‘A new benchmark for sustainable development in Sea Country.’ Jury Citation
Winner of the 2024 AILA National Landscape Architecture Award for Cultural Heritage
A new chapter of change
The Cockatoo Island / Wareamah Master Plan presents a vision for the island’s reactivation as the heart of Western Sydney Harbour. It weaves together the island’s layered history with new and expanded visitor experiences, adaptive reuse and staged transformation over time. Tyrrell Studio were engaged to lead the design team for this iconic Sydney island. The Master Plan was finalised in 2024 following an extensive consultation process.
The design strengthens four distinct layers of history and heritage along with improved circulation, land use and infrastructure.
Visualisation of the master plan looking west with an immersive evening program underway.
Mapping Sea Country
We began by mapping the Sydney Harbour context: its aquatic diversity, tides, currents, topography and bathymetry. We modelled landform and buildings to understand island-specific patterns of wind and sun on humans and plant life. We sifted complex layers of meaning to preserve historical significance and determine a logic for new uses, spaces and paths. Months of careful study ensured that a deep knowledge of place underpinned early conversations with collaborators and stakeholders.
Tidal currents have created deep channels to the northeast of Sydney Harbour and protected shallow coves to the southwest.
The position of Cockatoo Island / Wareamah in Sydney Harbour creates four viewsheds or ‘harbour rooms’ of unique proportions, tidal systems and weather characteristics.
The shape of the island changed over time: headlands become more prominent, bays straightened and compressed, edges flattened and clifftops became more sheer.
The island has been shaped by wind and tide for millions of years, managed by First Nations peoples for thousands of years, and manipulated for colonial and industrial use for hundreds of years. As periods of use became shorter, the intensity of adaptation increased.
Cockatoo Island / Wareamah is the largest island in Sydney Harbour.
Winds and temperature define comfort factors at different times of the year, contributing significantly to the visitor experience. We modelled the island and ran weather simulations to understand how exposure and topography influenced visitor comfort across the seasons.
The Master Plan offers Cockatoo Island Wareamah a future as rich as its past. With careful design, the island’s natural and cultural values will continue to uphold their national and world heritage significance.
Visualisation of the Master Plan looking west showing new arrival sequence, marine ecology reefs and potential future accommodation.
Four journeys to explore
The Master Plan values and promotes Cockatoo Island / Wareamah’s UNESCO World Heritage status while making the full spectrum of history more legible. Sedimentary layers of sandstone and progressive periods of construction help to tell the interwoven stories of this place.
By working with the fundamental characteristics of the island, the design weaves together four distinct layers of history and fuses them with improved circulation, land use and infrastructure. Visitors can choose to explore the natural history of the island, connect with Country, hear stories of convicts, prisoners and schoolchildren who were imprisoned, as well as understand the proud histories of dock working, ship building and defence.
Four journeys to explore: Natural history of the island; Connecting with Country; Convicts, prisoners and schoolchildren; Dock working, ship building and defending Australia.
Four journeys to explore: Natural history of the island; Connecting with Country; Convicts, prisoners and schoolchildren; Dock working, ship building and defending Australia.
Four journeys to explore: Natural history of the island; Connecting with Country; Convicts, prisoners and schoolchildren; Dock working, ship building and defending Australia.
Four journeys to explore: Natural history of the island; Connecting with Country; Convicts, prisoners and schoolchildren; Dock working, ship building and defending Australia.
The island has withstood decades of transformation, retaining its scars in sandstone. The Master Plan leaves room for rawness and maintains the original character as much as possible.
The island has withstood decades of transformation, retaining its scars in sandstone. The Master Plan leaves room for rawness and maintains the original character as much as possible.
The island has withstood decades of transformation, retaining its scars in sandstone. The Master Plan leaves room for rawness and maintains the original character as much as possible.
Cockatoo Island / Wareamah’s colonial, maritime and industrial uses are still visible in buildings and geology. Together these physical remnants form an exceptional cultural landscape.
Visualisation of the Master Plan looking east showing slipways pool, northern parkland recreation and camping.
Visualisation of the Master Plan looking south west showing Parramatta Wharf, events space, marine ecological reefs and northern parkland.
‘A courageous approach to contemporary park making.’ – Jury Report
Winner of the 2020 AILA NSW Landscape Architecture Award for Cultural Heritage
Transforming a golf course into an inclusive community park
In 2017, the Parramatta Park Trust needed a master plan to return the 20-hectare Mays Hill precinct (a golf course for the previous 58 years) to public use. Our brief had three parts: site the new Parramatta Aquatic Centre, improve connections to Parramatta Park and consult intensively with the community. The challenge became how and where to fit an ambitious new program while protecting the precinct’s world heritage context, mature trees and key visual relationships.
