The interview: Brooke Lloyd

Brooke at Bert’s Bistro, Allianz Stadium. Photograph: Gregg Porteous

The interview

Brooke Lloyd: interior designer

When you walk into the SCOS facility, or Allianz Stadium’s bars and restaurants, you will be enjoying the work of a designer who lives one street from the ground.

Brooke, when did you start working on the Allianz Stadium redevelopment and what was the brief? How long did the project take from start to finish?

Our involvement from our interiors specialism began right at the inception of the project. Our strategy for all projects at Cox is to design them from the inside out. The experience of the spectators is paramount and this informs everything from the form and shape of the façade to the orientation of the pitch. The brief was to create a stadium in a park that felt equally like a global destination and also part of the local Moore Park community. We were tasked with providing more community value, more experience for teams and fans, and better connection to surrounding parkland and amenity.

Which areas did you work on?

I led our very talented interior design team in designing all the interior spaces, which ranged from the corporate and hospitality zones, technical broadcast spaces to the player facilities, including the Sydney Roosters Centre of Excellence. We also designed the general concourse, amenities, workspace and the Sporting Club of Sydney fitness facility. It was a big job.

Bert’s at Allianz. Photograph: Jiwan Kim

What was the look and feel you wanted to achieve in these spaces?

There was a different brief for each space. The concourse, for example, is purposely quite neutral to ensure the attention is on the pitch. The restaurants and bars were designed to feel like you could be drinking or dining in a pub or restaurant on Oxford St. Many of our details are derived from the classic Paddington pubs that surround the stadium. Crafted ceramic tiles, robust bar plinths that you can prop your foot on while having a drink. At every opportunity we sought to connect the spaces back with the context of Sydney. In the Level 2 members bar we created a slot to the rear of the bar so the spectacular views across Moore Park and the city skyline can be taken in.

Have you done similar projects to this before?

Prior to doing this project, I had spent a decade in London designing bars and restaurants with Conran and Partners. It was interesting to approach the hospitality spaces within the stadium through this lens of boutique design instead of the preconceived notion of what a stadium hospitality experience should be.

Who did you have to report to when doing this project?

We primarily reported to [Venues NSW group general manager of infrastructure development] Julie Shires and [Venues NSW CEO] Kerrie Mather, and Merivale was also very involved. Julie and Kerrie were unwavering in their shared vision to create an elevated stadium experience. They laid down the ambitious brief to create a place that was imbued with the soul of Sydney, driven by the rich tapestry of its past, its present and its people.

Which are your favourite spaces at the stadium?

Without question it would be Bert’s in the members lounge. It’s such an intimate place for such a public venue, a special corner far from the madding crowd. The lush finishes, city skyline view and the double height volume create a beautiful space for a beautiful menu. I also love the corner bar in the south-west of Level 4 overlooking Kippax Lake, such fabulous views. Oh, and any space in the club but particularly the pool deck, it feels quintessentially Sydney.

The Sporting Club of Sydney pool. Photograph: Hamilton Lund

How do you feel about the area now that it is finished and you can see people enjoying it so much?

I feel overwhelmingly proud of what Cox has achieved. There is not a bad seat or vantage point in the entire stadium. The elevated design, teamed with the unrivalled Merivale food offering, make it entirely unique and I would say hands down the best stadium experience in Australia.

You recently moved within walking distance of the stadium. Do you get there often?

It is pretty funny. We are regulars at the stadium, we have two sports obsessed sons who are keen to watch any sport, but in particular, soccer. It was amazing to watch the Women’s World Cup there and to see the crowds at near capacity for recent Sydney FC games. We also went to the Paul McCartney concert. Such an adaptable venue.

Cafe at the Sporting Club of Sydney. Photograph: Hamilton Lund

What are you working on now?

I have just completed a new restaurant in North Sydney called Poetica and have begun concept design on Canva’s new workplace, a 9000sq m headquarters for their Sydney campus with food at the heart of the experience.

Brooke Lloyd leads the interiors specialism at Cox, an architectural practice with studios across Australia and New Zealand.