SOM & Hassell create innovative model for climate-adaptive urbanism

The masterplan has been revealed for Australia’s first entirely new city in more than a century, created by Tenderstream members Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and Hassell, in collaboration with cultural design partners Djinjama and COLA Studio. Bradfield City’s foundational First Land Release precinct, known as Superlot 1, is intended to establish a transformative model for inclusive, climate-adaptive and Country-centred urbanism, shaped by Indigenous connections to the land. 

Located about 50 km west of Sydney’s central business district, Bradfield City sits adjacent to the forthcoming Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport. The First Land Release spans 5.7 ha and will deliver more than 1,400 homes, including 10% affordable housing, alongside a university campus, commercial offices, hotel space, child care, retail, and extensive public areas.Kevin Lloyd, Principal at Hassell, states: “We set out to create a precinct where nature and urban life are intertwined, ensuring Bradfield City feels welcoming, sustainable and uniquely of its place.”

The masterplan is driven by an ambition to catalyse the area’s emergence as Western Sydney’s new urban heart, capitalising on transportation links while reinforcing connection to Country, a term used by First Nations peoples to refer to the lands, waters and skies to which they are connected through ancestral ties and family origins. The project’s material palette favours low-carbon, high-performance materials such as terracotta and timber, while minimising embodied energy. At the development’s centre is the Green Loop, a 15-meter-wide linear park. A pavilion will serve as a gathering space for community members, with the structure featuring a woven canopy of interlocking timber, in a design that reflects the Aboriginal principle of 'enoughness', taking only what is needed.

“To design a new city is both a rare opportunity and a profound responsibility,” says SOM Senior Associate Principal Michael Powell. “Bradfield City is a chance to shape a vision with Country and community, embedding resilience, sustainability, and innovation into every layer of the city.”

Lucy Nordberg

Tenderstream Head of Research

Start your free trial here or email our team directly at customerservices@tenderstream.com