Alex Ward | Game-changing design

Senior Architect at Populous, Alex Ward, shares his professional journey and passion for sports architecture, revealing what inspired him to pursue this unique career path. From his early dreams of playing professional sports to channelling that passion into designing world-class sports venues, Alex offers valuable insights and advice for aspiring architects.

What initially inspired you to pursue a career in architecture and design with a focus on sports venues?

Growing up in the tropics, playing professional sport was what we dreamed about. Fortunately (or unfortunately), that dream didn’t work out for me but I found a passion in architecture and was able to channel my passion into my profession. My Master’s final design at QUT allowed me to focus on an indoor arena (very similar to the proposed Brisbane Live) which opened up my perspective of how a simple building can accommodate a variety of diverse people, for many different sports and performances.

Sustainability is a crucial aspect of modern architecture. How do you integrate sustainable design principles into your work?

Sustainability is a term that is thrown around loosely to cover a wider range of topics. Personally, I believe that efficient, performance-based design will reduce our embodied energy consumption during construction and limit the operational energy needs. Architecture needs a rigor of performance-based thinking and analysis to provide the most efficient and optimal built-form outcome our clients and planet deserve.

Can you share some innovative design elements you've implemented in sports venues and how they improve the overall experience?

Sports and entertainment venues are essentially places that people love to be together. Amplifying that sense of excitement and thrill with the built form around us is crucial. To achieve this at the scale of these mega-structures, material innovation needs careful consideration. We are currently exploring Mass Timber for this typology, as the technology is in its infancy but it’s an innovative structural material capable of reducing that initial embodied carbon footprint.

What motivated your decision to pursue post-graduate studies, and how has it impacted your career?

To be a registered architect in Queensland, a Master degree is required, hence my return to QUT to continue my studies. Becoming a registered architect at an early age (for this profession) propelled my career as I explored the Northern Hemisphere from London to New York. There, I was given the opportunity to lead large project teams across multiple continents where we focussed on some incredibly diverse, large-scale projects. I’ve been fortunate enough to bring this experience and knowledge back to Brisbane.

How important is feedback from athletes and fans in your design process?

Stakeholder engagement for all building typologies is fundamental. As architects, we are limited by our own experience. Unless we have played professional sport, or run the 100m sprint like Usain Bolt, we need this critical insight/feedback to curate the experience for all involved.

How do you envision the future of sports venue design?

A combination of Mass Timber and Flexibility—opening the sports venues to be more active outside of game days. Typically, sports venues (mainly stadiums) are only operational nearly 5% of the year. Like a mixed-use development, alternative uses should be explored, creating activation around the clock, and promoting an 18/7 vibrant community.

What advice would you give to aspiring architects and designers who are interested in specialising in sports venues and sustainability?

Get in touch or become part of the design / sporting community. Many facets of design can influence the design of sports venues. Many of us at Populous began our love for sport from grassroots club sport and found an interest in design later in life.

Lastly, do you have a favourite project you’ve worked on, and if so, what made it stand out to you?

Each of my projects pushes the boundaries more than the previous project, which is always challenging and exciting. So, I’d say the project I’m working on at that point in time is my favourite. I’m currently working on a confidential project that allows the design team to push the boundaries on mass timber structural systems, significantly reducing the project's embodied carbon footprint to almost neutral.

Alex Ward
QUT degrees - Master of Architecture (2012) and Bachelor of Design (Architectural Studies) (2011) - now the Bachelor of Architectural Design
Have a question for Alex? Connect with him on LinkedIn.