CairnsCruiseLinerTerminal

Projecttype:Civic
Location:Cairns,QLD,Australia
Yearcompleted:2007

Theredevelopmentofthisheritagewharfshedrecognisesits
contributiontoCairnsanditshistory
Theheritagestatusofthebuildingrequiredthemaximumamount
ofexistingfabricberetained.
Contemporaryinsertionsforlight,accessandamenitiesare
discernableandpolishedusingcontemporarymaterials
Theexistingfabrichadnothermalinsulationandcladdingisapplied
totheexterioroftheexistingwallsandroof,creatinganinsulated
sandwichpanelofnewandold

OVERVIEW

Cairns is a major transit port for cruise liners travelling to Far North Queensland, the Pacific and
Polynesianislands.Sincethe1990s,passengershadbeenprocessedintheadjacentShed2withminimal
infrastructureoramenitiesinplace,resultinginaratherrudimentaryexperience.

ThebriefforWharfShed3wastorefurbishthebuildinginamannerthatcelebratedandembracedthe
heritagefabricwhileconvertingtheshedintoapassengerprocessingfacilitythatwasmemorableand
hadadualuseasastateoftheartmultipurposespaceforfunctionsandexhibitionswhencruiseliners
arenotberthed.

TheprojectisakeyelementintheCairnsCityportMasterplanwhichhastransformedthewaterfrontinto
anurbanpublicrealm.ToPortsNorthscredit,theclienthaslongprioritisedconservationofthewharfs
historicshedsandartefactsaswellasthecreationofwaterfrontpublicspaceandtheconversionofShed
3 as the Cruiseliner terminal is the first key piece of public infrastructure in this significant port side
precinctofhistoricandenvironmentalinterest.

The Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal redevelopment implements and combines sustainable development
solutionsonsocial,cultural,economicandenvironmentallevels.TheprojecthasreceivedtheAustralian
InstituteofArchitectsEddieOribinAwardforBuildingoftheYearinthe2011,FarNorthQueensland
Regional Architecture Awards, the Don Roderick Award for Heritage in the 2011 Queensland State
Architecture Awards and the Australian National Awards, the Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage
worksclearrecognitionofitscontributiontoCairnsanditshistory.

CASE STUDY:CairnsCruiseLinerTerminal 2

PLANNINGANDMANAGEMENT

The design process for the urban renewal of the wharf precinct and adaptive reuse of Wharf Shed 3
commencedandconcludedwithanintegrateddesignteam.Theclient,everystakeholderandconsultant
on the team challenged the brief, contributed ideas, philosophies and solutions to the building and
precinct from the first meeting. This has resulted in a successful multidisciplinary project where the
architecturespeakstothelandscape,theservicesandstructuralupgradesareintegratedintothefabric
andthesignagetellsastoryaboutthehistoryofthewharvesinthecontextofCairns.

InDecember2010,thebuildingsuccessfullygreeteditsfirstcruiseliner,creatingamemorablearrival
pointintoCairnsforthepassengersandcrewoftheliner.Pragmatically,themainhallspace,amenities
andurbaninfrastructureinsertionsefficientlyprocessedpassengerswhiletheviewingdeck,balconies
andwindowsontotheinletexploitedthetropicalnatureofthesetting.

Themainhallspaceisintendedtobeasflexibleaspossible,encouraginguseasagallery,functioncentre,
exhibitionspaceandpublicfacilitywhennotinuseasapassengerterminal.Wherethestructurehad
accommodatedthehandlingofproduceitwouldnowhandlepeople.

SITE

TheCairnsCBDhastwowaterfronts.Thecity
grid runs parallel to the twokilometrelong
Esplanade that looks northeast across tidal
mudflats to the Coral Sea. The Cairns
Esplanadehasbeenprogressivelyrejuvenated
in recent years, most significantly by the
development of the swimming lagoon and
Marina Point restaurant complex at its
southern tip. Around Marina Point the
waterfrontturnssouth,offeringviewsacross
thedeepwatersofTrinityInlettotheMurray
Prior Range beyond. The marina zone is
significant as the launching point for
commercial and private boating to the Great
BarrierReefandsupportsthelargeupmarket
hotelsandtouristfacilities.

Animportantaspectoftheurbanrenewalvisionfortheprecinct,toconverttheindustrialwaterfront
into a tourism and cultural hub for Cairns required that Wharf Shed 3 became a state of the art
multipurposefunctionandexhibitionspace.

Asthefirstmajorpublicspaceintheprecinct,stronglinkswererequiredbetweenthewharfprecinctand
thealreadydevelopedpartsoftheforeshore.Astrongintegrationbetweenthewharf,landscapingand
buildingwasessential.

A significant art piece by Indigenous artist, Thancoupie, located in the park opposite the Terminal
deliveredaspartoftheprojectfurthercontributestothepublicrealm.
Significantpalmsandtreesareretainedandpreserved.



CASE STUDY:CairnsCruiseLinerTerminal 3

DESIGN

Thekeydesignphilosophywasretainasmuchoftheheritage
fabric as possible and create contemporary insertions or
openingsintotheexistingfabricforlightandaccess,containing
necessary amenities required for operations. The insertions
should be easily discernable and polished using
complementarymaterialsagainsttheexistingheritagefabric.

