Projects | Sydney Metro Gadigal Station and Parkline Place, Australia

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As cities grow, so does the demand for efficient, sustainable, and accessible transportation systems. This challenge calls for innovative design solutions that harmonise the vertical and horizontal aspects of urban living and public transportation.

Sydney Metro’s Gadigal Integrated Station Development (formerly Pitt Street Station) is an example of unlocking high density urban sites for integrated transport infrastructure. It is made up of the metro station and two buildings above the station to deliver a range of uses such as community facilities, new homes, shops, restaurants and commercial office spaces.

Each precinct element above ground is constructed simultaneously with the metro station to minimise disruptions to surrounding residents and businesses, and allow for the development to open when train services commence.

Blending the new with the existing for Parkline Place

Parkline Place is one of two over-station developments (OSDs). At more than 170 metres, the 39-storey commercial building has been designed with a human-centred approach.

Aurecon, as part of the team delivering the transformative Parkline Place, is focusing on:

Striking a balance in development that is appropriate for local environmental and cultural conditions
Making unobtrusiveness and accessibility central to design. The new building will be interwoven with the architectural design of existing structures so people can continue to move easily and efficiently within the city.
Ensuring economy and sustainability. The commercial building will be one of the first in Sydney to be a carbon net zero operation, and it reduces carbon emissions through material selection.

Building towers over the top of a train station has inherent challenges. To support the development’s requirement of up to a 120-year design life for the structures, engineers integrated Australia’s concrete buildings and bridge codes to design the right solution. This provided the necessary provisions to design the three distinct parts of the towers; the platforms and adits, the integrated station box and the commercial tower development.

Location

Gadigal Country
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Client

Sydney Metro for Gadigal Station,
Oxford Properties and Mitsubishi Estate for Parkline Place

Partners

CPB Contractors, Foster+Partners, Cox Architects, Investa, Bates Smart

Aurecon's Role

1. Gadigal Station: Building services, lighting, fire protection, structural engineering, user-centred design, traffic and pedestrian planning, ground engineering, durability consulting

2. Parkline Place: Structural engineering, vertical transportation, traffic and pedestrian modelling, civil engineering, visualisation and immersive storytelling

Expertise

Building Design, Integrated Transport & Mobility, Digital Engineering & Advisory, Ground & Underground Engineering

Status

Ongoing

Easing congestion and foot traffic with good design

About 9,000 people are forecast to pass through the gates of Sydney Metro Gadigal Station during the morning peak on weekdays, and by 2056, as many as 5,000 people are expected to make their way into the commercial tower, with additional visitors to the retail outlets. This creates an epicentre at the ground floor where people are transitioning between their destinations.

Designing this space for accessibility, ease of flow, and flexibility was critical. Breaking with the traditional notion of locating a commercial tower’s lobby at ground level, Parkline Place’s lobby is situated on Level 3 and accessed predominantly by escalators from ground floor.

This has been achieved by locating the central core of the building which provides strength and stability above the primary station escalators, balanced on mega columns penetrating 25 metres through the escalator void opening up a spacious cavern at ground level.

The iconic Parkline Place precinct will sit over the entrance of Gadigal Station.

Material efficiency

Focusing on sustainability, a reduction in material use has been achieved by incorporating up to 43 and 35 per cent of supplementary cementitious materials for the station and tower respectively within the concrete mixes. These two factors resulted in a 41 per cent reduction in the volume of embodied carbon generated by the project. The thickness of concrete slabs has also been reduced utilising a post-tensioned concrete solution and internal beam clear spans up to 17 metres increased to reduce the number of internal columns required and provide uninterrupted space for the commercial office.

With up to a 120-year design life, the primary structure of this development embraces circular economy principles by maximising the value of resources used, of both their lifespan and performance capacity.

Given this long lifespan, future environmental factors are considered in the design through the climate change risk assessment that was conducted prior to design. The station development has achieved a 5-Star Green Building Council of Australia Design & As-Built rating and Parkline Place has achieved an impressive 6 Star Green Star Design and As-Built rating.

Commercial tower, Parkline Place is being built above the northern entrance of Gadigal Station and will be the workplace for as many as 5,000 people.

Gadigal station integration

Being constructed simultaneously with Parkline Place, the Sydney Metro Gadigal Station is benefiting from Aurecon’s capabilities and experience. We are providing engineering design for the platforms and adits located between the commercial and adjacent residential tower, the station box and ventilation system beneath Parkline Place, and the services for the station box located directly below the residential tower.

Commercial tower, Parkline Place is being built above the northern entrance of Gadigal Station and will be the workplace for as many as 5,000 people.

The transformational Sydney Metro project will ultimately provide capacity for a metro train every two minutes in each direction under the city – a level of service never before seen in the city. The station box is the area excavated more than 20 m below ground for the station's underground platform, concourse and facilities.

A key component for underground infrastructure is the ventilation system, required to ensure optimal thermal conditions and comfort for passengers. To achieve this within the station box, four primary systems are required: tunnel ventilation, over-track exhausts for air conditioning units, under-track exhausts for extracting brake heat, and supply air for the platform spaces.

For integrated infrastructure in the urban environment of Sydney, the space planning required to house these systems has proven to be a challenge for designers. In response, the box is being built from the top down rather than bottom up, to deliver the platforms as quickly as possible.

The northern cavern of Gadigal Station, constructed approximately 17 metres below ground level.

The Aurecon team on site at the northern cavern of Gadigal Station.

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The northern cavern of Gadigal Station, constructed approximately 17 metres below ground level.

Visualising the development

Aurecon’s creative technology and visualisation teams developed a full suite of visual content to communicate the vision of the new station and integrated development. Using a storytelling approach, the suite of visual outputs brings this iconic infrastructure development to life and provides in-depth information for stakeholders and the community.

Live action footage of Sydney Metro Gadigal Station under construction, and renders of the finished project, were computer generated to showcase this part of Australia’s biggest public transport project. Fly-through animation and digital images were also used to develop a beautifully portrayed short film about Parkline Place. The visual nature of this film superbly displays the innovative design and seamless connectivity that the integrated development will have with the station, and central Sydney.

Beyond using the digital content for public information, the computer-generated imagery was combined with ground and structural engineering survey data to provide verifiable renders of the project for use during the visual impact assessment process.

70 per cent urbanisation by 2050

Gadigal Integrated Station Development is a new commercial and residential hub for Sydney’s residents and visitors. Nestled between some of the city’s most iconic buildings and destinations, the new residential tower, Indi Sydney, features more than 200 apartments with resident amenities and communal hospitality spaces. The base of the office building will feature retail and community connection spaces.

With the United Nations projecting nearly 70 per cent urbanisation by 2050 on a global scale, cities must continue to be desirable places where people can not only work – but also live and thrive. This development connects people in this way, offering a vibrant sense of place in the heart of one of the world’s largest cities.

Award-winning

This project has won the following award:

Winner: Prix Versailles World Title – Special Prize 2025 – Interior Design Award for Sydney Metro Gadigal Station

Blending the new with the existing for Parkline Place

Easing congestion and foot traffic with good design

Material efficiency

Gadigal station integration

Visualising the development

70 per cent urbanisation by 2050

Award-winning

TAGS

We would love to work with you to bring your ideas to life, so get in touch and we'll get back to you.

Blending the new with the existing for Parkline Place

Easing congestion and foot traffic with good design

Material efficiency

Gadigal station integration

Visualising the development

70 per cent urbanisation by 2050

Award-winning

TAGS

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We would love to work with you to bring your ideas to life, so get in touch and we'll get back to you.