Latest news with #SydneyMetro
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
‘Legacy-making' Sydney metro stations take out top prize in NSW Architecture awards
Sydney's recently opened network of city metro stations have taken out one of the top prizes at the Australian Institute of Architects' 2025 NSW Architecture awards, announced on Friday night. Dozens of Australian architecture firms, engineering companies, landscape designers and public art experts shared in the 2025 NSW architecture medallion for their work on the Central, Barangaroo, Gadigal, Victoria Cross, Martin Place, Waterloo, Sydenham and Crows Nest stations in what the judges hailed as a 'legacy-making' and 'city-shaping' cross-sector collaboration. 'The project is transformative, not just in transport terms but in how it redefines civic experience in Sydney,' the judges' citation said. 'This is infrastructure that supports not just movement, but social and cultural connection as a catalyst for future development and change. It demonstrates the far-reaching impact architects can have on shaping public life and delivering tangible benefit to society and the environment.' More than 130 NSW projects were shortlisted for the awards, with the first building constructed for the new city of Bradfield and the surrounding area of Aerotropolis – the site of Sydney's future second international airport – collecting the Premier's prize. Hassell's First Building – the first stage of an advanced manufacturing readiness facility – is a prefabricated timber pavilion that can be disassembled, expanded or relocated for future use. 'A new city requires a big dream … it's incredibly exciting to see that dream taking shape here in Bradfield,' the premier, Chris Minns, said of the Hassell design. 'The way this building plays with natural light, the way it sits at home in the landscape, it's incredible attention to detail, it's craftsmanship – not to mention the innovation and progress that will happen here. In short, it's a beautiful place.' GroupGSA's restoration of a collection of early 20th-century industrial buildings in Rosebery won the Lord Mayor's prize – restricted to projects within the City of Sydney – for the project's imaginative commitment to heritage, sustainability and urban vitality. The brick factories and industrial sheds, constructed between 1921 and 1940, and the neighbouring textile mills have been unified into a single precinct, connected by a central pedestrian spine that knits tenant spaces, showrooms and retail outlets together and presents a freshly energised street front for passersby. 'This is not capital-A architecture,' the judges said. '[It is] the result of extraordinarily skilful handling – in patching, opening up and scrapping back found fabric – creating an interesting, cohesive experience for workers, visitors and the neighbourhood.' 'Like a trifle made to a cook's whim' was how judges described BVN's Yarrila Place, in Coffs Harbour, which won the Sulman medal for public architecture. The new civic and cultural space in the north coast town emerges from the ground with a solid brick base before giving way to deep green ceramic panes, curved and glazed like leaves of the enormous fig tree the building is anchored to. 'BVN have taken all the ingredients of a civic hub – library, gallery, museum, makerspace, civic offices and chambers, and more – and layered them with deliberate unpredictability,' the judges said. 'Proportions, adjacencies and stackings defy conventions.' Heritage work was acknowledged with Design 5's massive remodelling of the White Bay power station, which collected the Greenway award for heritage, while the conservation award was won by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and Purcell Architecture for its research-led, methodical and careful approach to restoring Australia's oldest building in continuous use, the NSW Parliament House in Sydney. The Colorbond award for steel architecture went to a residential house in Leura. Marra+Yeh Architects' Eco-House, set in a rare hanging swamp, was praised for its holistic and deeply thoughtful approach to sustainable architecture. The house's roof design deflects prevailing winds and captures water for reuse in bushfire defence and irrigation, while its interior configuration is season adaptable, ensuring comfort and minimal energy use year round. BVN collected another award in the residential category for its transformation of a typical suburban block of land in Byron Bay into a dwelling christened the Lighthouse, which seamlessly blends interior with exterior with an open, central garden forming both the entry and heart of the home. Also in the residential category, Casey Brown Architecture was recognised for its major interior remodelling of Babylon, architect Edwin Kingsberry's eccentric 1950s residence perched on the ridge dividing Pittwater and Avalon. Its new interior was 'full of contradictions – ramshackle and refined, rich and restrained,' judges said. The final result was a highly original interior that was 'unexpected, joyful, and completely unique'. Among the dozens of other winners, of particular note were AJC Architects' win in the Enduring Architecture category for its Moore Park Gardens residential project in Sydney and Tzannes' 39 Martin Place, which won the Sir Arthur G Stephenson award for commercial architecture. Wardle's handsome industrial park of the future design, Bourke & Bowden, situated in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Alexandria, was also recognised in the commercial category. The Australian Institute of Architects' NSW president, Elizabeth Carpenter, said in a statement the 2025 winners highlighted a profession that was 'not only responding to urgent challenges, but leading with integrity, innovation and care'. 'The awarded projects are powerful reminders that architecture is both an art and a responsibility – one that connects communities, strengthens cultural understanding, and shapes more sustainable and inclusive futures,' she said.
