Surfers Paradise 
BUDDING architect Ben Campbell may have found a solution to keep everyone happy about a new casino at The Spit.
The 23-year-old’s idea of an underground building could appeal to both developers and environmentalists who have been divided about the topic for years.
Mr Campbell presented his proposal to a team of industry professionals yesterday as part of a class assessment and competition at Griffith University.
Mr Campbell’s classmate Sobi Slingsby, 23, took out the top prize with her design and won an architecture trip to France.
Her proposal impressed the judges, including Dean LaVigne from ASF – the company negotiating a real casino at The Spit.
“From a practical perspective, these could be high-end private gaming villas that people can rent,” the property development director said.
“It was a very pure scheme … it dealt with the real issues.”
Ms Slingsby admitted she was daunted by the task because of the controversy surrounding the development of a casino at The Spit.
“I never go to the casino and there’s such a preconceived idea of it being a bad and plastic environment which it doesn’t need to be.”
Mr Campbell, a keen fisherman, said he wanted to challenge the traditional approach to building a casino by making it half underground, with grass on top of the rounded roof.
“This would align more with what the community would want to get out of it,” he said.
Mr LaVigne said Mr Campbell’s proposal had a “mature floorplan” and was “very ambitious”.
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