We developed a range of visual principles to characterise some of the potential attributes of the future large parkland.
We recorded the special qualities of the place to communicate with community and stakeholders.
How to make an Olympic-sized swimming pool disappear
Contemporary urban parks are as much about program and activation as they are about green vistas and respite from the city. We viewed the Parramatta Aquatic Centre as a catalyst for the remaking, reorganisation and reactivation of the park. Our proposal to site the pool in the centre of the park was bold, and contrary to initial client and council expectations. The idea relied on clear principles showing how landform, access and views could help disguise the mega-structure in plain sight.
Our Mays Hill Master Plan identified how the new Parramatta Aquatic Centre should be sited within the Mays Hill parklands. We set out clear principles that positioned and shaped the new facility in relation to the broader landscape values and the world heritage context of Parramatta Park.
We developed clear principles for the 20 hectare site in order to protect its heritage landscape value. Our innovative design framework enabled the inclusion of a range of recreational uses.
A multi-colour, multi-use hybrid path
Parramatta’s growing community wanted a lot from this park – far more than it could ever fit. So we took the essence of each requested game, scaled down to its smallest essential element and distributed them along a colourful ‘hybrid path’. The accessible path zigzags up the slope for several hundred metres, defining landform as it runs. The inside of each mound forms a ramped edge suitable for scooters and skateboards, while the path accommodates running, basketball, netball, futsal – even cricket wickets. Grassy mounds create space to relax and watch the action with children’s play equipment distributed throughout.
We consulted widely with Parramatta’s diverse community who requested an equally diverse range of uses…far too many, even for a park of 20Ha.
Our solution was to develop a series of sculpted landforms, building on the remnant landform of the old golf course. These landforms allowed us to protect and focus key views. Within the landforms we folded a hybrid playscape attempting to cater for the diverse requests of the community.
The final Mays Hill Master Plan was adopted and the location for the new Parramatta Aquatic Centre was endorsed. The new Parramatta Aquatic Centre was designed and constructed in accordance with the Master Plan, receiving the Sulman Award for Public Architecture in 2024.
This state significant project re-imagines Sydney’s Central Station for the first time in over one hundred years. Our public domain design seeks to connect the city through a network of new public spaces that links Surry Hills to Chippendale and allows the CBD to expand south to Redfern. Historic buildings and structures create landmarks at key junctions in the public domain, while surrounding parks help to anchor the new development with the city.
The proposed renewal of Central Precinct will create a network of new and enhanced open spaces linked by green streets.
Remnants of Country
Central Precinct is built over a series of ancient dunes, ridges and creek lines that drain to Sydney Harbour. A landmark for the Gadigal, these sand dunes hold the deep time and memory of Country beneath the bustle of today’s global city. Echoes of the dunes underpin the design including mounded landforms, deep soil, improved biodiversity and Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub plant communities. The physical healing of Country is key to establishing connection and a tangible link to place.
c1900-1925 photograph of the sand dune on the site of Central Station with Surry Hills behind. Source: State Library NSW ON260/399
Visualisation looking north-east over Central Square towards Central Station Sydney Terminal Building.
Sectional visualisation looking east, showing the Grand Concourse, Central Green, Central Avenue, and Devonshire Square.
Remnants of ecology
We proposed a system of high performing green infrastructure to be seamlessly integrated with the grey infrastructure of the development. This strategy develops the over station development ‘deck’ into a high performing piece of green infrastructure, providing the conditions for extensive urban canopy, deep soil and generous planted areas for cool green cover and increased biodiversity. This new blue green infrastructure and the extensive public space network we proposed, will transform what is currently a vast rail corridor splitting the city and offering no ecological value. Developing this extensive green infrastructure proposal above Sydney’s largest rail interchange will bring social, economic, and environmental benefits both to the precinct, and the wider city.
Improving biodiversity and creating urban habitat will connect the precinct to the wider ecological network of the city, supporting microbats, small birds, insects, frogs and lizards.
Improving biodiversity and creating urban habitat will connect the precinct to the wider ecological network of the city, supporting microbats, small birds, insects, frogs and lizards.
The Over Station Development establishes a continuous soil volume spanning from the Central Green to the south deck, as well as connecting to existing soil volumes of Prince Alfred Park via the George Street Bridge.
Our planting strategy draws from the history of the site and a consideration of environmental growing conditions.
