Now built and in operation as a hotel on the Gold Coast in Queensland, our client, KDV Sport, originally had a vision to create, in the form of “micro-apartments”, a top-class international student accommodation and educational facility for young sporting individuals and teams competing both at the professional level and the top end of their amateur games.
This was to become a destination for serious training, academic pursuit and relaxation in the accommodating Gold Coast climate.
It is believed Australia has no comparable sports-training venue, and the Golf and Tennis Academy it adjoins also occupies land abutting the Carrara Sports Precinct, which was the site for many of the buildings hosting the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Having completed and opened the Queensland design award-shortlisted KDV Golf and Tennis Academy in October 2016, we were commissioned for this project, its second phase, built on the adjoining Chisholm Road site.
The briefing for the site then evolved over the span of the project from our first involvement from that for a short-stay hotel incorporating those small apartments with curved forms.
At its second stage, the concept then became something more substantial with education facilities, and its straighter orientation.
Then, finally, the commercial decision was taken mid-construction to revert to another earlier conception under which it would operate as a more generic destination hotel, and many subsequent changes were introduced into our original design in accordance with this change of use.
Again, as in our work on the KDV Golf and Tennis Academy, we have been guided by client project director Wim Steenbeek.
Wim formerly worked as south-east Asia director of design for InterContinental Hotels, and before that worked in a similar senior management position in hotels for Mirvac. He is, deservingly, an exacting client, whose knowledge of designing to meet the operational requirements of hotels has been invaluable, and through working with him we have learnt a great deal.
Follow this link to view Wim’s LinkedIn profile.