MATERIALS

Restorationofsignificantbuildingelementswascarriedoutby
aheritagecarpenterwhilerepairsofotherbuildingelements
usedlikeforlikematerials.Thisincludedgirtsfromsalvaged
timbers, Fielders Z600 barrel roll profiled iron manufactured
onaheritagepressandsalvagedhardwareforthecargodoors.

Allnewmaterialsusedforinsertionsorexternalskinsaresympathetictotheheritagefabric,yetclearly
distinguishable.ThelocationofthebuildingoverTrinityInletandexposuretosaltairdeterminedthe
externalwallandroofskinsbeColorbondStainlessSteelorUltraSteel,actingasaprotectiveskinover
theZ600.

Significantsectionsoflargeflitchesofsalvagedwharfdecktimberwereextractedfromthedemolition,
sorted and recycled for use in the structure, interior joinery elements and urban furniture including
interpretivepanelsandpublicseating.MuchofthesalvagedtimberisQueenslandMapleandSilkyOak.

Highlevel ventilation
mesh to the inlet side
(prevailing breeze) is
replaced with louvers to
allow sealing and
moderationofbuildingfor
mixed mode air
conditioning. Big Ass Fans
circulate the natural
ventilation.



ENERGY

For the heritage sheds, the existing passive systems for energy control have been controlled and
amplifiedtoallowforamixedmodeoperation.Thebuildingisprimarilynaturallyventilatedwithcross
flowventilationmaximised.

Analternativesolutionwasundertakentomodelthethermalandventilationoperationtosatisfyboth
PartJoftheNationalConstructionCodeofAustraliaandtheoperationalrequirements.Themixedmode
airconditioningsystemisdesignedtooperateat30degreesanddeliveraspaceatadesigntemperature
of27when supplementedbylargeindustrialfans.Thissystem significantlyreducesbuildingrunning

CASE STUDY:CairnsCruiseLinerTerminal 4

costs and relies on the openings in

the building as fresh air intake. The
openingscanbeadjustedtomanage
the volume of cross ventilation as
required.

The existing fabric had no thermal
insulation and since a core design
philosophywastoretaintheexisting
fabric as raw as possible from the
interior it was almost impossible to
sealsufficientlytofullyaircondition.
Thus,newinsulationandcladdingis
appliedtotheexterioroftheexisting
wallsandroof,creatinganinsulated
sandwichpanelofnewandold.

Natural lighting predominates
through the day with a rhythm of
glass panels integrated into the
existingwallfabric.

Theheritagestatusofthebuildingrequiredthemaximumamountofexistingfabricberetained,thus
reducingtheembodiedenergyofnewcomponentry.

WATERANDWASTE

Waterefficientdevicesareusedthroughout.Runofffromthecarparkandnewpavedsurfacesisdirected
towardthelandscapeforsupplementaryirrigation.

OWNERS/USERSSTATEMENT

The project has been a resounding success, achieved a
number of industry awards and has exceeded Ports
NorthsexpectationsintermsoftheCruiseShipTerminal
operations and utilisation as a multipurpose facility.
AlanVico,GeneralManagerPlanningandProjects,Ports
North.

Thisisanimportantadditiontotheurban,culturaland
commercial mix of the Cairns CBD, the heritage listed
waterfrontshedhasbeenrecoveredandrepositionedas
acityassetofsubstance.
Arigorousprocessofbuiltforminterpretationcombined
withaflexibleinstallationofthefunctionalrequirements
ofaninternationalportofentrydeliversaflexiblefacility
with potential for significant commercial and cultural
contributiontothecityfromitswaterfrontsite.Malcolm
Middleton Qld AIA Awards Jury Director, State
GovernmentArchitect.


CASE STUDY:CairnsCruiseLinerTerminal 5

PROJECTTEAM

Basebuildingarchitect/designer:Arkhefield+TotalProjectGroupArchitectsinassociation
Otherarchitect/designer:JustinONeill,KarenOgnibeneandRogerMainwood
Civilengineer(Siteandtraffic):CardnoGroup
Structuralengineer:CardnoGroup
Servicesengineer:(mechanicalelectrical,hydraulic,fire):CardnoGroup
ESDconsultant:MGFConsultants(NQ)PtyLtd
Energyefficiencyratingconsultant:MGFConsultants(NQ)PtyLtd
Otherconsultants:HeritageConvergeHeritage+Community
LandscapeArchitect:CardnoSPLAT
Signage:DotDash
ArtProcurement:ArtsQueensland
Builder:HutchinsonBuilders
BuildingEnvelope:FieldersforHeritageBarrelRolledAuthentic19thCenturyRoofingandWallCladding

PhotographscourtesyofScottBurrows

Formoreinformationvisit:www.jcu.edu.au/tsd
www.greenbuild.com.au

Informationandphotosaresuppliedbytheprojectownersanddesigners.The
TropicalGreenBuildingNetworkandJamesCookUniversity(theadministrators) The project has been funded by the JCU Sustainability Fund and
cannotguaranteetheaccuracyorauthenticityofthis content.ProducedJuly2014. supported by the TGBN powered by GreenBuild.com.au.