Concept section through the OSD structure showing minimum 1000mm allowance for soil depth and large connected horizontal soil volumes ensuring tree health.
A rolling land form references the historic sand dunes that were a landmark of Country and provides additional soil volume for planting.
Sectional visualisation looking west, showing the Devonshire Bridge linking to Devonshire Square, Central Green and the Grand Concourse.
Sectional visualisation looking north-east, showing Devonshire Square intersecting with the Central Avenue and Devonshire Link, and platforms below.
Illustrative section through Southern Plaza and the Goods Line showing level changes.
An iconic public landscape
The Sydney Terminal Building will be set in an iconic public landscape consisting of major new CBD spaces including Central Square and Central Green.
The proposed public domain provides a high quality network of new and revitalised public open spaces, pedestrian streets and laneways. Major new north-south and east-west connections will unite the city around a remade Sydney Terminal Building.
Rethinking the role of green open space in a changing urban context.
Winner of the 2019 AILA National Award for Parks and Open Space
A new type of park
The Southern Parklands Framework is a creative and aspirational design strategy for Sydney’s largest urban park. It aims to increase visitation to the Western Sydney Parklands, protect its unique landscape and ignite dialogue between new communities and an ancient Country. The framework prioritises living practices of Indigenous culture through a rich arts and culture strategy tied to key mega-scaled, highly sculptural landscape gestures.
The Landscape Framework Plan provides a long term physical plan for the 1500-hectare Southern Parklands.
Southern Parklands Framework flythrough
The evolving role of parks as infrastructure
The Southern Parklands Framework repositions a former greenbelt barrier as an inclusive open space for the new Western Parkland City. This shift required collaboration, negotiation and communication of a compelling strategy. Our ideas and expertise in blue green infrastructure encouraged government partners to consider the recreation and tourism potential of their assets.
As Greater Sydney continues to expand west, the former greenbelt will transition into a landscape that supports growth through open space provision, while maintaining its critical role as an infrastructure corridor. The Southern Parklands will become one of the key recreational and community resources for western Sydney.
A ridge track descends from exposed hilltops into the tree line. From here the stunning western views all the way to the Blue Mountains can be appreciated.
The north south ridge is the defining feature of the Southern Parklands. It has likely been in use for many tens of thousands of years by local peoples as it offers significant prospect over the surrounding landscape.
The north south ridge is the defining feature of the Southern Parklands. It has likely been in use for many tens of thousands of years by local peoples as it offers significant prospect over the surrounding landscape.
The north south ridge is the defining feature of the Southern Parklands. It has likely been in use for many tens of thousands of years by local peoples as it offers significant prospect over the surrounding landscape.
The north south ridge is the defining feature of the Southern Parklands. It has likely been in use for many tens of thousands of years by local peoples as it offers significant prospect over the surrounding landscape.
The ridge peaks in the north of the site at The Beauty Spot with sublime views to the Blue Mountains.
A broad view of the site shows the farm dams characteristic of western Sydney. Dams cycle between lush wetland or cracked claypan depending on the year’s rainfall.
A broad view of the site shows the farm dams characteristic of western Sydney. Dams cycle between lush wetland or cracked claypan depending on the year’s rainfall.
Program and reveal the landscape
A park of this scale and complexity needs a robust plan for the future. The land use plan guides investment and activity on an ongoing basis, allowing sites to be taken to market without risking the long-term viability of the parklands. With landform as the starting point, ridgelines reveal spines of movement and gullies identify cool places to rest. Our circulation strategy brings people to the highest parts of the site to experience the best views and links into surrounding streets for local communities to connect with this incredible green space.
Our framework seeks to fit the quantum of land use designated by the Plan of Management to the land itself. This diagram shows infrastructure easements, natural and cultural heritage conservation, active and passive recreation, urban farming and rural uses, community facilities, tourism and business hubs. We arranged them all carefully around the specific qualities of the site.
The Southern Parklands has limited access due to barriers created by motorways, nature reserves and the Upper Canal, plus residential back fences and dead end streets in surrounding suburbs.
The Southern Parklands has limited access due to barriers created by motorways, nature reserves and the Upper Canal, plus residential back fences and dead end streets in surrounding suburbs.
The north of the site offers potential for a regional destination of special character including outdoor adventure activities not usually found in a typical urban parkland. The south offers better connections to surrounding suburbs, making it suitable as a hybrid local/regional park with community facilities.
The north of the site offers potential for a regional destination of special character including outdoor adventure activities not usually found in a typical urban parkland. The south offers better connections to surrounding suburbs, making it suitable as a hybrid local/regional park with community facilities.
