Project: Bays West Stage 1 Design Guide
Organisation: Department of Planning and Environment
Place: Sydney
Year: 2021-2022
Project Type: Strategy, Policy & Research, Culture-led placemaking
Header image: Proposal concept render for Bays West precinct, COX Architecture
The initial stage of the Bays West precinct will see a new centre developed around the iconic White Bay Power Station and the future Bays Metro Station on a brownfield site located at Rozelle’s edge, beside the Anzac Bridge. Focused on public realm, transport infrastructure and commercial development, Bays West Stage 1 will deliver 5,400 jobs, 250 homes and 4.16 hectares of new public and open space.
Public art is a key element of effective placemaking, civic design and place identity—especially in a zone that will be so highly trafficked by pedestrians. The NSW Department of Planning and Environment required a set of public art guidelines and controls at the rezoning stage in order to set parameters for public art ahead of design competition processes.
The City People team prepared a body of research including studies of precedent works and policy plus strategic context analyses. The draft public art framework and research documentation formed the evidence base for the final objectives and principles inclusions in the exhibited design guide.
Aerial view of the current Bays West Precinct, Urbis
Objectives
- Provide a set of objectives and guiding principles for public art in the Bays West Stage 1 Design Guide.
- Establish a draft set of recommended curatorial principles.
- Provide draft framework and research report documents that detail evidence backing the Design Guide inclusions and which can support subsequent public art strategy work.
Outcomes
- Three curatorial principles aligned to the precinct and sub-precinct Connecting with Country frameworks developed by key knowledge-keepers including Bangawarra and ZakPage.
- A set of objectives for public art that link public art’s role to the wider intentions and aspirations of the precinct design.
- A set of end-to-end guiding principles—from design to delivery to operation—that establish process and governance models, key expectations for developers and architects and which promote excellence and the achievement of outcomes aligned to the place strategy.
- Supporting documentation including a draft public art framework that can support public art strategy development at a subsequent project stage.
