Precincts
fjcurban designs precincts where urban design, architecture, landscape and public space are planned together. The result is a connected place rather than a set of separate sites, and our precinct urban design has been recognised with awards including the Lloyd Rees Award for Urban Design for Darling Quarter.
Our precinct work ranges from city-shaping places such as Darling Quarter, Liverpool Civic Place, Parliament Square and Bunjil Place to precinct plans and studies for the City of Sydney.
Liverpool Civic Place
Reshapes the southern end of Liverpool’s CBD, with a walkable public space leading to the Civic Building and Yellamundie library.
Parliament Square, Hobart
A new public square and laneways behind Parliament House link Salamanca Place to Murray Street.
Darling Quarter, Sydney
Urban design, architecture and landscape create a new public place at Darling Harbour.
Our Expertise
Public Places at the Centre
Squares, laneways and parks are planned as carefully as the buildings around them. At Darling Quarter, a new pedestrian street links Darling Harbour with Town Hall, framed by parklands, a boulevard and a children’s playground. Public places are what people remember, so we design them first.
Integrated Design
Urban design, architecture and landscape are developed together in one studio, so the precinct works as a whole. Building edges, ground floors and open space are resolved at the same time, rather than handed between consultants. One team keeps the design intent consistent from the first framework to the finished place.
Heritage and Context
New buildings sit with heritage fabric and give it new life. At Parliament Square, six heritage buildings were refurbished around a new public square behind Tasmania’s Parliament House. At Liberty Place, a new laneway and plaza connect Castlereagh and Pitt Streets alongside the heritage Legion House.
Civic Life
Civic precincts bring libraries, theatres and community spaces together around public plazas, as at Bunjil Place and Liverpool Civic Place. Walkable spaces draw people through the precinct and give communities places to gather. At Liverpool, the new public space reshapes the southern end of the CBD.
Projects
| Project | Description |
|---|---|
| Darling Quarter, Sydney | An integration of urban design, architecture and landscape that creates a new public place at Darling Harbour. Approved in 2009 and completed in 2011. |
| Liberty Place, Sydney | The ANZ Tower and a new public laneway and plaza linking Castlereagh and Pitt Streets, with the heritage Legion House. Approved in 2007 and completed in 2013. |
| Parliament Square, Hobart TAS | A new public square and laneways behind Tasmania's Parliament House, linking Salamanca Place to Murray Street. Approved through an Act of the Tasmanian Parliament in 2012 and completed in stages. |
| Liverpool Civic Place, Liverpool | Reshapes the southern end of Liverpool’s CBD, with a walkable public space leading to the Civic Building and Yellamundie library. |
| Bunjil Place, Narre Warren | A civic and cultural precinct for the City of Casey, bringing a theatre, library, exhibition spaces and a public plaza together beneath the sheltering wings of Bunjil. |
| The Concourse, Chatswood | A civic and cultural centre in Chatswood with open public spaces above a podium for performance and community. Completed in 2011. |
| Auckland Art Gallery Precinct, New Zealand | Redevelopment of the gallery and its links to Albert Park and Kitchener Street, with Archimedia. Resource consent was granted in 2006; the gallery reopened in 2011 and was named World Building of the Year in 2013. |
| Parramatta Civic Place (Parramatta Council) | Design of community, council and commercial facilities for Stage 3 of Parramatta Square for Parramatta City Council (2013), and shortlisted in the 2016 civic building competition. |
| Spring Quarter, Chatswood | Four buildings with about 760 apartments, commercial and retail space, through-site links and open space, recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority for State Significant Development in October 2025. |
| City of Sydney Precinct Plans | |
| Haymarket Precinct Study, Haymarket | Chinatown and Haymarket urban design study for the City of Sydney, prepared by the studio's predecessor practice, Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp, in 1994. |
| City Linked Squares / Circular Quay, Sydney | |
| Mixed Use Precinct, Neutral Bay | |
| Balfour Park (CUB site), Broadway | |
| Section 96, Canberra | |
| Heritage DCP, Sydney | |
| Pedestrian Study, Sydney | |
| York Street Priority One Study, Sydney | |
| Druitt & York Streets Modelling, Sydney |
Urban Design Awards
| Project | Award | Year | Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parliament Square, Hobart | John Lee Archer Triennial Prize | 2025 | Australian Institute of Architects, Tasmanian Architecture Awards |
| Parliament Square, Hobart | Award for Urban Design | 2023 | Australian Institute of Architects, Tasmanian Architecture Awards |
| Parliament Square, Hobart | Shortlist, Urban Design | 2023 | Australian Institute of Architects, National Architecture Awards |
| Liberty Place, Sydney | Urban Design Award | 2016 | Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Architecture Awards |
| Liberty Place, Sydney | City of Sydney Lord Mayor’s Prize | 2016 | Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Architecture Awards |
| Darling Quarter, Sydney | Lloyd Rees Award for Urban Design | 2013 | Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Architecture Awards |
| Darling Quarter, Sydney | National Commendation for Urban Design | 2013 | Australian Institute of Architects, National Architecture Awards |
| Darling Quarter, Sydney | City of Sydney Lord Mayor’s Prize | 2013 | Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Architecture Awards |
| Darling Quarter, Sydney | Global Award for Excellence | 2012 | Urban Land Institute |
| Darling Quarter, Sydney | Urban Design Award, Architecture | 2012 | Sydney Design Awards |
| The Concourse, Chatswood | Government Leadership for Urban Development | 2012 | Urban Development Institute of Australia (NSW) |
For further information, please enquire by email. You can also explore fjcurban and our selected urban projects.