CommBank Stadium

Sydney, Australia
The CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, formerly known as Bankwest Stadium, delivers the ultimate live sports experience with the design of its seating bowl taking intensity and atmosphere to a new level. The 30,000-seat rectangular stadium is part of the New South Wales Government’s strategy to recognize the expansion and growing importance of Sydney’s West.

Western Sydney has a strong sporting base and tradition in both Rugby League and Football (Soccer) and the project aimed to create the best possible venue to watch the game live. At the same time, the stadium needed to belong to the wider community, so deliberate efforts have been made to ensure it is as family friendly as possible, as well as a distinctive landmark for Western Sydney.

The stadium’s premium product is designed with Western Sydney’s more egalitarian nature in mind and includes Australia’s first continuous suite deck allowing for a social in-bowl “balcony” experience to make the most of Sydney’s great climate. Another innovation includes Australia’s first rectangular stadium field suite, bringing fans closer to their teams.

There is also a family seating zone, roughly twice the size of the previous family stand, with direct connections to a Kids’ Zone and nearby family activation areas.

A new conferencing and banqueting center can be adapted from the western premium stand to provide the city of Parramatta with the greatest possible use of the venue on non-event days.

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Venues NSW-Western Sydney Long Lunch at CommBank Stadium. Picture: Gregg Porteous

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Bankwest Stadium

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The stadium opened in April 2019 and since then more than 500,000 fans have passed through the turnstiles to witness sport and entertainment events.

An additional 27,000 visitors attended functions, business meetings, community or cultural events in the same time period, and the stadium has hosted myriad concerts, including Cold Chisel, Hoodoo Gurus and Elton John.

Independent economic analysis conducted for the City Council has shown that CommBank Stadium is bringing a financial benefit of nearly $1 million to Parramatta each time an event is held at the Stadium.

CommBank Stadium was designed to be an identifiable symbol for Western Sydney, a venue that not only provides the best possible experience to watch live sport, but is flexible and multifunctional enough to be used by the community all year round.

The seating bowl brings spectators as close as possible to the field of play while also providing the best viewing quality. The 360-degree continuous bowl, which is at the steepest permissible angle, totally encloses the field of play with a wall of fans. When combined with the specially-designed roof, where fabric is mounted on the underside of the structure, these features enhance the acoustics, heighten the intensity and create a great atmosphere.

For the first time in Australia, there are convertible safe standing positions in the North Stand. This provides standing positions for the active home football fan during the season, and converts to seats for rugby fans in winter.

Facts & Figures

  • Seating Capacity

    30,000

  • Record Attendance

    29,372

  • LEED Certification

    Gold

  • 2020

    • Good Design Australia Gold Award (Architectural Design Commercial and Residential)
    • Consult Australia Project Team Collaboration Award
    • Australian Institute of Architects National Commendation for Steel Architecture
    • Australian Steel Institute NSW Steel Excellence Award 2020 for ‘Large Projects’
    • Master Builders of Australia NSW Awards for the Sporting Stadiums and Excellence in Environment categories
    • National Restaurant and Catering Awards Finalist for Best Venue Cater
    • NSW Architecture Awards Commercial Architecture
    • NSW Architecture Awards COLORBOND(R) Award for Steel Architecture
    • NSW Architecture Awards People's Choice Award Life in 2020 "Post-Iso Party"
    • LEED Gold v4 Certification for Sustainability – US Green Building Council
  • 2019

    • Silver Medal - StadiumDB.com Stadium of the Year Awards
    • Project of the Year (Joint Winner) – BOOMTOWN! Property & Infrastructure Awards
    • Outstanding Sports & Major Events Project – BOOMTOWN! Property & Infrastructure Awards
    • Australia’s Best Rectangular Stadium – Austadiums Stadium Of The Year Awards
18 items.
  • Al Baxter Senior Principal, Architect Sydney
  • Richard Breslin Senior Principal, Co-Managing Director – APAC Hong Kong
  • Nick Fitzgerald Associate Principal, Senior Architectural Designer Brisbane
  • Paul Foskett Principal, Head of Interior Design - APAC Sydney
  • Christopher Hardie Senior Associate, Brand Activation Lead Brisbane
  • James Smith Senior Principal | Director - APAC Brisbane
  • Keith Hudson Associate Principal, Senior Architectural Designer Brisbane
  • Shaun Gallagher Senior Principal, Architect Brisbane
  • Andrew Wallace Associate Principal, Architect Sydney
  • Andrew Crutcher Associate Principal, Architect London
  • Nathan Tobeck Principal, Regional Digital Lead – APAC Brisbane
  • Henry Coates Associate Principal, Architect Brisbane
  • Matthew Farr Associate Principal, Architect Brisbane
  • Cindy Yip Associate, Architectural Technician Brisbane
  • Belinda Goh Senior Principal, Architect Sydney
  • Brayden Goodwin Principal, Architect Brisbane
  • Chris Paterson Senior Principal, Director Brisbane
  • Nicholas Malyon Associate Principal, Architect Sydney

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