Six years to go until the 2032 Games!

“Inspired by wind and water” – a new vision for our National Aquatic Centre has been unveiled to mark six years to go until the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with leading national firms ARM Architecture and NH Architecture in partnership with Queensland’s Arkhefield selected to design the Games centrepiece.

Olympians, Paralympians, architects and the next generation of Australian swimmers gathered at Centenary Pool on 23 July, exactly six years before the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to unveil designs for the new National Aquatic Centre.

The National Aquatic Centre will deliver an iconic swimming and water sports hub for high-performance athletes and a legacy for community use beyond the Games.

The powerhouse design team of ARM Architecture and NH Architecture, in partnership with Queensland’s Arkhefield, will help deliver an iconic swimming and water sports centre that will host the world’s best aquatic athletes in 2032, and be a world-class facility and high-performance hub for Australia’s future stars.

Embracing Centenary Pool’s heritage listed structures, the National Aquatic Centre will also feature a main and secondary arena, each with large pools to support elite training and competitions.

With a roofline reflecting water and wind, the Centre will feature new pools, a gym, high-performance and office spaces, complementing the existing outdoor pools and amenities of the heritage-listed Centenary Pool.

Andrew Hayne, Director at ARM Architecture, said it was all about creating a place that could only belong in Queensland.

“The architecture has been inspired by wind and water, and the roof is a dramatic piece of the architecture,” Mr Hayne said.

“It’s a floating roof that really conveys a sense of ‘Queenslandness’ and ‘Brisbaneness’.  The design's been very much influenced by the landscape, by the tropical subtropical climate.”

Eight-time Olympic medallist Cate Campbell said it was wonderful to have a world class swimming facility in South East Queensland.

“It is about the next generation. It is about creating new moments that band us together as a country, that make you want to turn around and hug the stranger next to you,” Ms Campbell said.

“I think that that is the most exciting thing about the prospect of an Olympic and Paralympic Games and the reveal today.”

Paralympic swimmer Brenden Hall also echoed the excitement of the important milestone.

“I kind of get goosebumps standing here knowing that, like in six years’ time, this is going to be a massive, super exciting National Aquatic Centre; a high-performance facility where the Olympics and Paralympics are going to be held,” Mr Hall said.

The Games Independent Infrastructure Construction Authority (GIICA) is also forging ahead with the procurement process to select the National Aquatic Centre’s builder, with the successful builder to be selected in early 2027.

GIICA CEO Simon Crooks reinforced the importance of the new designs being a legacy piece for Queenslanders.

“I used to swim in this pool in the late ‘90s,” Mr Crooks said.

“I love the fact that we're actually growing the whole precinct and it's a legacy for elite sport and community sport in Queensland.”

GIICA will take possession of Centenary Pool on 1 September 2026, to begin early works to prepare the site for construction.

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Last updated:

17 August 2026