Sunshine Coast City Hall on agenda for council’s December meeting

The Sunshine Coast City Hall principal architect is expected to be appointed next month (December 2018) with innovation and technology being key elements of this project.

Progress with the Sunshine Coast City Hall project, including the proposed arrangements to engage the principal architect, will be considered by the council at its December 6 Ordinary Meeting.

Council’s Group Executive Business Performance Jeanette Allom-Hill said the City Hall building, which will be located in the Maroochydore City Centre, will reflect council’s own vision for the Sunshine Coast to be Australia’s most sustainable region – healthy, smart, creative.

“The new building will establish a benchmark for future development, both locally and regionally, create a link to the broader Sunshine Coast community and promote and facilitate inclusiveness,” Ms Allom-Hill said.

“The City Hall will establish a presence in the geographic heart of the region, expanding our connectivity and accessibility to customers.

“City Hall will also play an integral role as an activation space. It will be a place where the public will visit and interact with council and other elements of the city centre.”

The council report details the current and upcoming planning phases, including procurement of the principal architect, the project’s timeframes and construction program, project governance and the project team structure.

The report proposes that procuring the design consultancy team will occur in two stages – firstly through the principal architect’s appointment, followed by a broader design consultancy team.

A project director has already been appointed to oversee the early stage of the Sunshine Coast City Hall project and a project team is also being established.

“Council is committed to maximising the use of local suppliers across a range of consultancy services as well as contractors for our City Hall construction,” Ms Allom-Hill said.

“Construction is expected to start in late 2019 following a full competitive tender process designed to achieve best value for ratepayers.”

Ms Allom-Hill said the council intended to occupy around 75% of the new building’s floor space and provide working space for up to 600 staff, including those already located at Maroochydore.

“The project budget will be shaped by and during the design, approvals and tender processes and will be finalised once the tender process is completed,” she said.

“Council has already determined that about 200 staff will remain at both Caloundra and Nambour which will include administration, customer service centres and library services.

“This will ensure council continues to effectively deliver services to our community across the entire Sunshine Coast area.

“Regular updates will be provided to the community to keep them informed of progress with this project.”

Council has already endorsed some initial parameters for the building:

• Around 9400m2 gross floor area
• Nine levels, excluding rooftop and basement
• Provision of around 156 car parking spaces
• 5 Star National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) rating target
• 5 star green star rating target
• Regional A grade commercial building
• Complementary commercial/retail uses.

At this stage, it is expected that the Sunshine Coast City Hall will be occupied by 1 July 2022.