Hassell Cox HKS
A government’s investment in cultural infrastructure such as a stadium is fundamentally an exercise in city building. As Norman Foster once remarked, “You cannot separate the buildings out from the infrastructure of cities and the mobility of transport.” Before reviewing Optus Stadium by Hassell, Cox and HKS, it’s worth considering the Western Australian Government’s aims in commissioning it and whether they have been achieved.
The government decided to locate the stadium on the Burswood Peninsula, across the Swan River from the eastern end of Perth’s CBD. The site was originally quite isolated and used as a rubbish dump, with an adjacent horseracing track and a casino. In recent times the Graham Farmer Freeway has been extended through the centre of the peninsula, as well as a new railway line, making it much more connected to the city.
In selecting the site, the aim was to even out Perth’s traditional bias toward
