DESIGNS FOR WATERLOO METRO STATION
19 Nov 2020
As part of the Waterloo over-station development in Sydney, detailed designs for the four major buildings have been submitted for consideration.
An integrated station development, the Waterloo Metro station will combine the approved station and a separate over-station development. The over station development is identified as State Significant Development and comprises of five building envelopes including three towers and two mid-rise buildings above and adjacent to the station. The four major buildings of the over-station development will be led by four architects, with the project divided into three precincts.
A 17-storey commercial building in the northern precinct will be designed by Woods Bagot, a 22-storey residential tower in the central precinct by Hassell and Aileen Sage Architects and a 25-storey student accommodation tower and a nine-storey social housing tower will be designed by Bates Smart.
Costing around $900 million in total, the project will be delivered collaboratively by Mirvac, John Holland and the NSW government. The Waterloo Metro Quarter will be “an important hub with residents and office workers just a few minutes’ train ride to the CBD,” according to Department of Planning executive director of key sites Anthea Sargeant.
The office tower designed by Woods Bagot will consist of 35,000 square metres of floor space and hold an approximate capacity of 4,000 workers. To break down the overall bulk, the tower is conceptualised as a collection of volumes of different sizes. 
The residential tower designed by Hassell and Aileen Sage Architects will include 150 apartments, as well as 24 affordable housing units, a two-level childcare centre, ground-floor shops and a pedestrian link from Botany Road to Cope Street Plaza. According to the architects, the building will “respect and draw inspiration from Waterloo’s rich and diverse history and culture from Indigenous connections, migrant and working-class communities.”
Bates Smart student accommodation tower will have space for 474 students, a gym and a community space, with the housing building directly adjacent consisting of 70 apartments and a communal roof terrace. Each building will have its own identity and personality to reflect the architectural diversity of the area.
The Waterloo Metro station, approved by the Minister for Planning in 2017, will be part of the future Sydney Metro Network, specifically the Chatswood to Sydenham section. Waterloo is one of six new stations for the Sydney Metro ‘City & Southwest’, which extends new metro rail from Chatswood, under Sydney Harbour, through the Sydney CBD to Bankstown.
The project is scheduled for completion in 2024.
Images via NSW Government
