Background

In 2018, the NSW State Government aimed to address the growth of the Sydney Metropolitan Area. It identifies that North Sydney forms part of the Harbour CBD along with the Sydney CBD and is located within the Global Economic Corridor (GEC), which is a key economic zone in the Sydney Metropolitan Area. Interestingly, the GEC will also be the corridor that will generally accommodate the future Sydney Metro. The first stage of the Metro has been completed in 2019. A future Metro line currently under construction will connect Chatswood to Sydenham. Our site is one of the stations.

This studio investigated the role of major infrastructure on the North Sydney CBD and how Transit Orientated Development (TOD) principles define the CBD and are applied and could be applied in the CBD of North Sydney.

The existing main proposal is to build a new tower of North Sydney over the station, but can it truly bring a turn for the long-maligned urban problems in North Sydney?

Understanding Site

City Issues

• Existing major road network constraints CBD.

• Limited open/public space in the CBD core.

• Boundary of the CBD is not clearly defined.

• Lack of community/cultural facilities/mix of uses.

Development Proposal Issues

• An excessive scale with no additional public benefit to the street.

• Overshadowing streets and open/public space.

• Inadequate open/public space.

• Block the view to the surrounding buildings.

Chanllenges of Our Proposal

• Topographic difference from 10 to 30 metres.

• Engineering challenge to build construction on the top of 7 roads.

• The challenge to connect eastern area with not only physical environment constraint but also resident resistance.