Best Open Space Idea

Highly Commended

Sydney Quay
Anonymous

The iconic Eucalyptus leaf restores Circular Quay’s connection with harbour, people, nature and cityscape

Imagine a Quay where you can buy fresh produce from a farmer’s market for lunch as part of your morning commute to work, or ingredients for your family dinner before you board the ferry home. Imagine having a croissant and coffee lunch on a grassy rooftop, surrounded by plants used for traditional bush medicine with an unmatched view of the harbour. Imagine meeting a friend for a drink in a place where you can lay amongst the native gardens as the sun sets behind the Harbour Bridge, uninterrupted by the hustle-bustle of the CBD right behind you. Imagine stepping off a train into an expansive green sanctuary for a picnic with the family, right in the heart of Sydney. Imagine a space where the people who use it are the priority, a space designed to create a seamlessly accessible experience, and an emphasis on making the Quay a people place, a destination in its own right – a truly Sydney Quay.

Public spaces need to adapt and become more resilient to changes in climate, community, and purpose. Envisioning a renewed destination that returns the public space to a human scale, the proposal prioritises pedestrians through a design focused on green, warm, and ultimately shared community-based spaces and facilities while making the most of upgraded existing infrastructure locations and services of the Quay. This proposal creates a destination that facilitates bustling activity without overcrowding; green space full of sunlight with genuine connection to the CBD, an amphitheatre to harbour and cityscape.

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