Barangaroo South: a landmark new waterside district for Sydney

Work has completed on Barangaroo South, a major new mixed-use waterfront neighbourhood that has transformed a former industrial site on the western edge of Sydney’s central business district into a vibrant, people-focused destination.

Grant Associates was appointed as one of the landscape architects for the project, working in close collaboration with architects and masterplanners RSHP (Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners), and a multidisciplinary design team for developer Lendlease.

Barangaroo South forms part of one of Australia’s most ambitious urban regeneration schemes — reconnecting the city with its harbour through a rich sequence of public spaces, promenades and green terraces that weave nature into the urban fabric.

A layered public realm inspired by Sydney’s coastal ecology

Grant Associates’ contribution to the public domain celebrates Sydney’s maritime character and native planting, bringing together sandstone edges, water features and lush subtropical greenery to create an immersive waterfront experience.

A key feature of the Grant Associates’ design is Waterman’s Cove, a dramatic amphitheatre-style public space on the water’s edge, complemented by Hickson Park — a generous green oasis framed by mature trees and lawns that provides a calm counterpoint to the surrounding urban density. Sustainable water management systems and native species planting enhance biodiversity and reflect the ecology of the Sydney foreshore.

The result is a dynamic sequence of outdoor spaces that balance civic energy with a sense of calm, establishing Barangaroo South as a model for biophilic urban design.

Collaboration and long-term legacy

Grant Associates has collaborated closely with RSHP and Lendlease from concept through to delivery over the last 15 years to ensure the landscape formed an integral part of the architecture and public experience.

The project has redefined this part of Sydney as a new cultural and commercial hub — a place for people to live, work and enjoy the harbour.

“Barangaroo South demonstrates how integrated landscape and architecture can create an urban district that feels connected to nature, culture, and community,” said Andrew Grant, Founder and Director, Grant Associates. “We’re proud to have contributed to the public realm of this landmark project.”

Ends

Editors notes

All images should be credited to NSW Government.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_mbA6pnmpk

About Grant Associates

Grant Associates is a pioneering international landscape architecture practice, whose work reconnects people with nature in insightful, delightful and distinctive ways whilst addressing the global challenges of urbanisation, the climate crisis and biodiversity extinction. Grant Associates’ design process is underpinned by a knowledge of human behaviour, nature and ecological science combined with innovative design technology. The practice combines original thinking, creative collaboration and regenerative design to breathe new life into our cities and landscapes.