North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Designed by lahznimmo architects and ASPECT Studios, HMAS Platypus—the former submarine base for the Royal Australian Navy—has been revitalized in a superb renovation and reconstruction of an abandoned military complex in North Sydney.
The project, which was developed by Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, incorporates new urban parkland and the adaptive reuse of buildings to create commercial and public spaces.
Opened to the public for the first time in over 150 years, Sub Base Platypus provides a rich overlay of its industrial and naval history.
Located on the shores of Neutral Bay, it has been a gas works, a Naval Base providing torpedo maintenance, and HMAS Platypus submarine base; before passing to the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.
In 2016, the architects were engaged by the Trust to develop the outcomes proposed in the Trust’s Comprehensive Plan.
The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust had undertaken substantial remediation works to the site in addition to extensive community consultation to inform their future Comprehensive Plan and Draft Management Plan.
The site is now a public parkland with a series of interlinked public parks and plazas, a pedestrian bridge to Kersterton Park, a grand stair climbing the cliff face to Kiara Close, and a passenger lift campanile.
Supergraphics facing the new FIMA Courtyard recall the “razzle-dazzle” camouflage technique used by naval vessels to confuse prowling submarines. The industrial buildings have been repurposed for complementary commercial uses.
New access and site links knit the site into the surrounding context for the first time; allowing pedestrian access into and across the site, and a new over-water pedestrian link will provide access to Kesterton Park and High St Ferry Wharf.
The Northern Park, Northern Stair, Playground, and Submariners’ Memorial together form a coherent and discrete public domain space within the broader Sub Base Platypus precinct.
They are separated from the neighborhood by a significant level change, water, and adjacent private properties.
The implementation of the Northern Stair, along with the Kesterton Park Link creates a previously missing loop through the space, opening it to the public for the first time.
These new entries are distinct in character, each celebrating its unique setting.
At the northern end, the Northern Stair is the first in a series of “clip-on” circulation elements that appear to cling to the sandstone cliff face.
The use of color clearly demarcates the element as a new addition to the industrial site, and a public element when viewed from a distance.
To the south, the Kesterton Park link is a new, waterfront “boardwalk” structure that connects the existing public domain to the new.
The use of similar materials creates a connection to the northern park, whilst the addition of timber and stainless-steel elements celebrates the waterfront typology.
Project: Sub Base Platypus
Architects: lahznimmo architects
Design Architects: Andrew Nimmo and Hugo Cottier
Design Team: Jemima Manton, Stephanie Gotis-Graham, and Ben Gore
Landscape Architects: ASPECT Studios
Design Team: Sacha Coles, Kate Luckraft, Louise Pearson, Lauren Nissen, Lachlan Bellach, Dean Coulson, and Alex Woodside
Client: Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
Photographers: Ben Gutherie
