#Completed: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre Expansion

[KJBrissy]

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre’s Plans for Future
14 December 2006

The Queensland Government is considering a major expansion of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre to ensure Brisbane stays a prime destination for national and international conferences and conventions.

Premier Peter Beattie together with Treasurer, Anna Bligh announced funding of $3.4 million for detailed design and planning work for a major expansion of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC).

The planned expansion of the Centre’s convention facilities will target an urgent need to accommodate more conventions of 400 to 600 delegates.

Treasurer Bligh said the preliminary cost estimate of the expansion was approximately $100 million but that a firmer cost estimate will be available once the initial design work has been completed.

“Subject to construction funding being approved by the Government, the Centre could be completed in early 2009”, Ms Bligh said.

The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2005, recorded its most successful year ever in the 2005-06 Financial Year, both financially and in the numbers of events hosted.

The Centre has established itself as a leader among international convention centres by being ranked in the top three convention centres in the world for the second time in three years.

The proposed expansion of the Centre, which incorporates an additional 11 meeting rooms with accompanying breakout areas, foyer space and banqueting facilities will be located on the Grey Street side of the building facing the South Bank Flag Court.

The new construction will link to the existing building at the Plaza Level and will provide a direct interface from the Convention Centre to the South Bank Precinct on Grey Street.

South Bank Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Snow said that the proposed expansion of the Centre would consolidate Brisbane’s position as a world-leading destination for meetings and business events.

“The proposal will add to the Centre’s reputation as a venue of choice, with more than 800 events including 155 conventions already booked through to 2013”, Mr Snow said.”

“The proposed expansion will help us build on our vision for Grey Street to create Brisbane’s best street.”

BCEC General Manager, Robert O’Keeffe welcomed the announcement and said that while the Centre’s heavily booked Great Hall is already able to accommodate up to 4000 theatre style, the two new tiered plenary auditoriums will provide much needed facilities to accommodate an increasing demand for concurrent conventions up to 600 delegates.

“This expansion of the Centre’s convention facilities will provide us with the infrastructure to host an additional 50,000 international and national delegates in the first five years with significant economic impact to Brisbane.
The operation of the Brisbane Convention Centre already contributes more than $200 million to the Queensland economy each year,” Mr. O’Keeffe said.

Mr. O‘Keeffe welcomed the Government’s commitment saying it will strengthen the Centre’s continued efforts to attract major international and national conventions to Brisbane and Queensland, generating greater economic benefit and fostering global interchange of knowledge. He said the design work was expected to commence immediately and completed within a six months time frame.

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Harvesting Water

A RAINWATER harvester will collect water from the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre's 25,000sq m rooftop as part of a $100 million extension plan for the complex unveiled by South Bank yesterday.

In a move that will delight conservationists, the giant roof structure will capture thousands of litres of rainfall to supplement South Bank's thirsty gardens.
Brisbane architect Michael Rayner, of Cox Rayner Architects, who was appointed this week for the extension, said: "There is an enormous roof area of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and with it comes an enormous amount of water which can feed South Bank. This could attract other centres to follow because they are an amazing building type."

South Bank already has three 47,000-litre water tanks to harvest the park's swimming pool backwash to water surrounding gardens.

Mr Rayner said the design team was yet to calculate how much water could be siphoned from the roof catchment.

In addition to the rainwater harvester, the extension includes two halls, breakout rooms, additional foyer and exhibition space, ground-floor restaurant and retail areas.

The team from Cox Rayner had been working towards the project for the past two years, fighting off three other firms to win the contract.

Cox Rayner originally designed the Brisbane Convention Centre as well as centres in Sydney, Cairns and Singapore.

South Bank Corporation chairman Steven Wilson said two vacant sites adjacent to the centre had been earmarked for the extension.

The extension is still at a proposal stage, with the final submission for funding expected to be lodged with the State Government later this year.

South Bank chief executive Malcolm Snow said yesterday a number of projects in the South Bank precinct were already introducing water-saving measures.

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I'm just hoping they make the Melbourne Street side more pedestrian friendly.

[lockstar]

The pedestrian facilities on Melbourne St are horribly inadequate for the amount of traffic. And why was the busway designed with two at grade intersections (@ Melbourne & Grey Sts)? It should be separated (by tunnel) from these 2 intersections. It may be possible to incorporate a new access to the C&CC over or under South Bris station.

[KJBrissy]

It was initially designed with the tunnel, but once again, cost was a factor and we end up with an inferior product. Can add 5 minutes on to the trip also.

