20 | WATERLINE July 2025 FEATURE MARINA PLANNING DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR THE MODERN MARINA By Leon Sines, Business Analyst GC Marine When GCMarine was engaged to redevelop Marina Mirage on the Gold Coast, they identified an exciting opportunity to create a world class showpiece. During the planning process, “dead water space” was identified which with a little lateral thinking, led to a unique redesign and the idea of La Luna Beach Club was born. Encompassing a footprint of 31m x 25m, La Luna Beach Club is Australia’s first floating Beach Club, offering a Mediterranean inspired experience with a focus on fine dining. Guests can enjoy the restaurant and bar along with the pool area that includes two freshwater pools and is surrounded by daybeds, sunlounges, and private cabanas. The back of house design includes a commercial kitchen with walk in cold room and self-sufficient enviro system that captures and processes the facilities grey and black water discharge. Behind the glitz and glamour there is a high degree of technical detail that goes unnoticed. The Beach Club is a floating structure so there were many technical challenges encountered during design and development to ensure that the facility matched the new marina freeboard, as well as being stable and level at all times. GCMarine collaborated with architects and their design engineers to determine projected weight distribution of the superstructure, which resulted in thirteen pontoons being individually designed to accommodate specific weights in specific areas. Consideration was also given to the fit-out of the kitchen, restaurant, bar area, cool room, cabanas and rest rooms as well as the pools so that neutral buoyancy was ensured. The design implications resulted in pontoons requiring different levels of floatation, with some having ballasts tanks added and others around the pool area having very limited floatation. To counter the floatation levels and heights from pontoon to pontoon, IBC units filled with water were strategically placed, which assisted in reducing freeboard and levelling the pontoons before any superstructures were constructed. Best-practice design and sustainable innovation were key design considerations, with materials and construction methods selected to minimise environmental impact. Lightweight construction was essential with some components being manufactured from recycled materials. Clear panel roofing and glass balustrade was installed to allow patrons to enjoy natural light in all seasons. The La Luna Beach Club is a testament to what’s possible when cutting-edge technology meets innovative design.
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