ASPECT Studios

SYDNEY TOWN HALL SQUARE DESIGN APPOINTMENT Continuing a stream of recently completed and celebrated public projects in Sydney, @johnsonpiltonwalker and @aspectstudios announce our partnership in the design of the @cityofsydney ’s most ambitious new public space — Town Hall Square. The collaborative design team is deep in the creative process, exploring what a truly contemporary civic square can be for Sydney. Town Hall Square is envisioned as a civic heart — a space that meets everyday needs while elevating the city’s shared centre. It’s an opportunity to create a public realm that is generous and inclusive. JPW and ASPECT Studios have been responsible for the design and implementation of some of Australia’s most outstanding and awarded public spaces: @johnsonpiltonwalker Martin Place Metro Precinct, with Tzannes and Grimshaw, 2024 Anzac Memorial, Hyde Park, Sydney 2019, Sulman Medal, Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture Sydney Opera House Strategic Building Plan, 2024 Campbells Cove Foreshore Promenade, 2020 Barangaroo Reserve with PWP Landscape Architects, Barangaroo Sydney, 2016 @aspectstudios Sydney Fish Markets, 2025 Quay Quarter Lanes, Sydney 2021 Sydney CBD and South East Light Rail, 2019 Darling Square, Sydney 2019 The Goods Line, 2015 Darling Quarter, Sydney 2011 📷: Nic Walker Pictured left to right: Matthew Morel, Director, JPW @sacha_coles , Global Design Director, ASPECT Studios Louise Pearson, Studio Director, ASPECT Studios Matteo Salval, Director, JPW Lord Mayor @clovermoore , City of Sydney

Two recently opened Yarning Circles at Adelaide University in Australia bring First Nations practices around knowledge sharing, collaboration, and discourse into the heart of the Roseworthy and Waite campuses. This forms part of the University's commitment to First Nations’ reconciliation and its goal to be the university of choice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. Co-designed with Kaurna/Ngarrindjeri landscape architect and artist Paul Herzich, each yarning circle references Country while relating to each campus' focus on horticulture, agriculture, and veterinary sciences. Delivered on a tight program and modest budget, these inclusive spaces invite reflection, knowledge sharing, and celebration of Country and culture. We especially love how the light shifts throughout the day, creating ever-changing patterns. The Roseworthy panels reference Ilya Yarta (Red-bellied black snake country) and create beautiful patterning on the ground, while Waite's colour palette is inspired by the native flowers of the Mount Lofty foothills. 📷: @adelaideuni and @aspectstudios Client: @adelaideuni Team @aspectstudios Mantirri Design FMG Trinamic @paulherzich Country: Kaurna

From car park to campus heart 💚 The Australian Catholic University (ACU) Campus Park project has reimagined a former multi-deck car park into a vibrant social hub for students, staff, and the local community at ACU’s St Patrick’s Campus. Designed by ASPECT, the park meets today’s campus needs while planning for tomorrow, with relocatable landscape elements ready for future reuse. The design reflects ACU’s values of faith, inclusiveness, and sustainability, using geometry inspired by the cross and the circle to shape spaces for gathering, outdoor study, and quiet reflection. More than 20 new trees, diverse planting, and a bioswale supporting stormwater management enhance ecology and microclimate, creating a calm green oasis within the campus. “This exciting new Park in the heart of the ACU Melbourne campus, will offer a place of sanctuary, contemplation and of learning in nature’s greatest classroom. I look forward to sitting under one of the trees and immersing myself in a book within the serenity and tranquillity that this Park will provide for our university campus.” - John Kouris – State Development Manager (Vic/SA) of ACU Image credit: ASPECT Studios / Yvonne Yiwen Wang / Christian Riquelme Client: @acuimages Project Team: @aspectstudios (Landscape Architecture) @aurecon (Project Manager) @urbis_au (Town Planning) @ttwengineers (Civil) @arupgroup (Lighting) @lyonsarchitecture (Development Plan phase) Delta (Contractor) Country: Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung

