TANARTHI PLAZA
TOWN HALL, SYDNEY

The City of Sydney has identified a major goal for the community to be ‘Sustainable Sydney by 2030’ aiming to get green, get global, and get connected. The people of Sydney have made it clear that it is time the city starts caring about the environment, builds a stronger economy, supports the arts, and is connected to its people, to each other, and the rest of the world.

This was a group project. As part of our design process, we used community aspirations as a cornerstone, creating a space that values the environment, supports the arts, and is connected to its people. We created a place for our city that offers people a better experience of public community and culture, leading to a more fulfilling life. Green spaces, public seating, graffiti walls, and two basement levels have all been designed to create a social space that makes people feel at home.

The space overall is relaxed and inviting, featuring a graffiti wall where young artists are welcomed to express their creativity here, which sits under the self-watering green wall. This wall collects and stores rainwater and grows grass and plants vertically. It is an escape from the city’s corporate skyscraper builders. We selected innovative materials that reinforce a sense of sustainability such as transparent solar cells, self-healing concrete and recycled marine waste plastics.

The plaza design also responds to the current global climate by including ample green space, generous sidewalks, and plenty of gathering space providing cool and shady time-out areas which serve as ideal spaces for community meetings, memorial services, and events to be hosted here where larger groups can gather. The site’s design pays homage to the historical context of the land while paying respect to its rightful owners. The site is designed around the Aboriginal ‘meeting place’ symbol, new beginnings encouraging all communities to come together as one.

Public sculptures help bring people together, encourage conversation, debate and participation. The sculpture we designed will provide a platform for inspiring creativity, encouraging change, capturing reality, and helping others share their thoughts. Its uniqueness will add meaning and identity to the site. We included an abundance of circular lines and organic shapes that symbolise the cultures and beliefs of Sydney coming together as one. As a public venue, it will help keep culture and traditions alive and could become a significant landmark for Sydney as it represents the seed of life and growth for all cultures.

Tanarthi plaza incorporates ample greenery, open space, cycling facilities, generous footpaths, high pedestrian priority, and a place that celebrates art and culture.

PROJECT

Tanarthi Plaza

LOCATION

Shop 1248/Cnr Park Street & George Street, Sydney

YEAR

2021

CLIENT REQUIREMENTS

Street furniture
Generous footpaths
Human scale
Greenery
High pedestrian priority
Cycling facilities
Open frontages and facades
A place that celebrates art and culture
Different lighting sources
Active and open space

SOFTWARE + SKILLS

Research
Materiality
Concept Development
Design Thinking
Mood Board
Sketching
Spatial Planning
SketchUp
AutoCAD
Enscape
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe InDesign

SITE LOCATION
TOWN HALL, SYDNEY

LOCATION RESEARH
TOWN HALL, SYDNEY

Town Hall was where meetings on the important issue were held, and it is the venue where the formation and official launch of the Australasian Federation League took place. In 1897 horse trams were upgraded to steam and then to electric from 1898 onwards. Cars were first introduced in the 1890s with trams disappearing from George Street in 1960 and replaced by a fleet of buses.

A monorail system served part of George Street from 1988 to 2013, with the light rail being built and reintroduced in December 2019. Today the George Street sites accommodate a growing multicultural population with the QVB a major retail destination and Town Hall continuing its use of housing the offices of the Council of the City of Sydney.

PRECEDENT 1
MAGOK CENTRAL PLAZA / WOORIDONGIN ARCHITECTS, SOUTH KOREA

The square is a flexible urban space that responds to the movement of people in the surroundings rather than delivering a fixed program. The 60-meter diameter sunken square is built at the junction of the three stations, weaving the surface and underground levels along the exits of the station, creating a spatial experience.

The open square can accommodate various activities such as events, performances, and exhibitions. Shade trees are sparsely arranged along movement paths to provide the necessary greenery while leaving as much space as possible for cultural activities.

PRECEDENT 2
TENRI STATION PLAZA COFUFUN / NENDO, JAPAN

The structures' different levels serve a variety of purposes: they are stairs, but also benches for sitting, fences to enclose playing children, the cafe and stage roofs, shelves for displaying products and the night-time lighting effect, which floods the plaza with light.

This variety creates an environment that encourages visitors to explore and spend time in different spaces within the plaza, rather than limiting their movement to one place. It is an ambiguous space that is entirely a cafe, a playground and a massive piece of furniture, all at once