Development of the Mars Stadium to provide 5,000 undercover seats to enable the Western Bulldogs to play AFL home matches at Ballarat. Undertaken in partnership with Melbourne’s Atelier Projects, an ECI procurement model was necessitated for completion in advance of the 2017 AFL season.
Included demolition of the existing facilities, construction of a 5,000 seat stadium, players’ and umpires’ races, players’ operational facilities, upgrade of the ground’s services to accommodate the requirements of the AFL, and an overall improvement to the amenity for those attending events.
The structure consisted of a steel cantilevered stadium, over a mix of precast concrete and in situ concrete plats, on which the seats were fixed. Coaches and Media facilities were constructed within the main western stand and separate toilets, ticketing and food vendor facilities were also provided.
Construction was completed on time, and the first AFL game in Ballarat’s history was played in August 2017 between the Bulldogs and Port Adelaide.