Our Sydney team is on the hunt for their next Associate. If you're ready to step into a leadership role across our portfolio of projects - with a key focus on end-to-end project management and regenerative design - this could the role for you. Visit the Careers page of our website for more information and to apply. /careers

A recent design competition asked us to imagine the college campus at two points in the future - 2050 and 2080 - to explore how universities can respond to changing and uncertain environmental and social conditions. In doing so, a larger question was posed: what does resilience really mean? The results of the University at Buffalo’s Resilient Campus Competition are now being shared through a traveling international exhibition, and we’re proud of our answers to those questions. ASPECT Studios collaborated with @woodsbagot and Dr Jillian Walliss to reimagine the @universityatbuffalo South Campus as a resilient and adaptable campus landscape. Hosted by the University at Buffalo (part of SUNY), the competition asked teams to explore how universities can respond to future climate scenarios while reinforcing their public purpose. Our proposal, the Collaborative Campus is grounded in the idea of the commons. Rather than a campus separated from its surrounding community, the project imagines a shared civic landscape shaped through participation from students, researchers, neighbours and the city. The work will now form part of a travelling exhibition that will be presented at institutions including the @uofcalifornia , the @aedesberlin Architecture Forum in Berlin, the @bsaaia and the Center for Architecture in New York.

Five years on, Macquarie University’s Central Courtyard remains a vibrant, integral part of campus life - as this video from our close collaborators @architectusau demonstrates. From our perspective, the project helped establish a new paradigm for our approach to education design, one that sees the outdoors as an extension of the learning environment. The precinct is a generous and resilient setting for study, recreation and everyday campus life, anchored by the tree-lined Central Courtyard. More than simply supporting new ways of learning, the landscape reflects a broader shift toward wellbeing, ecological stewardship and flexible environments. Congratulations to @macquarieuni and @architectusau on the last five years. 📹 by @architectusau #macquarieuni

Our Brisbane studio is on the look-out for LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS and SENIOR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS to join us in the delivery of a diverse line-up of local and international projects. Ideally you’ll be based out of Brisbane, but we’re open to discussing support for designers interested in a sea-change. If you’re curious about what relocation could look like in terms of timelines or support, reach out for a chat via [email protected]. Portfolios can be submitted via email, or by visiting our Careers page via the ASPECT Studios website.

A mixed-use development in Hong Kong that uses the retention of existing trees as an opportunity for design, rather than an obstacle, has been recognised at the Green Building Awards 2025. Existing ancient Ficus trees form the foundation of the SHKP Sai Yee Street master plan. Their protection zones were used as the backbone of an overall organising framework, defining hardscape limits, circulation, and activity spaces. Rather than treating the trees as constraints, the design shapes the space around them, ensuring their long-term health while anchoring the project in a strong and authentic sense of place. From this logic emerges a cascading landscape that extends from street to sky. Public ground level spaces rise into an elevated urban eco park above Mong Kok East Station, transition into community gardens, and culminate in a publicly accessible observation deck at the top of the tower. The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) and The Professional Green Building Council (PGBC) jointly organise the Green Building Awards, which aim to recognize outstanding contributions to sustainable development and environmental building. The project has won a merit award in the New Buildings; Projects Under Construction and Design (Commercial) categories We look forward to sharing more of this collaboration with @kohnpedersenfox in the future.

