Brisbane 2032: Aquatic Centre Designs Revealed as Hard Work Begins

A giant digital countdown clock now dominates Queen Street Mall, and Brisbane's first official Olympic venue designs have landed — but with six years until the opening ceremony, the hard work of turning blueprints into buildings is only just beginning.

July 23 marked exactly six years until the 2032 Games open, a milestone the city marked by unveiling an Omega-branded countdown clock in the CBD. The early installation is notable: Beijing's equivalent appeared about four years out, London's counted down the final 500 days, and both Paris and Milano Cortina installed theirs roughly a year beforehand. A larger, Brisbane-themed version is planned for the one-year mark.

The same week brought a more substantive announcement — the first look at the proposed National Aquatic Centre. Designed for the heritage-listed Centenary Pool precinct in Spring Hill, beside the planned Olympic Stadium at Victoria Park, the preliminary concept features a flowing roofline intended to evoke the movement of water and wind. The design team includes ARM Architecture and NH Architecture alongside Queensland firm Arkhefield and aquatic specialists Liquid Blue, whose collective portfolio spans Perth's RAC Arena, the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall redevelopment and several Queensland aquatic facilities.

The proposed centre will include main and secondary competition arenas, large training pools, a gym, high-performance facilities and office space. The government says it will respect the heritage-listed elements of Centenary Pool, though the current renders do not make clear exactly what will be retained, modified or removed. Centenary Pool is scheduled to operate until 30 August, with the Games Infrastructure and Investment Authority (GIICA) taking possession the following day and early works beginning shortly after.

Four builders are currently shortlisted, with the final contract expected to be awarded in early 2027. GIICA's chief executive Simon Crooks has set an ambition of completing the centre at least one year before the Games, though he has stopped short of confirming a delivery date. The official seat count — more than 25,000 during competition, scaling back to around 8,000 in legacy mode — also remains in flux. Reports this week indicated temporary seating may be trimmed to keep costs within the fixed $7.1 billion venue budget. Deputy Premier Jared Bleijie declined to confirm whether the capacity target would change, while Crooks maintained the current figure was unchanged but still subject to value-for-money testing.

The individual budget for the Aquatic Centre has not been disclosed. GIICA argues releasing it during the procurement process would weaken the government's negotiating position, though that stance also limits public scrutiny of how the overall venue allocation is being distributed. Premier David Crisafulli has indicated project costs will eventually be made public as work is delivered, without specifying when.

Reports also emerged that some existing Centenary Pool tenants had not received formal notice of their departure or compensation arrangements when the designs were announced. The Deputy Premier confirmed affected parties would be compensated, but said the timing and amounts were matters for Brisbane City Council to resolve.

Across the broader venue program, progress remains at an early stage. Crooks confirmed at budget estimates that just one major construction contract has been awarded so far — initial earthworks for Brisbane Stadium. Smaller packages covering archaeological, geotechnical and piling work have been issued, while the bulk of major contracts remain in tendering, planning or validation phases. The Queensland Audit Office has indicated much of the construction program will be completed in 2030 or 2031, which does not necessarily signal the program is already behind schedule — major infrastructure projects require extended design and procurement timelines before work begins in earnest.

Seven new venues are planned and ten existing facilities are slated for upgrades. With six years to go, the foundations are being laid — but the distance between a preliminary design and a finished venue is long, and the answers to some of the most important questions are still months away.