Understanding and framing the landscape
People and activity breathe life into a park. One challenge of a 1500-hectare park is that visitation and investment could be spread thinly across its vast scale, and the best parts of the landscape could be missed entirely in a day trip. For this reason, design interventions need to gather people along key armatures and points of the landscape. These armatures often form the path system of a park, however this landscape offers the opportunity to lift paths beyond the utilitarian and, in the spirit of the Upper Canal, to make the system of moving people a heightened experience of the best parts of the landscape.
Aerial view of the Upper Canal as it passes the Liverpool Offtake Reservoir. Source: Greater Sydney Commission
A typical piece of infrastructure would supply in a direct line from source to use. Instead, the Upper Canal strikes a 0.1% keyline through the landscape, revealing the subtle contours and forming a unique feature in the parklands.
A typical piece of infrastructure would supply in a direct line from source to use. Instead, the Upper Canal strikes a 0.1% keyline through the landscape, revealing the subtle contours and forming a unique feature in the parklands.
We benchmarked our circulation strategy against some of the world’s great parks, including Central Park (New York), Centennial Park (Sydney) and the Emerald Necklace (Boston). A suite of long spines, local loops, short walks and through links across the park captures a range of experiences from a 20-minute jog to a day-long hike.
We benchmarked our circulation strategy against some of the world’s great parks, including Central Park (New York), Centennial Park (Sydney) and the Emerald Necklace (Boston). A suite of long spines, local loops, short walks and through links across the park captures a range of experiences from a 20-minute jog to a day-long hike.
We benchmarked our circulation strategy against some of the world’s great parks, including Central Park (New York), Centennial Park (Sydney) and the Emerald Necklace (Boston). A suite of long spines, local loops, short walks and through links across the park captures a range of experiences from a 20-minute jog to a day-long hike.
We benchmarked our circulation strategy against some of the world’s great parks, including Central Park (New York), Centennial Park (Sydney) and the Emerald Necklace (Boston). A suite of long spines, local loops, short walks and through links across the park captures a range of experiences from a 20-minute jog to a day-long hike.
We benchmarked our circulation strategy against some of the world’s great parks, including Central Park (New York), Centennial Park (Sydney) and the Emerald Necklace (Boston). A suite of long spines, local loops, short walks and through links across the park captures a range of experiences from a 20-minute jog to a day-long hike.
A clear hierarchy of path materials invites you into the park on your own terms.
New infrastructure
Precise, mega-scaled design gestures highlight specific characteristics of the landscape: a perfect circle defines the crest of a bowl-shaped landform; a cycleway skims across two mirrored dams; a straight, level walkway creates a datum through undulating hills and against a meandering canal. These interventions become iconic destinations built around key meaning of place. They focus programming in a vast terrain, becoming places for events, places to sleep on country, places to walk and discover, places to jog, cycle, picnic or paddle.
We took inspiration from the robust infrastructure of adjacent freeways and canals as well as textures and light at different times of day.
The Big Ring is a circular walkway embedded in the ridgetop with elevated viewing points at the ends. The structure is robust enough to accommodate amenities and vehicles, to support festivals, markets, education and tourism experiences. It could also store water for irrigation to encourage local rainforest species and create a cooler microclimate within the ring
The Slice. The Slice forms a direct route between destinations that contrasts with the folded landform. It forms a long straight path in contrast to the curves of the Upper Canal and the slow arc of the Big Ring. There is the opportunity to accommodate amenities and services within the structure to support future uses
The shared path bridges across twin ‘mirror’ dams and cuts through a low hill to connect the M7 cycleway with the M12. The path can be accessed from Hinchinbrook Dam or the adventure sports hub at Wylde MTB, revealing the undulations and water systems of the landscape
3D printed model showing the slice against the undulating topography
The Blue Seam celebrates the path of water through a major gully in the parklands. It forms a cool, linear park with water play and camping linking Liverpool Offtake Reservoir to Hinchinbrook Dam
The Lookout is a multipurpose structure that creates a destination on the highest point of the Southern Parklands. It forms part of a series of buildings on the ridge including water tanks, a cafe and a boutique hotel, subtly sited within the landscape.
The Lookout is a multipurpose structure that creates a destination on the highest point of the Southern Parklands. It forms part of a series of buildings on the ridge including water tanks, a cafe and a boutique hotel, subtly sited within the landscape.
The Lookout is a multipurpose structure that creates a destination on the highest point of the Southern Parklands. It forms part of a series of buildings on the ridge including water tanks, a cafe and a boutique hotel, subtly sited within the landscape.