the ceremonial heart of Adelaide CBD.

brief

The redevelopment of the Festival Square was a sizable task—measuring 130m by 65m, the project is significantly large and rivals some of the greatest civic squares of the world. In its initial phase, the plaza was surrounded by disparate buildings, lacking a singular theme to tie them together. Several urban design issues such as a lack of car-parking and traffic congestion were also at hand.

solution

The city of Adelaide was in need of civic space—a festival plaza for its people. Creating an open space that was flexible in function, was important to activate and facilitate the plaza’s adjacent edges and spaces. We responded to this by strategically placing commercial and retail amenities around the ground-level plaza, as well as inserting two new office towers beside it. In addressing the surrounding traffic issues, a large car-parking facility that houses 1800 vehicles was concealed underground. Incorporating the two heritage buildings on-site, these new additions and the reinvigorated plaza were designed to merge seamlessly as a single entity.

SISSONS.