A collaboration of architects, designers and urban planners engaged to create the blueprint for Bradfield, soon to be Sydney's third CBD, have created a climate-responsive manifesto for a cool, green city, with the design process informed by working with Country.
Envisioned as the heart of the wider Western Parkland City, Sydney's third metropolis centred on the Western Sydney International Airport, the Bradfield City Centre is anchored around the Metro station and Central Park, and will transform 114 hectares of land into a residential, retail and commercial development set within generous, green public space.
Keeping in mind that Sydney's western suburbs can be up to 10 degrees hotter than coastal areas, the Bradfield City Centre masterplan team, consisting of TURNER, Hatch RobertsDay and Turf Design Studio, has leveraged tree canopy, water and a considered approach to the built form to minimise the heat island effect and create a contemporary city connected to the landscape.
"Our planning framework started with a study of the site's topography, waterways and existing trees. The site is on Cabrogal and Dharug Country and collaboration with First Nations people as integral members of the master planning team was at the heart of our approach," says TURNER Director Dan Szwaj.
"We created a green loop that moves through the city in a way that acknowledges the landscape, its rich lines and its connection to water. It relates to the area's First Nations history and will have endemic planting."
The loop is connected to the Central Park and surrounding waterways by smaller parks, with First Nations cultural values to guide planting, materials, art, lighting, signage and language.
The site is bordered to the east by Thompsons Creek, while Moore Gully to the south is the city's major parkland space and where a swimming hole will give residents and visitors alike a place to cool off.
To address Western Sydney’s extreme summers and winters, the masterplan will bank on tree canopy to regulate temperatures, shading walkways in summer and opening to sunny skies in winter.
"Cities grow over a long time and no one can predict how they will be influenced. It was important to develop a framework with the flexibility to evolve and change. We focused on getting the right balance between landscape, nature and the intensity a city needs," Szwaj explains.
In terms of built form considerations, while building massing and positioning will allow for good air circulation and natural light to minimise energy use, reduce overshadowing, and create better environments for people, ‘loose fit’ and narrow building envelopes can accommodate commercial, residential or educational use.
The Bradfield City Centre masterplan's climate-responsive design will make it a benchmark for future city design.
"The challenge with anything is changing people's perception of what a place is now and what it could be in the future. Why would people want to work, live or set up a business here? Our overarching intent was to create a connected, contemporary urban parkland that will become an international destination and a place where people want to spend time. We look forward to watching it grow and evolve in response to its new community."