The Age
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Sydney metro stations and delightfully weird homes sweep top awards
A family home inspired by The Simpsons episode where a naked Homer and Marge visit the Garden of Eden and the project to build underground stations for Sydney's $21.6 billion new metro line have won top honours at this year's state architecture awards. Announced on Friday night, the state's highest award, the NSW Architecture Medallion, and the Lloyd Rees Award for Urban Design, went to the Sydney Metro City Stations project that opened last year and linked Chatswood to Sydenham with six new stations and upgrades to two others. The winners of the 2025 NSW architecture awards range from the modest to the monumental and the delightfully weird, as well as those with ambitions such as the metro and the new city of Bradfield that are changing the city. The judges said expressions such as 'legacy project' and 'city shaping' were often empty rhetoric. But not with Sydney Metro. Delivered by dozens of architectural practices including Woods Bagot, Cox Architecture, Foster + Partners, Grimshaw, Hassell, John McAslan + Partners, and Architectus, with designers, artists, engineers, landscapers and others, the metro was ambitious and truly transformative. It had 'redefined civic experience' in Sydney. 'As a nation, with a few notable exceptions, we are often guilty of being under-ambitious when it comes to our built environment. It's a welcome shift. This is infrastructure that supports not just movement, but social and cultural connection as a catalyst for future development and change. It demonstrates the far-reaching impact architects can have on shaping public life and delivering tangible benefit to society and the environment.' The metro was one of 72 projects out of 284 entries that received awards and commendations after 37 jurors visited 137 sites across the state. Anthony St John Parsons won the Wilkinson award for residential architecture for New Castle, a new home at Merewether in Newcastle that was built around a massive walled garden. The judges said it was 'a rare work of architectural bravura that drew on centuries of architectural knowledge, from the monumental grandeur of Roman villas to the artistry of Mughal gardens, that thoughtfully reinterpreted these lessons in a contemporary way'. A sole practitioner who also teaches architecture, St John Parsons is now building his own home, bringing a little bit of paradise to the inner west with an extension that clusters around a garden courtyard. He said New Castle had been a 'career-making project' that began during COVID. It took four years, during which his two sons, Miro and Mathias, were born. The beachside suburb of Merewether was Newcastle's version of Bondi, and most homes left little space for a garden. When the owners of New Castle said they liked his idea of a large interior walled garden, he looked for examples of idyllic gardens in literature, art and popular culture, from the Elysian ideal to a Bosch painting about earthly delights, and his love of The Simpsons. St John Parsons became interested architecture as a boy growing up in Woy Woy when a neighbour gave him models of little homes as toys. Asked before the awards how we would feel if he won, the 38-year-old replied: 'It would feel like I've peaked. I'm happy to play Lego with my boys for the rest of my career.' After the New Castle project featured in Houses magazine, St John Parsons posted on Instagram that he was 'stoked'. He said he had bought his first copy of the architecture and design publication 'after picking up my first pay cheque from Maccas as a pimply teenager'. Another young practice, Architect George, won the Hugh and Eva Buhrich award for residential alterations and additions, for a home in Erskineville. Modest in size at 95 square metres before the project began, the home was increased to 110 square metres with the addition of a minimalist double-height polycarbonate 'lightbox'. Other major awards Aaron Bulot Award for multi-residential architecture went to Bates Smart for Wentworth Quarter. The practice won five awards, including for its new build-to-rent