[neilo63]

I heard about this, but im struggling to think of what the vacant sites are? Cnr of Melbourne and Gray streets maybe?

[Macca-GC]

perhaps on of the sites could be just on the south side of the South Brisbane Railway station, between it and the Rydges Hotel.

[GMAC]

Fantastic News, this should help keep our Convention Centre as one of the best in the country. Id say it is definitely the site next to Rydges and I wonder if it will include some of the site around the Sth Bris Station.

[Brizbane2]

Originally Posted by neilo63

I heard about this, but im struggling to think of what the vacant sites are? Cnr of Melbourne and Gray streets maybe?

The article posted by KJ Brissy said the location
"The proposed expansion of the Centre, which incorporates an additional 11 meeting rooms with accompanying breakout areas, foyer space and banqueting facilities will be located on the Grey Street side of the building facing the South Bank Flag Court.

The new construction will link to the existing building at the Plaza Level and will provide a direct interface from the Convention Centre to the South Bank Precinct on Grey Street."

So the site is next to the rydges hotel.

[neilo63]

Crap, sorry.

[KJBrissy]

It actually took me ages to try and figure out where it was myself even with the description in the article!

[BrizzyChris]

It's the piece of land next to Rydges and across from the Qld Conservatorium.

[Maroon Grown]

I can't believe no one has posted this. This is the info from the website.

http://www.bcec.com.au/expansion.aspx


Expansion$130M Expansion for Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre’s $130 million expansion will enable the Centre to meet increasing international and national demand.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has officially confirmed plans for the new convention centre development to be located on vacant land adjacent to the existing Convention Centre in Brisbane’s South Bank Precinct, heart of the city’s cultural and entertainment activities.

"The expansion will continue to strengthen the Centre’s position in a very competitive market and will continue to enhance Brisbane’s reputation as a leading destination for meetings and business events," Ms Bligh said.

The Centre’s strong performance, with record forward bookings and sustained growth underpins the timing of the expansion project.

The expansion announcement follows unprecedented demand for the Centre’s facilities with 93 convention bid wins with a record economic benefit of $136 million for Queensland so far this financial year.

The new convention centre development is designed to meet an urgent need to accommodate conventions of up to 600 delegates and will provide greater flexibility in accommodating events of different sizes at the one time.

The expansion design incorporates five levels of boutique convention and event space establishing the Centre as Australia's most flexible meetings and events venue.

The expanded Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre will have total room capacity and numbers of meeting rooms comparable to the new Melbourne Convention Centre while also providing larger clients with the opportunity to increase their plenary sessions up to 8,000 pax.

The new expanded facility to be opened in mid 2010, will be the only convention venue in Australia to have three stand alone Plenary Halls covering meetings from 400 to 8,000, two ballrooms, three Speakers' Presentation Centres, six Executive Boardrooms and Australia’s first tasting room.

Brisbane Convention Centre General Manager, Robert O’Keeffe said the official announcement of the expansion was not only timely but also very welcome. "Brisbane is experiencing a period of record growth with a 28% increase in business tourism nights according to the most recent national visitors survey. The Centre’s forward booking levels are at an all time high and as such the need to expand our facilities has become critical to our future business plans."

"The new development will provide us with the infrastructure to host more than 250 additional new events each year," Mr O'Keeffe said.

South Bank Corporation Chairman Steve Wilson said the expansion of the Centre was a great boost for the Precinct. "The new facilities will face the South Bank Cultural Forecourt and will add to the activation of Grey Street as a retail and restaurant hub and provide a direct link to the South Bank Precinct."

[sonic123488]

This place has been giving the RNA showgrounds a run for its money for a while now, this development will give an already great convention centre new focal points.

[beastjim]

This development will really help it connect better to the general south bank area and of course the City via Victoria Bridge. Looks good.

[BrizzyChris]

I think renders have been posted before, but must have been swallowed up by other threads.

[Danubis]

ya, i remember discussion last year about it. there was a render floating around somewhere...

[muntted]

image hosted on flickr

All posted by soulvision

[OUTOFNOWHERE]

Kinda sexy in a airport terminal kind of way...

[Mr. Welsh]

It's hard for me to envision exactly how this is going to be built with the train track right through the middle of it, but it will surely make Grey St. much nicer.

[TOCC]

sweet, looks pretty cool

[Orfeo]

Originally Posted by Mr. Welsh

It's hard for me to envision exactly how this is going to be built with the train track right through the middle of it, but it will surely make Grey St. much nicer.

The original BCEC building already has a section built over the top of the tracks (the plaza level). This section will simply be built up to that point.