Burringbar Park
Designing Brisbane’s First-Class Hockey Hub
Queensland

Even with a greenfield site, delivering a hockey facility that balances performance, durability, and budget is no small task. The design needed to consider:

• Local flood behaviour and drainage requirements.
• Compliance with hockey performance standards.
• Coordination of civil and structural design elements.
• Evaluation of proposed construction materials and systems.
• Clear communication between the design team, contractors, and project superintendent.
  
  

The challenge for SPORTENG was to act as a trusted technical advisor at every step, ensuring design integrity, answering contractor queries, and reviewing alternative solutions without compromising quality.

Our involvement began with a thorough review of all existing site and design information, including geotechnical data, surveys, as-built drawings, flood records, and civil/structural plans. This upfront work gave us a deep understanding of the project and allowed us to anticipate where clarification might be needed.

Throughout the tender and construction phases, we:

• Attended site meetings to review design drawings and assess buildability.
• Responded to multiple Requests for Information (RFIs) from contractors to clarify details and design intent.
• Reviewed product samples and proposed alternatives, assessing their suitability for performance and long-term maintenance.
• Reviewed and provided feedback on workshop drawings to ensure accuracy before fabrication or installation.
• Attended site inspections for both the synthetic and natural turf hockey fields, checking compliance with design specifications and best practice.
  
  

By staying closely involved, we were able to provide targeted, timely advice to keep the project moving smoothly.

Completed in 2020, the upgraded Burringbar Park Hockey facility now boasts a world-class short pile synthetic hockey pitch alongside a well-maintained natural turf field. The result is a flexible, high-performance venue that serves elite players and grassroots participants alike.

Just three years later, the venue proudly hosted the 2023 Australian Under-18 Championships. As Dr Karin Walduck, President of the Brisbane Women’s Hockey Association, shared:

“Being able to host these Championships at this first-class hockey facility in Brisbane can only be done because of the effort and support provided to hockey by the wider hockey community – players, coaches, managers, umpires, technical officials, staff, volunteers and spectators – thank you to you all.”

Source: Hockey Queensland U18 Women State Championships hits Chermside 

Our collaborative approach during the design and construction phases helped ensure the venue could welcome events of this calibre, meeting both technical standards and the expectations of the hockey community.