Every city has a beginning. Bradfield City begins with listening to place.
Standing on Dharug Country, the First Building is Australia’s first completed building in its first new city in more than a century. As the inaugural civic building of Bradfield City, it establishes more than a physical foundation; it signals a new paradigm in Australian architecture where Designing with Country is inseparable from designing for climate resilience, circularity and community wellbeing (Australian Institute of Architects 2025; Hassell 2025).
Designed by Hassell in collaboration with First Nations cultural research and design practice Djinjama, the project was shaped through engagement with Dharug Knowledge Holders. The design responds to Wianamatta i.e “Mother Place” and the ephemeral waterways, grasslands and ecological rhythms of the Cumberland Plain. The architecture follows Country’s patterns of movement, water and gathering, creating a civic place grounded in care, reciprocity and cultural continuity (Djinjama 2025; Hassell 2025). This philosophy is equally evident in the building’s environmental performance. Conceived as a prefabricated mass timber “kit of parts”, the structure can be dismantled, reconfigured or relocated as Bradfield evolves, extending its lifespan while reducing future material consumption and construction waste. Circularity is therefore embedded not only in material selection but in the building’s capacity to adapt over time. Complementing this approach is a palette of low embodied-carbon materials, including timber, rammed earth and bamboo, that express the textures of Country while lowering the project’s environmental footprint (Hassell 2025; Sustainable Building Awards 2025).
Operational sustainability is equally ambitious. A biodiverse green roof, 180 kW rooftop solar array, battery storage, rainwater harvesting, permeable landscapes informed by Indigenous water knowledge, natural ventilation strategies and electric vehicle infrastructure collectively reduce operational emissions while strengthening ecological resilience. During construction, more than 90 per cent of waste was diverted from landfill, reinforcing the project’s commitment to resource stewardship throughout its lifecycle (NSW Government 2025; Hassell 2025).
The First Building’s greatest contribution lies beyond measurable performance. As the home of the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility (AMRF), it positions sustainability not simply as environmental responsibility but as economic and social resilience, bringing together government, industry and research to cultivate new knowledge, advanced manufacturing capability and future skills for Western Sydney (NSW Government 2025). Recognition through the 2025 David Oppenheim Award for Sustainable Architecture, the NSW Premier’s Prize, and numerous national sustainability awards reflects more than architectural excellence. It acknowledges a project that demonstrates how First Nations knowledge systems can fundamentally reshape contemporary practice—where regeneration begins not with technology alone, but with relationships to Country (Australian Institute of Architects 2025).
The First Building is the beginning of a different way of imagining a building in Bradfield. It asks us to look beyond carbon- by creating a building and its place that restores ecological processes, honours cultural knowledge, and creates places where people, landscape and future generations can thrive together.
Architect: Hassell with First Nations cultural research and design practice Djinjama
Project: First Building, Bradfield City
Location: Bradfield City, Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Date: Opened 5 March 2025
Awards:
- 2025 Powerhouse Museum Holdmark Innovation Award
- 2025 Sustainability Award for Commercial Architecture
- 2025 David Oppenheim Award for Sustainable Architecture
- 2025 Timber Design Award for Sustainability
- NSW Architecture Awards – Premier’s Prize and Award for Sustainable Architecture
- UDIA NSW Excellence in Sustainability
- Good Design Award for Sustainability
- MBA Sustainability Awards.
Links to further reading:
https://www.hassellstudio.com/project/amrf-first-building
https://www.nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/precinct-development/delivering-bradfield-city/first-building
Bibliography
Australian Institute of Architects. 2025. 2025 National Architecture Awards: First Building – Bradfield City Centre. Australian Institute of Architects. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://www.architecture.com.au/awards/2025-national-architecture-awards/2025-national-architecture-awards-winners.
Djinjama. 2025. Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility (The First Building in Bradfield). Djinjama. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://djinjama.com/djinjama-project/advanced-manufacturing-research-facility-the-first-building-in-bradfield/.
Hassell. 2025. First Building, Bradfield City Centre. Hassell. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://www.hassellstudio.com/project/amrf-first-building.
NSW Government. 2025. Bradfield City Centre: First Building. NSW Government. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://www.nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/precinct-development/delivering-bradfield-city-centre/first-building.
NSW Government. 2025. Designing with Country: Bradfield City Centre – The First Building. NSW Government. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://www.nsw.gov.au/about-nsw/precinct-development/delivering-bradfield-city-centre/first-building/designing-country.