THE GOLD Coast Cultural Precinct Project has been in the planning for a number of years.
Evandale was first identified as a preferred location for an arts centre in the late 1960s. It took almost 20 years before the first Entertainment and Arts Centre was constructed on the current site. Since opening in 1986, the centre has undergone many modifications and extensions and is a substantial community cultural asset. It has a strong reputation through delivery of quality programs, exhibitions and a growing city art collection. But it is bursting at the seams. Current facilities limit opportunities for expression and appreciation of the Gold Coast’s unique culture and development of the city’s creative potential.
The growth in artistic and cultural expression has mirrored that of the city itself. With a residential population now exceeding half a million people, demand for greater access to cultural facilities and options mounted during the latter part of the 2000s.
What followed was a series of community consultations and exploratory design investigations. This preparatory work culminated in several key documents and the formation of a Vision for the cultural precinct:
- The Gold Coast Cultural and Civic Masterplan 2010
- Gold Coast Cultural Resources Audit July 2012
- Gold Coast Cultural Precinct Vision October 2012
Together, this body of work has created the foundations for the Design Brief , which will guide the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct Design Competition and delivery of the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct.
Project Timeline
| Year | Project Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1968 | Council purchased the Evandale site with the intention of building a ‘civic heart’ for the City. The community had expressed interest in and support for a cultural and arts centre. |
| 1976 | The City of Gold Coast Administration Centre was opened on 11 September. |
| 1986 | The Gold Coast Community and Entertainment Centre, named the Keith Hunt Community, Entertainment and Arts Centre, was officially opened by the Governor of Queensland, Sir Walter Campbell, on Saturday 6 December. The Arts Centre cost more than $15 million to construct.
Some thoughts at the time were:
|
| 1990s | Visitation to the Arts Centre grew from 100,000 per annum in the 1990s to over 500,000 per annum in 2012. |
| 2008 | The Bold Future community survey informs Council they want more cultural spaces as part of future city planning. The request for more cultural spaces includes - innovative spaces to interact, preservation of our cultural and indigenous heritage, exposure to cultural and creative pursuits and support for home-grown industries. |
| 2009 | The Cultural-Civic Precinct Taskforce holds a national 2009 Design Ideas Competition. Architects from around Australia conjure design ideas for a cultural precinct, showcasing the value in the Evandale site. The winner is Super Colossal’s “Island of Culture”. |
| 2010 |
An Evandale Precinct Taskforce masterplan is developed to illustrate the potential for Evandale as a cultural precinct, incorporating a range of new cultural facilities to complement the existing parklands and lake. |
| 2011 |
A consultation process was undertaken to determine the community's wants and thoughts for a future cultural precinct on the Gold Coast. The feedback indicated a strong level of community and stakeholder support for the development of a cultural precinct. It also raised a number of areas for Council to consider when moving to the next stage of the project. These include:
> Gold Coast Cultural Precinct Community Consultation Report |
| 2012 | New Mayor Tom Tate promotes the importance of a cultural precinct:
Council endorses the intention to run International Design Competition on 23 October. |
| 2013 |
Council endorses the process, Design Brief and Jury for an international design competition on 12 March. On 21 November the competition winning design by ARM Architecture + Topotek1 was announced ahead of a three-week exhibition titled THE REVEAL: Designs for a new Gold Coast Cultural Precinct. |
| 2014 | Touring Exhibition. Touring Exhibition of the winning concept visits Gold Coast libraries, community centres and major events, directly reaching more than 4500 residents. Link to Council Committee Report 15 October 2014 extract (Adopted 16 October 2014) Link to Council Committee Report 27 November 2014 extract (Adopted 28 November 2014) |
| 2015 |
Initial concepts for Stage 1 are unveiled and a Managing Contractor, ADCO Constructions, appointed to deliver this first step in the project. Decommissioning of Evandale’s first civic chambers and Council administration buildings begins with a celebration of the precinct’s transformation, ahead of Stage 1 delivery. Urban Oasis, public art competition, begins the evolution of the Cultural Corridor from Surfers Paradise, across Chevron Island, to the Cultural Precinct. A public competition also delivers a vibrant piece, Gold Coast Happy Days, by Gold Coast artist Go Suga, as the winning Stage 1 site fence artwork to surround the precinct’s Stage 1 compound during construction. |
| 2016 |
Stage 1 construction phase commences. Link to Council Committee Report 24 June 2016 extract (Adopted 24 June 2016) |
| 2017 |
Link to Council Committee Report 11 May 2017 (Adopted 17 May 2017) |
| 2018 | HOTA, Home of the Arts was adopted as the new name and brand of the precinct. |
See what Gold Coasters have said about the need for a cultural precinct.