What makes a precinct work?

What makes a precinct work?

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What makes a precinct work?

Successful large-scale urban transformation is grounded in a deep understanding of place.

We bring together diverse perspectives to establish a framework that supports city life and creates lasting civic value.

We approach precincts as an integral part of the city — not an isolated development. They are shaped by streets, lanes and defined borders. Architecture, landscape and public space work collectively to structure the ground plane and support inhabitation.

Within this framework, we place buildings to establish clear frontages and edges that give legibility and order to the public realm. Variation in built form breaks down scale and allows large precincts to be experienced as a series of interconnected places that feel embedded in the city fabric. Precincts that are adaptable over time let patterns of use, occupation and landscape shape identity, supporting places that evolve through everyday life rather than fixed outcomes.

The life of the ground plane is our primary measure of success. Precincts endure when they are generous, well used and alive with activity. These places support and enhance city life and become part of the city itself. Guided by these principles, our work delivers enduring value to community and city.

Holy Trinity Church precinct, Fortitude Valley

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271 Spring Street, Spring Place precinct

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Design excellence results in tangible outcomes, expressed and experienced most readily at street level – where the life of the city is lived. We focus on articulated facades, legible entries, active edges and well-defined thresholds between public and private space. This is where daily life unfolds and where quality is most visible.

Bourke & Bowden is an urban development that sits in the heart of Alexandria, Sydney and exhibits the ambition of a greater urban proposition. On a corner site, the distinctive umber campanile is a clear silhouette and signifies a gateway to the neighbourhood and the address of the site.

Pedestrian paths meander through Monarch Residences in Brisbane’s Toowong, with tributary paths leading to the tower foyers. Residents and visitors arrive under the magnificent canopy of the historic fig trees, at a clearly legible entry point. The location is well served by public transport and access to the bike paths.

Our approach affords authorities clear, tangible outcomes when considering and assessing increased density. Design excellence underpins our methodology for urban renewal while allowing for fast track approvals process.

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Porosity and connectivity are essential. We create permeable sites with clear links to transport, open space, and surrounding streets. Landscape is integrated from the outset, structuring communal areas, supporting climate performance and contributing to identity.

Aurizon HQ, at 900 Ann Street in Brisbane has a landscaped pedestrian connection that runs between the commercial tower and the adjacent church precinct serving to connect Church Street and Brookes Street. It provides a transition zone between ecclesiastical and commercial activities.

Lively green thresholds herald the courtyard at Bourke & Bowden, the gravitational centre of the building. It’s a sanctuary from the noise of the street and an addition to the broader public domain. The open-air extension of the workplace and ground-level retail offers a place for the neighbourhood, an opportunity for connection as well.

Bourke & Bowden courtyard, Alexandria

54 Wellington has a laneway that is made possible by setting the primary building back from Wellington Street approximately 20 metres. The southwest corner of the site is held by a lower scale companion building which frames the laneway and figures it within the site. At 900 Ann Street, the companion buildings reveal distinct variance in height, materiality, and form. Each building responds to and activates its context, offering users the opportunity to participate, pause or pass through.

We invest in our endeavours through materials such as terracotta at Bourke & Bowden and stone flooring in Monarch’s lobbies. The use of tactile, robust and visually appealing detailing is place where they are most experienced — at street level and within shared spaces, ensuring longevity and an enduring public and civic experience.

Our work at precinct level has proved valuable in defining our approach to how large-scale developments work alongside our client’s brief and our vision for great civic spaces.

These kinds of urban interventions carry civic responsibility. Wardle’s approach to citymaking developments affords authorities clear, tangible outcomes when considering and assessing increased density. Design excellence underpins our methodology for urban renewal of activity centres and city centres while allowing for fast track approvals process. Our aim is to deliver integrated built environments that strengthen the existing urban condition, contribute generously to the public realm and are enduring over time.

by Mathew van Kooy

Mathew is a Partner at Wardle with extensive experience shaping precincts, civic projects and city-making initiatives across Australia and internationally.

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