How does a responsible architect interpret a brief for a carpark in the twenty first century? We think about the structure’s life and future beyond carbon and cars. The Campbelltown Carpark become the Adaptable Mobility Hub. It developed as hypothesis about what was needed to maximise choice into the future.

As a result – we proposed the courtyard carpark. Access ramps between floors are configured cleanly sit wholly within a central courtyard that allows the building to become easily adapted for commercial, cultural or residential uses in future. In the interim, the courtyard brings landscape, light and air into the structure minimising the need for daytime lighting and energy use, and the geometry of the ramps are striking formal elements in the courtyard In the short term, the project provides 500 car spaces, trick charge EV powered by rooftop solar, and bicycle and motorbike parking. In the long term, the building offers multiple opportunities for reinvention in a second, third or fourth life.

The building has a strong architectural presence to act as a catalyst for future urban development of the precinct. The generous floor to floor height of the ground floor will enable retail and cafes to plug into the structure and activate the ground floor and street frontage along Farrow Road and future streets within the site. The use of post tensioned slabs and band beams reduces the volume of concrete required by approximately 17%.

The landscape design maximises unencumbered deep soil areas within generous building setbacks and utilises Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) principles using passive irrigation, raingardens and suitable filtration species where possible.