With bespoke design solutions that speak to the historic and cultural context of the sites, Woods Bagot has led the architectural design for the new Sydney Central Station and Crows Nest Metro stations.

Both stations have been designed in direct response to the unique history and context of the sites on which they are located. Woods Bagot Principal and Transport Lead John Prentice says that for Central Station, “the design was always about respecting the rich heritage at Central Station in the transformation to accommodate a state-of-the-art metro interchange. We wanted customers to know they’ve arrived at Sydney’s beloved Central Station through the quality of the space and its connection to heritage through the warmth and tactility of the materials.”

“The Metro insertion accentuates the key heritage qualities of the existing architecture, and introduces new, architecturally inspiring elements that will bring a contemporary complement to the fundamental character of the Edwardian railway architecture,” Prentice adds.

“The once-in-a-century transformation of Central Station, to accommodate a state-of-the-art Metro interchange, had the end user in mind, requiring the design to be both highly functional and easy to navigate but to also elevate the customer’s experience through the design deeply connected to its place.”

The location of the metro platforms at Central facilitates a critical interchange, and for the first time, fully connects the station with suburban, intercity and regional rail services, buses, coaches and light rail. The upgrade has capacity to accommodate 40,000 metro passengers every hour and the station is forecasted to 450,000 people a day in the next two decades.

For Sydney Metro Crows Nest Station, the intersecting scales of community and infrastructure drove the successful design outcome. Woods Bagot Principal Lucian Gormley says, “Our design team found unique solutions that responded to the requirements of infrastructure whilst speaking to the historic, village scale, residential aspects of the surrounding community.” 

Related: Full project feature on Central Station

Gormley says that the carefully woven design elements speak directly to people, place, and typology. “The modulated brickwork façade system has successfully grounded the building within its local environment, whilst the cantilevered single brick modules create a lightness and modularity that reflects a more human scale setting, in contrast to the exposed precast structure.”

“There are a lot of complex requirements when working with such large-scale infrastructure projects and from our experience, architects have an important role in leading collaborative design outcomes that benefit public interest, holistically. We have been pleased to see the positive public reception to both sites and aim for our design to create a destination and legacy for generations to come,” John Prentice concludes. For Sydney Metro Crows Nest Station, the intersecting scales of community and infrastructure drove the successful design outcome. Woods Bagot Principal Lucian Gormley says, “Our design team found unique solutions that responded to the requirements of infrastructure whilst speaking to the historic, village scale, residential aspects of the surrounding community.” 

Gormley says that the carefully woven design elements speak directly to people, place, and typology. “The modulated brickwork façade system has successfully grounded the building within its local environment, whilst the cantilevered single brick modules create a lightness and modularity that reflects a more human scale setting, in contrast to the exposed precast structure.”

“There are a lot of complex requirements when working with such large-scale infrastructure projects and from our experience, architects have an important role in leading collaborative design outcomes that benefit public interest, holistically. We have been pleased to see the positive public reception to both sites and aim for our design to create a destination and legacy for generations to come,” John Prentice concludes.

Woods Bagot is the lead architect on the Central Station renewal, collaborating on the project with John McAslan + Partners, delivered by Laing O’Rourke for Sydney Metro.

Woods Bagot
woodsbagot.com

John McAslan + Partners
mcaslan.co.uk

Photography
Brett Boardman, Trevor Mein

Read about the JMP book launch at the Sydney Opera House