Figure 1.
A reimagined Bays West View from Rozelle Bay
The resulting Bays West concept vision from our most recent charrette demonstrates the potential for a future-proofed, innovative city that has the social and environmental resilience to withstand change.
The regeneration of the precinct can create a sense of place and community through new types of spaces to engage, learn, explore, renew and live.
Figure 2.
Overview of Bays West
Legend:
- Silos coworking
- SME workplace hub
- Produce market
- Power station + arts community centre
- White Bay metro towers
- Biosphere
- New medium density housing
- Balmain footbridge
- Floating ‘lily pad’ recreation pontoons
- Sheltered water recreation
- New Glebe Point Road Bridge
- White Bay drone cave
- Cruise ship terminal and exhibition centre
- Aquaculture ponds
- Marine economy zones
- Innovation plug and play
- Research campus
- Mixed-use
- University/higher education
- Marine innovation education hub
- Restored Glebe Island Bridge
- Ocean pool and community recreation centre
City shaping is a great privilege and responsibility. Inspired by Christian Hampson of Yerrabingin, Architectus’ charrette team engaged with the powerful First Nations water story of the area. The design vision restores elements of the original shoreline, provides spaces for start-ups and uses aquaculture to regenerate native species and heal the harbour. It’s strongly influenced by the idea of knitting the water’s edge back into the community.
Figure 3.
A new foreshore, view over White Bay
Lifecycle design focuses on the sustainable supply and demand of materials, sustainable energy and water management, bringing back native species and habitats, and use of digital tools to minimize embodied carbon.
Figure 4.
Floating recreation pontoons with marines habitat regeneration below
Figure 5.
Sketch view of White Bay Power Station arts and community centre and new Metro Station tower buildings
Figure 6.
New Balmain edge parklands
over 46 000 m2 green roof over Cruise Passenger Terminal and Exhibition Centre
Figure 7.
Exploring pre-colonial landforms
The potential of the precinct vision is in the numbers – an unprecedented scale of urban regeneration right on the doorstep of Australia’s most international capital city. More importantly, there is a one-time-only opportunity to implement precinct-wide, inner-urban, resilience initiatives that address community, economic and environmental sustainability.
Social and affordable housing; district renewable energy, water and waste management; consistent foreshore biodiversity restoration; are all achievable due to the critical mass that Bays West affords. Effective precinct – and district – governance will ensure that we capitalise on this once-in-a-generation opportunity to future-proof the city.
Figure 8.
New Glebe Point Road Bridge to White Bay Metro station tower buildings
Bays West is a testbed for innovative ways to shape our community and the concept vision from our design charrette turns this aspiration into action. New solutions are urgently required for old problems and design leadership creates the space for innovation – the collective effort and collaborative process that will make the future.
Thank you to our Charrette 2021 Speaker panel:
- Christian Hampson
CEO and Co-Founder, Yerrabingin - Dr Melanie Lowe
Research Fellow, Urban Resilience and Innovation,
Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute - Gabriel Metcalf
CEO, Committee for Sydney - Michael Mossman
Associate Dean Indigenous Strategy and Services,
School of Architecture, Design and Planning,
University of Sydney - Tom Osha
Senior Vice President Innovation and Economic Development
Wexford Science & Technology,
Chair Global Institute on Innovation Districts - David Rolls
DW Rolls Property Consulting - Amanda Sturgeon
Regenerative Design Lead, Mott MacDonald - Theri Yip
Student, Architectus (former)
