As workers begin to dismantle Sydney's Allianz Stadium, the NSW government has unveiled the design of its replacement which architects admit will have to be replaced in as little as 30 years.
The Moore Park stadium, which opened in 1988, is to be knocked down and rebuilt at a cost of around $730 million as part of the government's $1.5 billion plan to also upgrade ANZ Stadium at Olympic Park.
But Sydney firm Cox Architecture say the new stadium will last only 30 to 40 years before it too needs to be replaced.
"We're future proofing it, there's no doubt about that, the issue of the life of the buildings comes to what's going on in 30 years time, we don't know as best as anyone," Alistair Richardson from Cox Architects told reporters on Friday.
Sports Minister Stuart Ayres said he hoped the rectangular stadium, due to open in 2022, could have a refit before being torn down.
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"We've got a design life that'll be between 30 and 40 years," Mr Ayres said
"We know that stadium infrastructure needs to be renewed, one of the things that we want to be able to design into stadiums is the capacity to have mid-life refits.
"But I think we should expect that around between 30 and 40 years will be the pressure point around having to replace future stadium infrastructure and I think you'll see that in most of the capital cities and major cities across the world."
Mr Richardson said the design anticipates the changing shape of Australians over the next three decades.
"Seat centres are wider, rows depths are longer to accommodate the fact that we're all getting a bit bigger," he said.
Cox was one of only three firms invited to tender for the project.
Mr Ayres was forced to defend the tender process when unveiling the winning design.
"As part of our development application process we agreed that we would conduct a design competition - it was done away from government," he said.
The design had a number of compelling features that set it apart, according to jury member and head of Projects NSW David Richards.
"The creativity around the roof structure ... wrapping the skin of the roof around to contain the light and noise spill beyond the stadium was a noticeable feature, as was the terraces on the upper levels to allow for some landscaping," Mr Richards said.
The roof reaching all the way to the front line of seating - ensuring dry seats for all spectators - was also a coveted feature, he added.
The company that will actually build the newly-designed stadium is yet to be determined.
Independent candidate for the federal seat of Wentworth, Licia Heath, on Friday slammed the stadiums' overhaul as a waste of money.
"We already have top-notch stadiums. What we need is funding for more schools."
