a week.

"What is special about this stadium is that while most modern stadia possess some of the qualities of the new generation of these buildings, Colonial combines them all to create a magical piece of chemistry that will make it an extraordinary venue to spend a day at for spectators of all generations," said Rod Sheard.

Colonial Stadium is also unique because it captures the quintessential nature of the Australian spectator according to Paul Henry, who has been an integral part of the design process from the beginning.

"The Melbourne spectator is dedicated. Victorians break attendance records at sporting events. Colonial Stadium also illustrates the Australian preparedness to "give things a go", accept new ideas, try for a different approach in a way that older cultures may find more difficult," he said.

A 'Flying Start'

Australians expect to enjoy themselves when they go out. So HOK+LOBB designed a stadium to support that, to offer the widest possible range of facilities and experiences, including the 5,500m of entertainment facilities known as the 'Flying Start'. The stadium is privately financed, so it was important to generate a high commercial return without sacrificing the needs of the general admissions, another reason to design a seven-day a week venue.

   Aerial view of Colonial Stadium.
Australians are also a people who are prepared to accept new technology at a faster rate than in many other countries, which meant the stadium could be extremely technologically advanced. Colonial is wired to cope with the many and varied ways technology may advance. Fibre-optic cables have been installed throughout the stadium to ensure smooth digital transmission of images and data.

Smart Seats

There are also 'smart seats' in the Medallion Club area, with video replay monitors fitted into the extended arms of the seats, which offer eight channels capable of showing instant replays, player profiles, movies and news. Tickets for these seats are selling dramatically fast. In the near future, they will have individual earphones along with the ability to order food from your seat and next week's tickets with smart card banking technology.

The television network, Channel 7, has also recognised the benefits of the digital stadium. The television network, which partly owns the stadium, is building a new digital television centre next door, and plans to install its own network linking the stadium's network to this new broadcast centre, effectively creating the largest television studio in the world.

Rod Sheard told us that "Colonial Stadium had to be a landmark on the edge of the CBD with its own sense of individuality - a structure with 'life'. The building also had to be spectacular, dynamic and have a transparent quality enabling people to glimpse from a distance the ebb and flow of the action inside. This was achieved through the careful design of the seating bowl and combined with the use of bold colours, interesting accessible spaces and creative lighting creates a dynamic, lively building, which interacts with the visiting patrons."

The exterior of the stadium is surrounded by bright lighting, which can be static, react to sound or programmed to change. Patrons can overlook the pitch or view other parts of the city and harbour from most areas of the building. The theatre and spectacle of an opening and closing roof adds to the dynamism of the building.

Coliseum

Colonial Stadium will provide an atmosphere unrivalled in the Australian Rules and cricket world - and the seating and roof structure were crucial in the design. The seating was brought as close as possible to the event arena in a 'coliseum' or enclosed circle environment that is not only relevant to Australian Rules but also essential for multifunctionality.