project above Gadigal metro station. Sir Arthur G. Stephenson Award for commercial architecture – 39 Martin Place by Tzannes Sulman Medal for public architecture – Yarrila Place | BVN Milo Dunphy Award for sustainable architecture – Boot Factory and Mill Hill Centre Precinct by Archer Office with Matt Devine. It also won an award for public architecture. Greenway Award for heritage – White Bay Power Station, Design 5 – Architects with Placemaking NSW The Blacket Prize for regional architecture – Cobar Ward Oval Pavilion by DunnHillamArchitecture + Urban Design William E. Kemp Award for educational architecture – St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Rosebery by Neeson Murcutt Neille Award for enduring architecture – Moore Park Gardens, AJC Architects Sulman Medal for public architecture – Yarrila Place by BVN John Verge Award for interior architecture – Babylon House, by Casey Brown Architecture Robert Woodward Award for small project architecture – Love Shack by Second Edition EmAGN Project Award – Green Heart – the urban garden by Studio Oulala Architects An adaptable curtain system enabled flexible occupancy and different uses of the spaces. Sydney architect Phillip Arnold wrote that the home for five was 'delightfully weird, and could simultaneously be described as both a two-bedroom house and four-bedroom house … It is one of the ways this house makes no sense. Not meeting a conventional logic is one of the ways this house is very special and quite magical.' Loading Annabel Lahz, the jury chair, said the awarded projects highlighted the impact of architecture on everyday life. The NSW chapter president of the Institute of Architects, Elizabeth Carpenter, said they were a powerful reminder that architecture was both art and a responsibility. Chris Minns gave the Premier's Prize to the First Building by Hassell at Bradfield City Centre. It also won awards for sustainable architecture and commercial architecture. Minns said: 'Every new city requires a big dream ... it's incredibly exciting to see that dream taking shape here in Bradfield.'
Sydney Morning Herald
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sydney metro stations and delightfully weird homes sweep top awards
A family home inspired by The Simpsons episode where a naked Homer and Marge visit the Garden of Eden and the project to build underground stations for Sydney's $21.6 billion new metro line have won top honours at this year's state architecture awards. Announced on Friday night, the state's highest award, the NSW Architecture Medallion, and the Lloyd Rees Award for Urban Design, went to the Sydney Metro City Stations project that opened last year and linked Chatswood to Sydenham with six new stations and upgrades to two others. The winners of the 2025 NSW architecture awards range from the modest to the monumental and the delightfully weird, as well as those with ambitions such as the metro and the new city of Bradfield that are changing the city. The judges said expressions such as 'legacy project' and 'city shaping' were often empty rhetoric. But not with Sydney Metro. Delivered by dozens of architectural practices including Woods Bagot, Cox Architecture, Foster + Partners, Grimshaw, Hassell, John McAslan + Partners, and Architectus, with designers, artists, engineers, landscapers and others, the metro was ambitious and truly transformative. It had 'redefined civic experience' in Sydney. 'As a nation, with a few notable exceptions, we are often guilty of being under-ambitious when it comes to our built environment. It's a welcome shift. This is infrastructure that supports not just movement, but social and cultural connection as a catalyst for future development and change. It demonstrates the far-reaching impact architects can have on shaping public life and delivering tangible benefit to society and the environment.' The metro was one of 72 projects out of 284 entries that received awards and commendations after 37 jurors visited 137 sites across the state. Anthony St John Parsons won the Wilkinson award for residential architecture for New Castle, a new home at Merewether in Newcastle that was built around a massive walled