Redfern Station | DesignInc

Commendation for Public Architecture

The Redfern Station Southern Concourse by DesignInc in collaboration with state and local government provides a new, accessible experience for pedestrians travelling east-west across the train tracks, with lifts and stairs down to each platform. The clever use of metal screening enables natural light into the walkway as well as visual sightlines in and out. A generous open pavilion type of roof creates a clear marker for wayfinding on the western side. On the eastern side, the walkway links through an adaptive reused heritage building onto a newly pedestrianised Little Eveleigh Street – a project collaboration with the City of Sydney. The bridge is functional and robust and creates a significant improvement to pedestrian walkability through the area.

Creative Adaption Award for Heritage Architecture

The State Heritage Listed Redfern Station Group, opened in 1884 as a collection of brick and stone structures, is associated with engineer-in-chief of the NSW Railways, John Whitton, and was originally served by the Eveleigh Railway Workshops and nearby residences. The new southern concourse entries at Marion and Little Eveleigh Streets demonstrate thoughtful and substantial interpretation of context by references to historiological users of the site including First Nations pre-settlement ecology and 20^th Century industry, transport, and engineering themes by interpreting both wetland mists and steam motifs through a continuous perforated veil canopy.

DesignInc have been careful to preserve built form whilst maintaining key bridge concourse alignments by the adaptive reuse of the former industrial warehouse flatiron structure, a contributory non-listed building, as a new entry way that spills onto the enclosed laneway. This approach has elevated the significance of this corner building by inhabiting it with a modern use to ensure a high degree of ongoing intactness. The jury was impressed by the efforts to conserve buildings evidenced by the relocation of the 1891 brick office building on platform 1 and the subsequent recording of the move.

Lord Mayor’s Prize

The upgrade of Redfern station delivers not only a highly functional solution to the need for universal access to the fifth-busiest station on our network, but it provides a welcoming and positive experience which sets a bar for other transport infrastructure projects.

The new southern concourse provides an elevated connection across the rail lines connecting the narrow platforms below and provides a vital link reconnecting the two sides of Redfern: from Little Eveleigh Street in the west to Marian Street near the Watertower development in the east.

High quality urban design considers the integration of the landing connections on both sides: the adaptive reuse of a former broom factory/warehouse on Little Eveleigh and a generous open paved and green setting at Marian street. This embraces the level of integration and design with the surrounds needed by once-in-a-generation projects.

Importantly, the open community gateway provides a neighbourhood level cross rail connection for the diverse community that may or may not have travel cards. The everyday experience of walking the concourse is both generous and airy – filled with light during the day and providing excellent visibility and improved safety through careful design in the evening. This is particularly important for the women and the large and diverse student cohort that travel through Redfern station every day.