Parklands played a key role in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, becoming home for some 6000 athletes and team support officials as the event Athletes’ Village.

Beyond the Commonwealth Games, an enduring and perhaps even greater legacy of the Parklands master plan is its transformation into the key stage of the evolving Gold Coast Health Knowledge Precinct.

Envisaged as a catalyst precinct for the redevelopment of the area into a vibrant, inclusive and connected urban mixed use community, the master planning, design, and delivery of the 29 ha site was a significant urban design and architectural challenge stretching an eight year period.

Undertaken as a joint venture between Archipelago, Arkhefield and ARM Architecture, the development features over 1200 apartments and townhouses coalesced around a village heart with over 5800sqm of retail.

The development provides a balance between some seven hectares of residential and retail precincts with an equal seven hectares of parklands and open space flowing through and between buildings.

As the most advanced Priority Development Area in Queensland, Archipelago’s involvement in the project has been long running, from master planning through to the delivery of significant phases of work, both on government and proponent side.

Having commenced with the original competition winning entry for the Commonwealth Games bid, and following a series of reference designs produced for cabinet to form an economic position on the project thereafter, Archipelago were appointed by Economic Development Queensland to complete reference designs to assist in framing the Priority Development Area.