White Bay public domain concepts
Client: NSW Port Authority
Location: Sydney, NSW
Year: 2022
Bringing public life to the working waterfront.
Brief
The NSW Port Authority is responsible for delivering the Bays Port Integration and Innovation Plan (BIIP) as part of the Bays West Place Strategy. As part of the BIIP they needed to define a vision for short-medium term development in the White Bay public domain that aligns with the Place Strategy and considers continuing adjacent port operations.
Approach
Hassell and Left Bank Co. were engaged to create a series of concept designs to demonstrate the potential of the public domain to host more community-focused activities and uses alongside traditional port and passenger uses. We developed in-depth case studies for a number of combined mixed-use and working port precincts and presented a series of rigorously researched concept benchmarks to help the design team understand the varied levels of intervention that could be deployed on site, their potential for public benefit and the barriers and considerations to realising such benefits.
Our benchmarks, both local and international, ranged from light-touch play-catalysing surface treatments to temporary food and beverage to permanent, well established community gardens and interpretations of industrial marine heritage. We then ran a workshop with the design team and client group to flesh out how these benchmarks could be applied locally and to place them on a spectrum of ‘quick wins’ to ‘longer term urban renewal initiatives, developing the case for the highest community return on investment interventions.
Impact
Through our research and facilitation, Hassell produced concept options that defined how the project could capitalise on the opportunities, overcome the issues on site and inspire public life on an operational foreshore.
