Sunshine Coast City Hall

Engineering the civic heart of the Sunshine Coast through sustainable design and collaborative innovation.

Following transformation of Horton Park Golf Club into the SunCentral CBD development, Sunshine Coast Council required a landmark City Hall anchoring this emerging precinct. The building needed to embody Council’s “Healthy, Smart, Creative” vision through accessible public spaces, sustainable design and organic architecture reflecting the region’s natural beauty.

ADG’s Sunshine Coast team combined local knowledge with national expertise to deliver structural and civil engineering that maintained architectural integrity whilst achieving 20% reduction in embodied CO2, 169mm flood level improvement on Maud Street, and future adaptability across this 10-level, 9,400-square-metre civic landmark.

ADG played a pivotal role delivering comprehensive structural and civil engineering for this landmark civic building located in Maroochydore’s emerging city centre. Our Sunshine Coast team drew on extensive local experience and national capability to deliver engineering excellence maintaining Cottee Parker Architects’ organic built form whilst achieving measurable sustainability and resilience outcomes.

Inspired by the Glass House Mountains, the building’s design creates seamless connections between built form and natural surroundings. The interplay of mountain and water themes flows from exterior into interior, offering holistic experiences for residents, visitors and staff. ADG’s structural solutions preserved this architectural vision whilst optimising performance and reducing environmental impact through strategic engineering.

Through efficient structural design, ADG achieved 20% reduction in embodied CO2 compared to base reference design, demonstrating how engineering excellence delivers measurable sustainability outcomes. The transparent council chambers on Level 1 symbolise open governance and community engagement, supported by structural solutions enabling the building’s unique architectural character across 10 levels plus rooftop.

Advanced flood modelling and strategic design interventions enhanced flood immunity whilst protecting adjacent communities. ADG successfully reduced peak water levels on Maud Street by up to 169mm, significantly improving flood protection for residential areas. This proactive approach underscores ADG’s commitment to resilient, purpose-driven design ensuring all work complied with rigorous Australian standards and environmental requirements.

Collaborative BIM coordination underpinned delivery excellence. Services were delivered in an integrated digital environment enabling visualisation and clash detection well before potential site issues arose. Leveraging Revit modelling expertise, ADG facilitated precise coordination across all disciplines, providing construction teams with fully integrated models improving understanding of complex elements and supporting efficient construction delivery.

Future flexibility formed a core design consideration. Recognising developing transport infrastructure reducing parking demand, ADG integrated capacity to convert car park levels to additional office space. This adaptability extends asset lifecycle value whilst supporting Maroochydore CBD’s continued evolution and intensification, demonstrating strategic design foresight serving communities for generations.

Civil engineering design achieved flood immunity whilst integrating with Economic Development Queensland requirements and considering potential adverse climate change impacts. This comprehensive approach ensures long-term operational resilience protecting Council’s civic investment and community asset through all environmental conditions.

The result is an award-winning Five-Star environmental building serving as the centrepiece of Maroochydore’s new CBD. Comprising 10 levels, approximately 9,400 square metres of gross floor area and 156 car parking spaces, the City Hall demonstrates how local insight combined with advanced capability delivers landmark civic infrastructure embodying sustainability, accessibility and architectural excellence supporting Council’s “Healthy, Smart, Creative” vision.