The New Sydney Fish Market Opens as a Landmark Destination Project Director, Louise Pearson and Project Lead, @miguel.serrao from @aspectstudios , join @3xnarchitects and @bvnarchitecture in celebrating the opening of the new @sydneyfishmarket . This incredible project has taken many years to realise and unlocks a vital new public realm. Perched at the heart of Blackwattle Bay, the waterfront unfolds as a welcoming edge of water play and public art that celebrates cultures old and new. Native planting and generous seating frame the harbour, while an amphitheatre transforms the public domain into a lively stage. Green pockets of vegetation and abundant places to sit, weave in subtle ‘fishy’ references, and flashes of safety‑orange offer a crisp nod to the site’s industrial past. #sydneyfishmarket @nswdphi Placemaking NSW @3xnarchitects @bvnarchitecture @aspectstudios @mottmacgroup AT&L @aecom Equilibrium/Climatec (Joint Venture) @wsp_australia @arupgroup @multiplexconstruction__au @mikehewson @culturalcapital.city @alison_joy_page Photography: @tomroe__ , @aspectstudios

We enjoyed reading the Metropolis Magazine’s feature on Sydney’s new Fish Market! 👏 The new facility, designed by 3XN/GXN in collaboration with BVN Architecture, sits on Blackwattle Bay and features the largest mass timber roof in the Southern Hemisphere; a bold architectural move that speaks to both aesthetic ambition and sustainable thinking. 🌱 The roof is more than just a striking visual feature. Its engineered timber structure, combined with low carbon materials to support the earth. Projects like this show how engineered timber can be used at scale and across unexpected building types. It’s exciting to see timber embraced not only for its warmth, but for its role in sustainability and performance. We can’t wait for you to see it come to life this month. 🪴 To learn more see the link in our bio! #ThecaTimber #SydneyFishMarket #MassTimber #EngineeredTimber #SustainableDesign AustralianArchitecture TimberInnovation PublicArchitecture @multiplex @rubnertimberengineering @saravita_photography @3xnarchitects @aspectstudios @bvnarchitecture @metropolismag

“The new Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway ramp is a legacy piece of city-shaping infrastructure,” says Sacha Coles, Global Design Director of ASPECT Studios. “The design is grounded in Country, integrating contemporary infrastructure with the Bridge’s heritage and the cultural layers of Milsons Point to make cycling across the harbour an inclusive, everyday experience.”    By resolving the northern access to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the ramp delivers a continuous, step-free connection between the city and North Sydney that is safe and accessible for all abilities.    ASPECT Studios is proud to have led a design collaboration that comprised ASPECT Studios (urban design and landscape architecture), @collinsandturner (architecture), @design5architects_au (heritage interpretation), @eocengineers (engineering and industrial design), @yerrabingin (First Nations consultation), @stantec (engineering), @electrolight__ (lighting design), @madwings.murals (art).  And beautifully built by #Arenco For @transportfornsw @nswgov Read more about the project @architecture_au   Photography: @ruthgoldfilms

Today marked the opening of the new Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway Ramp, a significant milestone for active transport in Sydney. For those of us on the design team, helping to bring this project to life has been a privilege and a pleasure. It was terrific to recognise this achievement with The Hon. John Graham, NSW Minister for Transport @transportfornsw , our collaborators @collinsandturner @eocengineers @design5architects_au , and the community. @north.sydney Designed to make cycling across the Bridge safe, enjoyable and accessible for riders of all ages and abilities, the project carefully balances contemporary transport needs with the heritage stature of one of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks. This includes honouring the site’s traditional custodians, the Gadigal and Cammeraygal people. The ramp improves safety and capacity while strengthening connections to the wider cycling network and enhancing access to Bradfield Park. Its serpentine form minimises visual impact through lightness, transparency and fluidity, while meeting rigorous engineering, sustainability and maintenance requirements. The project’s public domain outcomes extend beyond cyclists. New footpaths, crossings and a generous paved plaza create a welcoming community space with seating, water and bike repair facilities, supporting everyday commuters and visitors alike. Together, these elements establish a new benchmark for cycling infrastructure in a sensitive heritage setting and signal a confident vision for Sydney’s transport future. @nswgov @cityofsydney @clovermoore @bikesydney @bicyclensw @yerrabingin @sam.thepavingman arenco @jasonwing @maddisongibbswing