Seaside Convention Hall
/2025
Post-tensioned concrete shells echo rolling surf, spanning column-free halls that flip from tech expos to coastal-culture festivals overnight. Operable wave-pattern louvres temper glare and funnel sea breezes, while seawater heat-pumps and recycled-glass terrazzo anchor the venue’s ambitious visitor-experience and sustainability targets.
Project Gallery
Timescales
Deep foundations and seawall tie-backs consumed the first eight months of the schedule, meticulously aligned with recurrent low-tide cycles.
Sweeping concrete shells were cast in custom on-site molds and craned into position before post-tensioning locked them, while prefabricated MEP corridor modules helped finish the project in 31 months.
The grand opening—hosting a 10,000-delegate tech summit—was staged two full months ahead of schedule, validating the fast-track delivery strategy.
Objectives
Limit delegate queue times to a maximum of 15 minutes, enable five-minute hall turnover for back-to-back events, and frame panoramic sea views from every concourse.
Reduce cooling loads by employing seawater heat-pumps paired with intelligent wave-pattern louvres that automatically track the sun’s azimuth.
Provide free hall use for local schools on at least ten days per year, and deploy real-time digital wayfinding that auto-updates with each hall re-configuration.
Materials
Post-tensioned white concrete shells incorporate crushed oyster-shell aggregate for sparkle, and all glazing is low-iron with wave-pattern frits for solar control.
Terrazzo concourse floors include recycled coastal glass chips, and PET-felt acoustic baffles are produced from reclaimed ocean-bound plastic waste.
Timber fit-outs utilise fast-growing plantation eucalyptus, and algae-derived paints actively capture CO₂ during the curing process, further lowering embodied emissions.
Challenges
Aggressive salt spray corroded standard aluminium fixings, necessitating a costly mid-project switch to duplex-coated stainless replacements.
Storm delays to barge deliveries forced an emergency detour, trucking massive shell molds over a mountain pass under police escort.
Insurance underwriters required detailed tsunami egress modelling, leading to the design of skybridges that double as elevated evacuation routes for large crowds.