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PROJECT: Melbourne Convention Centre

59444 Views 502 Replies 91 Participants Last post by  CP Doom
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/18/1082226636118.html

New convention centre, bridge for city's west
By Royce Millar
City Reporter
April 19, 2004


A new footbridge over the Yarra linking Southbank and Docklands will be part of a $330 million convention precinct the State Government is expected to announce in its April statement tomorrow.

The precinct's centrepiece will be a 5000-seat convention centre, or plenary hall, earmarked for the former Mazda site next to the Exhibition Centre, widely known as Jeff's Shed.

Business groups have lobbied for years for a new convention venue, arguing that Melbourne's existing 1500-seat centre is hopelessly outdated.

The State Government has been tight-lipped about details of the April statement and has refused to confirm whether the convention centre project would be included.

Government sources said they expected the project to be a public-private partnership, with a private group building the centre and leasing it to the government.

The managers of the existing exhibition centre - a government-appointed trust - are likely to run the new centre.

But the project will hinge on support from the Melbourne City Council, which will be under intense pressure tomorrow to contribute $43 million, including about $15 million for the bridge.

Yesterday's Government announcement that it would return control of Docklands to the council was clearly timed to encourage the council to support the convention centre.

Yesterday a town hall source said the council had demanded it get Docklands back in return for a contribution to the convention centre.

A private town hall briefing today will be the first formal council discussion on the project. A special council meeting to vote on the contribution has been hastily called for tomorrow to coincide with the April statement.

Lord Mayor John So strongly supports the new centre. He will have the numbers to approve a council contribution.

But the council is split, with as many as four of the nine councillors possibly opposed to council involvement.

Finance committee chairman and former Labor Party member Kevin Chamberlin said yesterday the council administration had confirmed that a large contribution would result in service cuts, a rate rise, or both.

If the convention centre was to be a public-private partnership the council should not contribute, he said.

The Committee for Melbourne called on the council to back the project.

"People come to these conventions with millions of disposable dollars and this has a remarkable knock-on effect for business in the city," executive director Janine Kirk said.

State MPs and councillors have questioned whether Melbourne needs a new centre, when existing venues such as the Docklands football stadium can seat 5000.

But the chief executive of the existing Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, Leigh Harry, said that to compete for international conventions, Melbourne needed a centre with a large plenary hall, a large exhibition space, and plenty of smaller meeting rooms.

He said no existing Melbourne venue provided all three.

Mr Harry said among world cities Melbourne had slipped from fourth to 25th in the number of international conventions hosted.

He said that Melbourne's lack of convention capacity made it ineligible for 320 major international conventions.
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Icanseeformiles said:
SOUND'S GREAT! A few old railway sleepers for retaining walls, maybe some volcanics rocks (with a bit of moss on them preferable) some gravel and they can throw down some of that tan bark stuff. After a couple of trips up the the Dangenongs they can even pinch a cpl of tree ferns. A 'triclon system might be nice but that's probably a bit too ambitious. :laugh:
Add to that the all important water feature (not including the yarra), some crazy paving, and prehaps a pergola and outdoor entertaining area. Lily Pily planted here and there and some nice trees to act as a screen for some privacy from the neighbours. Anything that can be scrounged from a local second hand store is a bonus too that can be used to make a great focal point.
had a look around there today & going by the render grollo posted, the area not fenced for development is sizeable. seems you could put YE 1 to 4 or a freshwater place in there no problem



anyway something else for everyone to take photos of for the next few years, jeffs shed is such a well designed building

Should be well underway by the date of the next state election :)
This one's a bugger to get a decent ground-level view of from the Jeff Shed side...

I really hate that black roof. If it was the same colour as the exhibition centre I might have liked it better.
I think it's black for ESD purposes ie. dark toned materials have a higher thermal mass storage capacity (2-3 degrees) than if it they were white or silver, which heats the building in winter but keeps it cool in summer as the internal air temperature is lowered during the day and the heat is released during the night. It's the same reason why the northern facade is all glass to allow the winter sun into the interior spaces to heat it. The summer sun is blocked out by the roof's eaves. I suspect all these features are integral to the building achieving a 6 star energy rating.
Will be some big cranes here once it gets up & going. Expect to see hammerheads with 80m+ boom length.
Looking good. Wish they would DESTROY that holiday inn building... YUKKY!!
Oh yeah is that bridge already there or is it going to be there...???
It's a new bridge.

And you know that you can edit your posts afterwards to add a new question if you forgot something you know...

Stu
Judging by all the renders so far, it's going to be one classy structure, or series of structures with the towers.

So, so, sooooo much better than what it will be adhered to.
Eureka! said:
Looking good. Wish they would DESTROY that holiday inn building... YUKKY!!
I see its now called Crowne Plaza dont know if its part of the casino tho.
Crowne Plaza.... with an 'e'.. and no definitly, not part of the Crown Casino.
Still destroy it and build a new building!!!!! Even if it is crown... This looks pretty good. Can't wait!
The entrie World Trade Centre, Crowne Plaza Hotel should never been built. Look at any map of melbourne and tell me Northbank Parkland should have been extended down to Charles Grimes Bridge. Demolish it all.
Thats what i was getting at. Demolish them all. I've created a new conversation...oops. Anyone got new pics? Has construction started???
Both Mugley and myself have posted pics in the last two weeks. If there were any new ones I'm sure they would have been posted. Cheers.
Yeah sorry. I just can't wait to see what it will look like. I guess not much will have changed. Thanx for the pics and renders anyways!!!
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