garden. The judges said it was 'a rare work of architectural bravura that drew on centuries of architectural knowledge, from the monumental grandeur of Roman villas to the artistry of Mughal gardens, that thoughtfully reinterpreted these lessons in a contemporary way'. A sole practitioner who also teaches architecture, St John Parsons is now building his own home, bringing a little bit of paradise to the inner west with an extension that clusters around a garden courtyard. He said New Castle had been a 'career-making project' that began during COVID. It took four years, during which his two sons, Miro and Mathias, were born. The beachside suburb of Merewether was Newcastle's version of Bondi, and most homes left little space for a garden. When the owners of New Castle said they liked his idea of a large interior walled garden, he looked for examples of idyllic gardens in literature, art and popular culture, from the Elysian ideal to a Bosch painting about earthly delights, and his love of The Simpsons. St John Parsons became interested architecture as a boy growing up in Woy Woy when a neighbour gave him models of little homes as toys. Asked before the awards how we would feel if he won, the 38-year-old replied: 'It would feel like I've peaked. I'm happy to play Lego with my boys for the rest of my career.' After the New Castle project featured in Houses magazine, St John Parsons posted on Instagram that he was 'stoked'. He said he had bought his first copy of the architecture and design publication 'after picking up my first pay cheque from Maccas as a pimply teenager'. Another young practice, Architect George, won the Hugh and Eva Buhrich award for residential alterations and additions, for a home in Erskineville. Modest in size at 95 square metres before the project began, the home was increased to 110 square metres with the addition of a minimalist double-height polycarbonate 'lightbox'. Other major awards Aaron Bulot Award for multi-residential architecture went to Bates Smart for Wentworth Quarter. The practice won five awards, including for its new build-to-rent project above Gadigal metro station. Sir Arthur G. Stephenson Award for commercial architecture – 39 Martin Place by Tzannes Sulman Medal for public architecture – Yarrila Place | BVN Milo Dunphy Award for sustainable architecture – Boot Factory and Mill Hill Centre Precinct by Archer Office with Matt Devine. It also won an award for public architecture. Greenway Award for heritage – White Bay Power Station, Design 5 – Architects with Placemaking NSW The Blacket Prize for regional architecture – Cobar Ward Oval Pavilion by DunnHillamArchitecture + Urban Design William E. Kemp Award for educational architecture – St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Rosebery by Neeson Murcutt Neille Award for enduring architecture – Moore Park Gardens, AJC Architects Sulman Medal for public architecture – Yarrila Place by BVN John Verge Award for interior architecture – Babylon House, by Casey Brown Architecture Robert Woodward Award for small project architecture – Love Shack by Second Edition EmAGN Project Award – Green Heart – the urban garden by Studio Oulala Architects An adaptable curtain system enabled flexible occupancy and different uses of the spaces. Sydney architect Phillip Arnold wrote that the home for five was 'delightfully weird, and could simultaneously be described as both a two-bedroom house and four-bedroom house … It is one of the ways this house makes no sense. Not meeting a conventional logic is one of the ways this house is very special and quite magical.' Loading Annabel Lahz, the jury chair, said the awarded projects highlighted the impact of architecture on everyday life. The NSW chapter president of the Institute of Architects, Elizabeth Carpenter, said they were a powerful reminder that architecture was both art and a responsibility. Chris Minns gave the Premier's Prize to the First Building by Hassell at Bradfield City Centre. It also won awards for sustainable architecture and commercial architecture. Minns said: 'Every new city requires a big dream ... it's incredibly exciting to see that dream taking shape here in Bradfield.'
