American studio SOM and Australian studio Hassell have revealed plans for Bradfield City, a new, 114-hectare city in western Sydney, which is set to include 10,000 homes, a university campus and a two-hectare park.
Planned to be located beside the recently-completed Western Sydney International Airport, the Bradfield City masterplan proposes an urban landscape roughly 50 kilometres west of Sydney’s central business district, conceptualised as “Sydney’s new urban heart”.
The masterplan forms one of Australia’s largest urban development projects and, once complete, will be the country’s first major city built in over a century, according to SOM.
SOM and Australian studio Hassell have revealed plans for Bradfield City in western Sydney
Key aspects of the development will include the creation of 10,000 new homes, a 2.2-kilometre Green Loop park, a two-hectare Central Park and four major civic centres.
SOM and Hassell designed the proposal in collaboration with cultural design partners Djinjama and COLA Studio to be an “inclusive and climate-resilient” city shaped by indigenous connections to Country – a term used by First Nations peoples to refer to the lands, waters and skies.
“To design a new city is both a rare opportunity and a profound responsibility,” senior associate principal at SOM Michael Powell said.
“Bradfield City is a chance to shape a vision with Country and community, embedding resilience, sustainability, and innovation into every layer of the city.”
It will include 10,000 new homes, green areas and four major civic centres
At the centre of the development, the First Land Release, also known as Superlot 1, will encompass a 5.7-hectare site described by SOM as Bradfield City’s “civic heart”.
This central area will be the proposal’s first stage and is set to contain 1,400 homes alongside a university campus, offices, retail space, a hotel and public space.
Renders of the First Land Release depict a series of high-rise blocks situated along tree-lined streets and interspersed with expansive green areas.
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Complementing the city’s green areas, a timber pavilion will shelter a gathering space for the community beneath an interlocking timber structure and woven canopy.
According to SOM, this pavilion design draws on the Aboriginal principle of “enoughness” or taking only what is needed, with the studios opting for low-carbon and high-performance materials.
The First Land Release will contain 1,400 homes
Other sustainability strategies include the use of passive design solutions, green roofs and solar panels throughout the city’s infrastructure to improve their environmental performance.
“We set out to create a precinct where nature and urban life are intertwined, ensuring Bradfield City feels welcoming, sustainable and uniquely of its place,” principal at Hassell Kevin Lloyd said.
The infrastructure will be paired with expansive green areas
The Bradfield City development is being developed by developer Plenary and has been backed by more than $1 billion in Australian public investment. Its first stage of development is planned to roll out over the next five years.
Elsewhere in Australia, Cox Architecture and Hassell unveiled plans for the Brisbane Olympic Stadium, which is set to serve as the main venue for the 2032 games, and RSHP completed the Barangaroo South masterplan in Sydney.
The renders are courtesy of SOM.