Commonwealth Games Athletes Village

The Smith Collective, formerly the Parklands Commonwealth Games Village, is one of the most significant urban renewal projects ever undertaken in Queensland. Delivered as part of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, it provided accommodation for over 6,600 athletes and officials before transitioning into a 7.1‑hectare, 1,252‑dwelling residential precinct

Client

Grocon

Location

Gold Coast, Queensland

Sector

Tourism, Sports & Leisure, Mixed-use Residential, Commercial

Services

Structural, Civil, Construction Services

Project overview

The Smith Collective, formerly the Parklands Commonwealth Games Village, is one of the most significant urban renewal projects ever undertaken in Queensland. Delivered as part of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, it provided accommodation for over 6,600 athletes and officials before transitioning into a 7.1‑hectare, 1,252‑dwelling residential precinct for more than 2,500 residents.

ADG’s role covered full structural engineering design from concept through construction, ensuring the project was delivered under tight Games delivery deadlines and seamlessly transitioned into a prosperous mixed‑use community post‑Games.

$400

MILLION

CONSTRUCTION VALUE

7.1

LANDMARK PRECINT

1252

HOMES

PERMANENT DWELLINGS

6 ☆

GREEN STAR COMMUNITY RATING

"Parklands showcases to the world Australia’s skills in designing, building and managing communities that deliver long-term economic, social and environmental benefits."

Romilly Madew

Former CEO, Green Building Council of Australia

On the World Stage

Stage One | Commonwealth Games Athlete’s Village

Built to house athletes and officials during the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Parklands was an exercise in precision design, construction speed, and performance. ADG’s brief was to design and deliver high‑quality structures that met the rigorous timeframes and functional needs of an elite international event.

By using precast double‑height columns, lift and stair cores and post‑tensioned flat‑plate floor structures, ADG enabled rapid vertical construction across more than 18 buildings. These engineering choices provided:

Faster program delivery to meet strict Games milestones
Efficient, economical structural forms without compromising quality
Long‑term versatility to support reuse post‑Games

Athletes benefited from modern and safe accommodation, communal spaces, and accessibility features that reflected the inclusive spirit of the Games.

Stage Two | The Smith Collective Mixed‑Use Residential Transformation

Engineering a Lasting Legacy. After the Games, ADG’s focus shifted to transforming Parklands into The Smith Collective, Australia’s first purpose‑designed build‑to‑rent community. The conversion required adaptive reuse engineering to repurpose athlete housing into vibrant apartments and townhouses while redeveloping communal areas into retail, leisure and health facilities.

ADG delivered post‑Games design services to:

Redesign structural elements for long‑term durability and maintenance efficiency
Adapt residential layouts for permanent occupancy
Repurpose the athlete’s dining hall into a new supermarket and mixed‑use retail precinct
Enhance perimeter access and community connectivity within the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct

The result is a thriving urban village that embodies sustainability, liveability and integrated design. A blueprint for future large‑scale event legacy projects.

SOCIAL & SUSTAINABLE OUTCOMES

Legacy Through Design

Designed for world‑class sporting requirements, built for lifelong community use
Seamless transition from temporary to permanent occupancy
Adaptive structural forms ensuring long‑term sustainability

Connected Community

Integrated housing, retail, health and lifestyle precinct
Walkable civic design supporting social engagement and well‑being
Australia’s first 6‑Star Green Star Community, endorsed by the Green Building Council of Australia

ADG's Solution

ADG’s value lay in engineering foresight, designing for both immediacy and longevity. Each structural decision balanced the pressing deadlines of the Games with the adaptability required for post‑Games conversion.

Services associated with the development of Parklands pre-Games included structural engineering design, taking advantage of innovative solutions such as pre-cast double height columns, and lift and stair cores, combined with post-tensioned flat plate floor structures, to achieve substantial economic and sustainability outcomes. Pre-built elements and advanced construction methodologies also facilitated a quick build to ensure the project was delivered in time for the Games.

Through early collaboration, modular design, and innovative structural systems, ADG ensured cost efficiency, construction speed, and flexibility for future use. The Smith Collective demonstrates how infrastructure investment can deliver lasting community, social and economic benefit, setting a new standard for sustainable urban evolution.

Structural engineering design associated with The Smith Collective conversion post-Games consisted of the transformation of athlete accommodation to residential units, as well as the redevelopment of retail spaces across the precinct, including repurposing the athletes’ dining hall into a new Woolworths supermarket.

ADG also provided construction engineering services across the project, including tower crane installation design, and the design of the steelwork sculpture and construction methodology. The team designed a cost-effective, efficient structural form that successfully considered the large-scale nature of the precinct, with the project delivered safely and within a compressed timeframe.

Sustainability was a key priority for the design of Parklands, with the precinct acknowledged as Australia’s first 6 Star Green Star Community by the Green Building Council of Australia.