The northern Sydney suburb of St Leonards is bisected by the North Shore train line. Land adjacent to the line has either become inactive or deemed marginal and as a result undesirable locations for business and living.
The ideas competition for a site along this rail corridor sought to reconcile the two sides to the suburb, and reactivate this edge. The proposal for the site looked to re-establish pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular links through the area that allowed the rail line to be traversed and part of the site to be given over to public access. A small green corridor remains to the north of the site and is a remnant of a Sydney gully. This gorge is extended through the site forming a new green artery through the site with commercial and residential space on either side.
Location: St Leonards, NSW, Australia 33°49’14.19″S, 151°11’40.06″E
Date: 2009
Design team: Thierry Lacoste, David Stevenson, Tommy Yinhui Zhou
Photography / images: Lacoste+Stevenson Architects