City of Melbourne councillors have voted unanimously in favour of a proposal to redevelop Punt Road Oval, home to the Richmond Football Club and the place where the original rules for Australian Rules Football were drawn up.
Designed by Cox Architecture, the $65 million redevelopment will see the demolition of the historic Jack Dyer Stand, originally constructed in 1914, which will be replaced with a new development that will transform the grounds from a training facility to a public sporting precinct. The project will double the spectator capacity of the precinct from 4,000 to 8,000.
Cox Architecture’s design for the new grandstand is inspired by the original 1914 stand that it will replace. “The new design takes the same approach by incorporating a prominent array of steel columns to both the park and field elevations. Each column is composed of twin vertical elements that are pinned together and incorporate a linear light fitting recessed into a central reveal. In place of a traditional capital, the columns will feature slender steel plate connections to the roof structure above, and a footing detail that expresses its component parts,” the architects said in their planning application.
The redevelopment of Punt Road Oval by Cox Architecture.
Image: Cox Architecture
“The material palette has been selected based on a preference for natural materials that are both durable and sympathetic in a parkland context,” the architect continued. “The ends of the new grandstand present a wonderful opportunity to reinstate some of the original red brickwork from the Jack Dyer Stand.”
Cox Architecture intends to retain the remnant signage, which will be incorporated in the new building.
The development will also create the William Cooper Centre, which will house teaching, administration and recreation spaces for the Korin Gamadji Institute, the Bachar Houli Academy, and the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS). Furthermore, it will enhance and equalize the club’s facilities for both the men’s and women’s programs.
The oval itself will also be reoriented and resized to match the pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The first ever game of Australian Rules Footbal was played at Punt Road Oval in 1858. It has been the home of the Richmond Football Club for more than a century.
The redevelopment of Punt Road Oval by Cox Architecture.
Image: Cox Architecture
Heritage groups have argued for the retention of the existing Jack Dyer Stand, which has a local heritage overlay, but is not state heritage listed. This option was explored in feasibility studies for the project, however, the architects and the club ultimately determined it was not a viable option due to significant structural and safety challenges the structure poses.
Deputy lord mayor and portfolio lead for city planning Nicholas Reece said, “I commend Cox on the design of the proposed new grandstand. I think it’s a well-designed facility [that is] sensitive to the surrounds there in Yarra Park. It has been rightly described as a quiet building that doesn’t try and make too much of an over statement.
“I find the point being made about the existing Jack Dyer Stand not being fit for purpose very persuasive,” Reece continued. “If the MCG had been frozen in 1913, it would not be the world’s greatest football ground as it is today. While the aspirations of Punt Road Oval are obviously not quite as grand, I do think we need allow the oval, the stand and the facilities to continue to evolve to meet the needs of the community. That does involve a really difficult trade off […] but ultimately the benefit of that trade off is worth it.”
Reece also encouraged the architects to further integrate the would-be remnants of the Jack Dyer Stand in their design.
The proposal will now progress to the Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning for the minister’s consideration.
