The project enhances the old Central Station to accommodate a state-of-the-art metro interchange, involving a careful process of spatial and structural design and strategies. The development comprises the Northern Concourse, the new entry building off Chalmers Street, Central Walk, Metro Concourse, Metro platform, existing platform refurbishment, new platforms, new canopies and service buildings. Woods Bagot has also collaborated with public artists Dr Bronwyn Bancroft and Rose Nolan to introduce artistic elements that nod to the station’s historical and cultural context. "We wanted to capture the heart of Sydney while creating something that would rival other iconic rail destinations across the globe," mentions John Prentice, Principal and Global Transport Lead, Woods Bagot in an official release.

Global architecture practice Woods Bagot, established in 1869, is renowned for its innovative and sustainable design solutions. Their projects span commercial design, residential design, hospitality design and urban design. Integration of technology and sustainability principles are tenets that tie their oeuvre together. Collaboration, human-centric design and contextual relevance are central to the firm’s creative ventures, ensuring that each project is moulded to the specific needs of its users, location and environment. In the Sydney Central Station, the architects followed a similar ethos of creating an “emotional connection to the place where so many people meet and travel." Careful consideration of the macro and micro factors of the site—such as materiality, tactility and natural light—aid in crafting a space user can resonate with and interact with on a sensory level.

The renewal project embodies a balance between two goals: preserving and accentuating the primary characteristics of the existing Edwardian railway architecture and injecting new elements that look towards the future of transport sans sullying the building’s essence. The Clock Tower, first erected in 1924, regulated all the other railway station clocks and timetables across Sydney. Today, a century later, the metro and the railway experience have evolved manifold, but the tower continues to remain iconic. "Nods to the clock and timekeeping are represented throughout the station as a wayfinding device, to create texture and connection through materiality,” says Prentice.

The Clock Wall, conceived in engineered sandstone wall panels running through the new station concourses, playfully pays tribute to this heritage. Three-dimensional sandstone blocks representing the hands of a clock face are complemented by an inset medallion replica from the original clock tower. Visible from the escalators, a fully functional, refurbished heritage clock from the original building provides functional timekeeping while existing as a piece of art.

Alluding further to the rich context of the transportation design are two public art pieces integrated into the site. A brick artwork by Bundjalung artist Dr Bronwyn Bancroft titled Time Travellers adorns two buildings on Platform 14. The large-scale art piece features serpent-like silhouettes, symbolising one of the many stories of creation passed down from generation to generation. “I see this complex, large body of creation, with architectural, engineering, and artistic components pumping with an understanding and respect for the beginning of time—a time when Aboriginal Australia and culture led the way over ancient tracks when footsteps were laid on the earth for travel. They were all living in that moment and now that is in the past,” shares Dr. Bancroft.

Rose Nolan’s immersive art All Alongside of Each Other is a large-scale red-and-white terrazzo floor drawing at the metro concourse and throughout the northern entrance. The parallel lines, circles and arcs hint at the formal red and white typology of the athletics track. The graphic acts as a marker of time and place as the commuters’ pacing footsteps follow the parallel paths towards their destination. “All Alongside of Each Other offers an open and affirmative text-based proposition to celebrate the daily passage of people as they move together through the portal of Sydney’s iconic Central Station,” the artist states in the press statement.

"Part of the design conception was acknowledging that the new structures for Central Station would be on par in scale as the original terminus station— but this time it would be constructed 27 metres underground,” says Prentice. Australian railway systems exist predominantly above ground, so the new infrastructure came as both a challenge and an opportunity. Through mindful design and industry collaboration, the new Sydney Central Metro has achieved a 6-Star Green Star Design and As Built rating certification. The refurbished station has also acquired a Leading Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) rating.

Accessible design that caters to people with diverse needs is fundamental for public transport. The terminus station is made fully accessible for the first time, with 42 escalators and 13 elevators connecting all platforms and entries. Being a place where countless locals cross paths each day, it is only imminent for the station’s design to be as inclusive as possible. Natural light is strategically employed in the subterranean sections to assist in orientation and intuitive wayfinding. The lighting design, both natural and artificial, underlines architectural features to create inviting spaces that elevate the environment for users.

The material choices for Central Station are guided by a reverence for Sydney’s history. The tessellated engineered sandstone facings for the Metro Box walls call to the station's historic sandstone facades laid in 1902. A lighter palette of porcelains and glazed surfaces above ground contrasts the engineered materiality below ground. The roof vaults and ceilings draw inspiration from the existing arches and vaults. “Whilst upgrades are necessary to ensure the continued use and enjoyment of the station, at the heart of our approach was the recognition that securing a viable and sustainable solution for this historic site was best achieved by keeping it in use—preferably the use for which it was originally intended,” Prentice explains.

As Sydney aspires to develop its transit system in conjunction with its ever-evolving urban fabric, the renewal of this historic hub of transit marks a significant step forward in the process. Nearly 250,000 people from different walks of life visit the Central Station every day; the station, beyond being a place of transit, is pivotal to countless daily journeys. Woods Bagot’s vision for the century-old building puts these very commuters at the heart of the project. Sydney Central’s heritage is augmented with legibility, accessibility, permeability and connectivity; contemporary interventions equalise the station’s historic status— laying the foundation for future placemaking and regeneration.