News.com.au
09-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
NSW Premier Chris Minns tells business leaders Sydney ‘without a future' if new housing isn't delivered
NSW Premier Chris Minns has told business leaders Sydney will be left 'without a future' if the state government cannot deliver more housing, after a first-of-its-kind mini-city was voted down last month. The Australian Turf Club voted to reject a $5bn plan to redevelop the historic Rosehill racecourse, replete with 25,000 new homes and a metro station, which would have secured the racing club for '100 years'. Addressing more than 100 business leaders at the Shangri-La hotel on Tuesday, Mr Minns said despite the advancements made to the liveability of Sydney, 'we still lose twice as many people as we get'. 'Housing persistently is our biggest challenge, not just in the economy but in terms of intergenerational fairness and equity and giving young people an opportunity,' Mr Minns said. 'We are losing twice as many young people as we gain every single year, and that's even taking into consideration the fact that we are the largest city for inbound migration from any jurisdiction in the country. 'A city without young people is a city without a future, and the leading reason for that is we're not building enough houses.' On any 'Plan B' following the failed Rosehill vote, Mr Minns remained mum. 'But we we've got specific plans ahead,' he said. 'We're looking forward to talking them through when we're ready to talk about them.' He noted the need for more in-fill development, and housing along train lines. Mr Minns said NSW was 'not even building enough houses in comparison to other states on the eastern seaboard', and said the government was poised to address planning laws – but, with one key hitch. He said planning was 'next cab off the rank' after workers comp reforms are passed. The state government's workers compensation reforms faced a major hurdle last week when, despite pleas to have the legislation passed before June 30, the Opposition and the Greens teamed up to send it back for an inquiry. The Opposition, along with the unions and some industry leaders, claim the reforms, while badly needed, would leave many of the most vulnerable workers without help due to changes to the WPI threshold. The WPI, or whole person impairment, would be raised to 31 per cent for a psychological injury under the planned workers compensation bill, which detractors say will leave the most injured workers at risk. Mr Minns noted in his address the 'weird coalition between the Greens, the Liberal Party and the National Party' who had opposed the proposed reforms, and called for urgent action ahead of the state budget. 'It's not my style to make these speeches or events like this political … but, the decision of the Liberals and Nationals is not the right one. It was the wrong one,' Mr Minns said. 'We're not trying to smash the system into pieces. We believe we're trying to save the system. It's crucial for business in NSW and absolutely crucial for all of us. Business NSW president Joseph Carrozzi AM mirrored some of those sentiments. 'In recent times, we've seen reforms proposed by the government that business is badly needing. 'We need that categorically and it's a real shame that the Bill seems to, at the moment, be resisted by the Greens and by the Coalition … We hope that the Coalition will support and not frustrate this reform. 'The reform, which we believe is a bold but necessary reform ... must be supported.' Mr Carrozi urged for 'practical reform' that happens when 'officials meet in the middle and chart the way forward', and noted the continued impact business and the NSW community faced from natural disasters. Treasurer Daniel Moohkey said businesses were dealing with more disasters, and highlighted the need to address the Emergency Services levy and insurance premiums businesses were facing from disasters. With the budget on the horizon, Mr Moohkey on Tuesday made his pitch to the business community. 'This budget will be about growth,' he said. 'It will be about making sure we rebuild our essential services. It will be making sure that this government has the right settings in place for you to make decisions in your own businesses.' During his address, Mr Minns acknowledged the work of the previous Berejiklian government, specifically the 15 new Metro stations approved under the then-Coalition government, and said more were on the way.
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Commuters left in dark as Sydney Metro train grinds to halt at Barangaroo during peak hour
Commuters on board a Sydney Metro train were left stuck in the dark after a mechanical fault left the service stranded at Barangaroo Station during Tuesday's peak hour. The incident occurred just after 4pm when a fault with the train's pantograph — the apparatus that connects the train to overhead power lines — forced it to a halt just outside the city's newest and flashiest station, which is part of the city's $41 billion Metro project. The lights flickered. The doors stayed shut. And for over 15 minutes, the train didn't budge. 'Lights dimmed before we got to the station,' one passenger posted on social media. 'Doors opened fine, then after they closed we've been unable to move … Eleven minutes and counting. Person on PA says mechanical issue.' Staff were eventually forced to manually prise open the doors to let passengers disembark. 'Metro staff are now manually trying to open the doors to let us out,' the passenger added, before confirming the train was still stationary even after the evacuation. The fault had flow-on effects across the network. A Sydney Metro spokesman confirmed a 'very limited service' was operating between Sydenham and Barangaroo, with additional delays on services running from Barangaroo to Tallawong. 'Announcements are being made onboard and on platforms,' they said. 'A technician is now on site to resolve the issue and move the train.' Commuters were advised to check transport apps and consider alternative arrangements.
