In 2007, Frasers Property commissioned Turf Design Studio with Jeppe Aagaard Andersen to reimagine the public domain of the Carlton United Brewery site at Broadway in Chippendale in Sydney.
Frasers Property purchased the brewery site from the Foster’s Group in 2007 and lodged a plan for a major renewal project of the 5.8-hectare site.
Since the site’s renewal, Chippendale has become known as one of the key creative art districts of Sydney with more than a dozen galleries in the small neighbourhood including White Rabbit Gallery, MOP Projects, and Pine Street Creative Arts Centre.
Turf’s first task was to review and refine the original masterplan that Fraser’s inherited with the site acquisition.
That process included a series of collaborative design workshops held in Sydney, London and Paris, working with Foster + Partners, Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Johnson Pilton Walker, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, and Tzannes Associates.
Turf’s specific project responsibilities included the design of streets, squares, parks, and laneways.
Central Park’s public domain exemplifies how a well-considered and legible public domain framework can both unite a site and restitch a city.
A large public park was always central to the master plan intent.
At the heart of the site is Chippendale Green; a north-facing park of terraced, sun-drenched lawns tucked away from the frenetic pace of the city.
Orientating the park’s long axis with the frontage of existing Chippendale terraces proved vital in creating a place of meaning and connectedness for the community.
The park is set back from Broadway – creating an intimacy rarely achieved by a park of this size within a CBD.
Since its opening, Central Park has become a much-loved new addition to city life.
From the everyday dog walk or yoga class to markets and numerous annual major events, Central Park has been embraced by the community at all levels.
Spanning twelve years and comprising twelve major public domain and building projects, Turf designed:
- Stage 1 and 2 Infrastructure Works
- Eight new streets
- Chippendale Green
- Park Lane
- Seven thru-site pedestrian links
- One Central Park
- Steps on Abercrombie
- Kensington Street precinct
Sustainability is at the core of the Central Park mission – the achievement of carbon and water neutrality over the life of the project.
The size of the development provided a rare opportunity to explore a variety of initiatives and innovations for a truly world-class sustainability outcome, resulting in a 6 Green Star rating.
Central Park houses its own central thermal plant and tri-generation power station, using low-emission gas to produce electricity, heating, and cooling.
It also boasts its own water recycling factory; collecting rainwater, greywater, and blackwater for treatment and re-use in laundries, toilets, and gardens.
Mains waste demand is limited to potable water with excess recycled water exported.
Sustainability targets include 100% capture and re-use of rainwater falling on rooftops.
The public domain strategy includes green roofs and vertical gardens, not only to provide visual amenity through softening the built form but also to deliver sustainability functions including:
- reducing the thermal loads of individual buildings
- reducing the impact of ambient noise
- improving overall air quality through filtering CO2
Green walls and roofs are also useful for the project’s stormwater management. They reduce the runoff produced by heavy rains, helping prevent nutrients from being leached from the soil.
The mix of 4,200 residents and 1,200 workers, supermarkets, and cafes makes for a vibrant new urban village breathing new life into what was a baron and desolate stretch of Broadway.
Enjoying considerable and widespread acclaim, Central Park has transformed Chippendale into a hive of activated spaces, framed by great architecture and a green heart.
Project Details
Site Area – 58,000 m2
Project Size – 22,700 m2
Completion Date – 2012
Project Team
Public Domain Masterplan and Design
Turf Design Studio
Turf Design Studio offers a rare depth in thinking for major development and public domain; weaving together planning, design and ecology into a vibrant tapestry – creating places that are functional, fit for living, and where the hand of the designer remains largely unseen.
Masterplanning
Pubic Art Consultant
Turpin + Crawford Studio
For three decades, Turpin + Crawford Studio has explored this essential inter-relatedness through site-specific, environmental, and socially engaged artworks – primarily in the public domain
www.turpincrawfordstudio.com.au
Construction
Design Landscapes
Specialising in public domain landscape projects and shored by more than two decades of experience, the company has grown to become internationally respected, servicing projects in Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, and China.
Photography
Ethan Rohloff
Ethan’s foundation of experience photographing the built environment from the ground carries through in a unique way to his skills as an aerial photographer.
Murray Fredericks
Murray is a well-established, Sydney-based photographer and cinematographer whose work is collected by major international institutions and private collectors.
www.murrayfredericksphotography.com.au
Simon Wood
Simon is a Sydney-based professional photographer. His extensive portfolio includes a wide range of projects specializing in architecture, landscape architecture, and design.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Public Domain Masterplan and Design © 2021 Turf Design Studio and Jeppe Aagaard Andersen. All Rights Reserved.
Images © 2021 Ethan Rohloff, Murray Fredericks, Simon Wood. All Rights Reserved.
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