Community celebrates Sunshine Coast City Hall’s official opening

More than 1500 Sunshine Coast residents helped make part of local government history at the weekend as the first members of our community to set foot in the newly opened Sunshine Coast City Hall.

Sunshine Coast City Hall is situated in the heart of the new Maroochydore City Centre and has been designed and built for our community.

Seamlessly fitting into its landscape, the official opening (held December 10) was a great milestone embraced by many.

Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson proudly unveiled the landmark green-star building to the community, who were eager to see it for themselves and participate in the celebration activities.

“City Hall has been built for the people - the 350,000 residents who call the Sunshine Coast home,” Mayor Jamieson said.

“From today, council’s Customer Contact Centre and Development Services representatives will be located on the ground floor, welcoming residents and assisting with any council-related enquiries.

“On Level 1, governance in action will be easily visible and accessible to our community with our council chamber easily accessed from the ground floor and clearly visible from outside of the building.

“City Hall is also a contemporary workspace for our teams and an easily accessible and inviting facility for our valued community members who will visit for many reasons.

“Every employee, regardless of their nominated workplace throughout the region, is welcome to work from City Hall.”

Buderim resident Leanne Layfield said she was impressed with the modern, friendly and comfortable feel City Hall had.

“City Hall is a signature building for the CBD,” Ms Layfield said.

“It couldn’t be better situated in the heart of Maroochydore. It fits perfectly with the character of the Sunshine Coast and our Biosphere status.”

Nine-year-old Kawana resident Anna Kelley said she was excited to be one of the first people to visit City Hall.

“It’s really cool,” Anna said.

“I really love all the plants because it’s more sustainable.

“I might be Mayor when I grow up, but I’m also hoping to be a vet.”

Mayor Jamieson said the building was setting a new benchmark for sustainable internal and external design, for the City Centre itself and for the Sunshine Coast more broadly.

“We are now seeing this standard of design being modelled in other building designs in the Maroochydore City Centre,” he said.

“As we look to the future – to 2032 – I am conscious that the Maroochydore City Centre is very much our Olympic and Paralympic Games city.

“Just over the Maud Canal to our west will be a 1374 bed Olympic Village.

“In addition, Maroochydore will also play an important role, offering a range of places to gather to celebrate the Games, while we are part of staging aspects of the world’s greatest event in 2032.”

City Hall’s top floor, when its fit-out is complete mid next year, will also be for the people.

It will be used for a wide range of council-hosted and sponsored events, citizenship ceremonies and community engagement workshops, and will be available for hire for specified community and business events.

Architects Cottee Parker were tasked by council to draw inspiration from the Glass House Mountains, using the National Heritage listed feature in the building’s forms and colours, the stepped roof, curved façade and the native species incorporated into the building fabric.

Sunshine Coast Jinibara artist BJ Murphy, of Maleny, said he thought the building was stunning.

“The architecture is what grabs my eye,” he said.

“I’m very blessed to have my sculptures and my artwork collection there. It’s pretty symbolic.

“It’s good sharing and educating through those paintings, which is very special. They have traditional okras and soil from Country so it’s all immersed together and interconnected in that space.”

Sunshine Coast Council CEO Emma Thomas said City Hall would be a significant community asset and would be anchored in building relationships between our people and our community.

“This is truly a big part of our legacy for our Sunshine Coast community,” Ms Thomas said.

“City Hall has been purposefully designed to build engagement, productivity and innovation, allowing us to better attract and retain great people.

“And through clever design, it allows team members to be creative, inspire their curiosity, be adaptable and operate with agility.”

Visit council’s website for more information about our Sunshine Coast City Hall.

SUNSHINE COAST CITY HALL BUILDING FAST FACTS:

In May 2019 Council launched the forward-looking concept plan for the building
In August 2020 Council and McNab broke ground
10-storey building
5-star Green Star Design and As Built accreditation target
5-star NABERS accreditation target
Located at 54 First Avenue, Maroochydore

Sustainable initiatives include:

the use of concrete with 40 per cent recycled bindings
a 100 kilolitre tank for rainwater capture to supply landscape irrigation
the use of high-performance glazing to reduce solar loads
bike storage and end-of-trip facilities to support more active travel options, plus electric and hybrid vehicle parking to encourage the use of sustainable means of transport.

More than 2000 workers were employed on site during construction. Materials included: