gC    Granville Central

PROJECT DATA
TYPE PUBLIC SPACE, URBAN DESIGN, TRANSPORT, LANDSCAPE
LOCATION GRANVILLE, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
CLIENT CUMBERLAND COUNCIL
DATE 2020
WITH UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY
NIMISH BILORIA
JAMES MELSOM
DHRUMIL MEHTA
TEAM DAVE PIGRAM
IAIN MAXWELL
IMAGES DOUG&WOLF

Granville Central

Granville, Sydney, NSW, Au


gC



A new vision for the heart of Granville LGA as a dynamic, connected and pedestrian friendly neighbourhood. 



Granville Central is a local community focussed act of place-making that sees the co-location of generous public space and well-designed public transport infrastructure as symbiotic contributors to a just and vital urban environment.  Granville Central consists of a coherent network of strong and direct lines of connection made physical, stitching the fabric of Granville together while embracing a new and generous public space at its heart.

The vision for a vibrant new public precinct includes: two new landscaped public plazas; a relocated and combined Granville Station and Bus Interchange; a new mass-timber mixed-use building to house the relocated council offices, a business incubator, ‘City Room’, council shopfront, a cafe and a restaurant; a new retail and commercial office building; underground parking with end-of-trip-facilities; all stitched together with a dynamic network of accessible pedestrian and bike friendly ramps and canopies.

The project enacts the following priorities:
1) To remove the strong barrier and urban void produced by the combined impact of the current rail and road corridor.

2) To use the opportunity of needing to replace aging and non-compliant access infrastructure to produce a series of dynamic interconnected and accessible promenades that strongly re-unite Granville.

3) To turn backsides into front sides.

4) To create an exemplary sustainable council building that catalyses and continues to support the life and vitality of the public plaza.

Granville Central was developed as a test and elaboration of the ‘Granville: Towards an Empathic Precinct’ Smart Cities Masterplan developed by Nimish Biloria and Dhrumil Mehta as part of a funded research project by the University of Technology Sydney [UTS].

The central plaza landscape was designed in collaboration with James Melson of Landskip Lab and the University of Technology Sydney [UTS].

Aerial View 
The new train station and bus interchange are integrated as a series of parallel platforms connected by an elevated bridge that connects North Granville and all elements of South Granville’s revitalised public precinct.
The plaza is surrounded by cafes and restaurants, ensuring the plaza is active from morning until night.

Landscape and Childrens’ Play 
The northern edge of the plaza consists of a series of planted landscape ‘peninsulas’ that provide deeper soil for trees, grass to relax on and edges to wait for the bus while engaging with the activity of the plaza.

The North-East corner of Granville Central Plaza is dedicated to child’s play.  Supportive of active, sensory and creative play all under the shade of a Jacaranda.  The area receives the last of the evening light and is overlooked by adjacent cafes.
 
Eora / Sydney —
Gadi Country
1503D/780 Bourke St, Redfern, NSW, 2016
sydney@supermanoeuvre.com  
Ngambri / Canberra —
Ngunnawal Country
 
canberra@supermanoeuvre.com