A new book, The Material City, celebrates 50 exemplary projects that show how Australian architects have responded to urban density.
Two of these case studies are projects by Woods Bagot. The first project is Wynyard Walk, which is located in the heart of Sydney. Wynyard Walk is a pedestrian links that cuts the walking time between Wynyard Station and the Barangaroo waterfront to six minutes, while “bring[ing] beauty to the public transport experience”, according to Woods Bagot.
“Wynyard Walk satisfies our human desire to follow the most straightforward route and in a memorably wonderful way. Your journey flows uninterrupted underground and into the light-filled gateways of the Clarence Street and western portal entrances. The integrated digital art combines art, culture and technology to create a series of visual experiences – it's a thoroughly beautiful encounter,” says Woods Bagot’s global design leader and the project’s design director, Domenic Alvaro.
The second Woods Bagot project to be featured is the Tonsley Main Assembly Building in Adelaide, which the company collaboratively designed with Tridente Architects. This project is the adaptive reuse of a former car assembly building into an open-air community space, which has played a central role in the ongoing development of a 61-hectare innovation district.
The architects imagined a thriving community within the industrial remains of the site, with a focus on sustainability not only in the design of the space, but also the economic, social and cultural impacts of the site’s regeneration.
“A critical issue of contemporary culture and our profession is the role architecture can play in repairing and developing the built environment for great community benefit," says Woods Bagot director and Tonsley project director, Thomas Masullo.
“Wynyard Walk and Tonsley are globally significant projects advocating the relevance of architecture, particularly in re-thinking the design of our cities, public places and buildings for a viable future.”
The Material City features case studies addressing contemporary urban issues such as old/new and adaptation, apartment sizes and building density, affordability, transport and connectivity. The case studies are followed by a collection of 18 essays exploring the urban condition, including Adam Haddow’s praise of infill, and Stefan Mee’s discussion of ideas for a ‘history of place’.
The Material City will be launched at a Brickworks event in Sydney on Tuesday 5 February, 2019.
Pictured: Wynyard Walk. Photography by Kirsten Trengrove.
