Bays West International Design Competition

ACA NSW/ACT has been briefed by Government Architect Abbie Galvin on the upcoming Bays West International Design Competition, which is due to open shortly. This is one of the most significant urban design opportunities to come to NSW in recent years, and we wanted to make sure our members are across it.

Spanning White Bay, Glebe Island, Rozelle Bay, the White Bay Power Station Precinct and Rozelle Rail Yards, Bays West is one of the last strategic pieces of inner harbour land available for renewal in Sydney, with plans to deliver up to 8,500 homes, substantial public open space and connections to the new Metro West line. Rather than a detailed masterplan, the competition focuses on a design-led urban framework for two key sites – Glebe Island and the White Bay Power Station Precinct – responding to seven place principles including regenerative systems, density done well, post-car mobility and Connecting with Country. The competition runs in two stages: an Expression of Interest followed by an invitation-only, paid design phase for shortlisted teams.

Abbie and her team invited the ACA, represented by Stephen Pearse, to provide input on the competition. Our advice on how to deliver a project of this scale and complexity – including joint venture arrangements, staged delivery models, and appropriate fee structures – will help deliver a good design outcome for the community and a sustainable business opportunity for all involved. This is particularly important given that the project timeline may not be fully resolved upfront, and that lengthy approvals and review processes are inevitable on a project of this nature.

We also raised the importance of creating meaningful opportunities for emerging and smaller practices to participate in the project beyond the main masterplan design phase. We aim to ensure that the competition structure doesn’t inadvertently concentrate opportunity among a small number of large-scale teams or limit diversity across the precinct.

We commend the Government Architect’s office for proactively consulting with the profession on the detail of this competition. We are delighted that practising architects are increasingly having a voice in shaping how major government projects are structured and delivered. We will continue to represent the interests of our members as the competition structure is finalised and will share further updates as they come to hand.

Learn more about the Bays West International Design Competition here.