Design award to CPAC

Precinct’s ‘seamless integration’ praised

THE Cairns Performing Arts Precinct has received one of the country’s most prestigious architecture awards despite an ongoing fire safety battle waiting in the wings.

The city’s cultural heartland – linking the $71 million Cairns Performing Arts Centre (CPAC) and Munro Martin Parklands – shared the top gong at the 2020 Minister’s Awards for Urban Design with Brisbane’s $110 million Howard Smith Wharves revitalisation project. The judges’ comments recognised the clever way the two separate projects had been linked.

“Significantly, the road between both projects has the ability to be closed off for festivals and large performances,” they said.

“The seamless integration between theatre infrastructure within the parkland allows visitors to experience the open space all year round, even when performances are not scheduled, contributing to the civic life of the city.”

Mayor Bob Manning used the award to push for the state and federal governments to invest in the $40 million Cairns Gallery Precinct.

“It is a great loss to our region that the senior levels of government can’t see this,” he said.

Cr Manning said the award was recognition of the visionary work of CA Architects, Cox Architecture and Andrew Prowse Landscape Architect. “It is very rare for an award of this type to be won outside a metropolitan centre,” Cr Manning said.

“It shows that we have outstanding designers and architects based in the Far North who can deliver world class projects.”

A long-running fight between the council and the Queensland Building and Construction Commission and Queensland Fire and Emergency Service is still ongoing over the CPAC building’s fire safety credentials.

A report before yesterday’s meeting stated the council had lodged right-to-information requests with both parties and Queensland Health and “we will have access to some documents requested soon”.