Wangal people of the Eora nation
NSW
Callan Park is a historically and culturally significant site on the edge of Iron Cove. We were engaged to contribute an amenities building to the Waterfront Green project.
Two low value and intrusive buildings were removed to open sight lines to significant vistas and to increase visual connection to the waterfront.
Our response was a high quality building given the significance of the site. Parklands pavilions were a reference point however the main driver was the immediate context. Our building therefore celebrated 鈥渆ntry鈥� and transparency, its place on the edge of the green, its relationship to the Cove and the little forest behind, given its connection to Country significance. The material palette is a direct reference to the site and the required function of the building. Our little building seeks to passively participate in the new parklands. It is open, accessible, transparent, respectful of its place in this significant location.
This project is a compelling demonstration that even the humble public toilet can contribute meaningfully to architectural discourse.
Thoughtfully situated within its historic and landscape context, it draws a poetic physical, visual, and legacy connection to the Casuarina forest, a safe place for children in Indigenous culture. The design chooses to sit on the edge of the site – protected, protective, subtle, making space for the landscape and vistas to the water.
The form is refined but purposeful, confidently grounded in a strong material language with a delicate palette. Functionality is resolved with clarity and rigour, yet elevated through subtle, delightful moments: the framed forest, a sliver of sky, soft natural light, and finely composed junctions.
The decision to leave the building open 鈥� refusing to gate it at night 鈥� signals a powerful belief in public trust and access, a civic generosity that empowers rather than controls.
This is small architecture doing big work, quietly but with conviction.
The Waterfront Green project has revitalised and enhanced the Callan Park foreshore and includes a new amenities building that provides accessible and safe facilities for park users. Extensive community consultation was undertaken to inform the development of a 鈥榝orest pavilion鈥� design. The new building is unobtrusive and aligns with the Callan Park (Special Provisions) Act, which requires new buildings to be within the footprint and envelope of existing buildings on site. Greater Sydney Parklands strives for design excellence in all its parkland projects. The building design achieves this by being carefully sited, architecturally striking and sensitive to the surrounding context.
Andrew Stanic, Design Architect
Jade Grayson, Graduate of Architecture
Sven Bjerkhamn, Architectural Coordinator
Rasmus Lund, Senior Project Coordinator
Andy Harding, Director
Zala Srot, Graduate of Architecture
Tyrrell Studio, Landscape Consultant
Christie Civil, Main Contractor
Partridge, Structural Engineer
Inline Hydraulic Services, Hydraulic Consultant
Lighting, Art and Science, Electrical/ Lighting Consultant
The 蜜桃影像 acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
