ASPECT Studios

ASPECT Studios We approach each project by examining the social, cultural, economic, historical and ecological context that underpins it.

ASPECT Studios is a group of design studios delivering innovative leading edge landscape architecture, urban design and urban planning, both within Australia and internationally. ASPECT Studios is an international design practice, built from a global team of landscape architects, urban designers, architects, wayfinding specialists, strategists, and graphic designers. Our people are dexterous, crea

tive, technically adept, and serious about designing places that benefit people and the natural world. This focus has seen us create some of the most memorable public realm and natural spaces in Australia and abroad. We are defined by an energised and creative approach, tempered by over 25 years' experience in delivering and curating significant projects. Over that time, we have established studios in Adelaide, Brisbane, Dubai, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, London, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Shanghai. With this integrated approach, we possess the skills and resources to define globally defining design projects.

SYDNEY TOWN HALL SQUARE DESIGN APPOINTMENTContinuing a stream of recently completed and celebrated public projects in Sy...
12/05/2026

SYDNEY TOWN HALL SQUARE DESIGN APPOINTMENT

Continuing a stream of recently completed and celebrated public projects in Sydney, JPW and ASPECT Studios announce our partnership in the design of the City of Sydney’s most ambitious new public space — Town Hall Square.

The collaborative design team is deep in the creative process, exploring what a truly contemporary civic square can be for Sydney.

Town Hall Square is envisioned as a civic heart — a space that meets everyday needs while elevating the city’s shared centre. It’s an opportunity to create a public realm that is generous and inclusive.

JPW and ASPECT Studios have been responsible for the design and implementation of some of Australia’s most outstanding and awarded public spaces:

JPW
Martin Place Metro Precinct, with Tzannes and Grimshaw, 2024
Anzac Memorial, Hyde Park, Sydney 2019, Sulman Medal, Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture
Sydney Opera House Strategic Building Plan, 2024
Campbells Cove Foreshore Promenade, 2020
Barangaroo Reserve with PWP Landscape Architects, Barangaroo Sydney, 2016

ASPECT Studios
Sydney Fish Markets, 2025
Quay Quarter Lanes, Sydney 2021
Sydney CBD and South East Light Rail, 2019
Darling Square, Sydney 2019
The Goods Line, 2015
Darling Quarter, Sydney 2011

Photo: Nic Walker

Pictured left to right:
Matthew Morel, Director, JPW
Sacha Coles, Global Design Director, ASPECT Studios
Louise Pearson, Studio Director, ASPECT Studios
Matteo Salval, Director, JPW
Lord Mayor Clover Moore, City of Sydney

Two recently opened Yarning Circles at Adelaide University in Australia bring First Nations practices around knowledge s...
30/04/2026

Two recently opened Yarning Circles at Adelaide University in Australia bring First Nations practices around knowledge sharing, collaboration, and discourse into the heart of the Roseworthy and Waite campuses.

This forms part of the University's commitment to First Nations’ reconciliation and its goal to be the university of choice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.
Co-designed with Kaurna/Ngarrindjeri landscape architect and artist Paul Herzich, each yarning circle references Country while relating to each campus' focus on horticulture, agriculture, and veterinary sciences.

Delivered on a tight program and modest budget, these inclusive spaces invite reflection, knowledge sharing, and celebration of Country and culture. We especially love how the light shifts throughout the day, creating ever-changing patterns.

The Roseworthy panels reference Ilya Yarta (Red-bellied black snake country) and create beautiful patterning on the ground while Waite's colour palette is inspired by the native flowers of the Mount Lofty foothills.

Photography: Adelaide University and ASPECT Studios

Client: Adelaide University

Team
ASPECT Studios
Mantirri Design
FMG
Trinamic
Paul Herzich

Country: Kaurna

The Australian Catholic University (ACU) Campus Park project has transformed a former multi-deck car park into a vibrant...
24/04/2026

The Australian Catholic University (ACU) Campus Park project has transformed a former multi-deck car park into a vibrant social and civic heart for ACU’s St Patrick’s Campus. ASPECT Studios’ design delivered a park as a welcoming, high-quality open space that supports campus life today while anticipating future development through relocatable landscape elements.

Reflecting ACU’s values of faith, inclusiveness, and sustainability, the design weaves symbolic geometry inspired by the cross and the circle into spaces for gathering, learning, and quiet contemplation. With new trees, diverse planting, and a bioswale supporting ecology and microclimate, the park offers a green oasis for students, staff, and the wider community.

“This exciting new Park in the heart of the ACU Melbourne campus, will offer a place of sanctuary, contemplation and of learning in nature’s greatest classroom. I look forward to sitting under one of the trees and immersing myself in a book within the serenity and tranquillity that this Park will provide for our university campus.” -
John Kouris – State Development Manager (Vic/SA) of ACU

Image credit: ASPECT Studios / Yvonne Yiwen Wang / Christian Riquelme

Client: Australian Catholic University (ACU)

Project Team:
ASPECT Studios (Landscape Architecture)
Aurecon (Project Manager)
Urbis (Town Planning)
TTW (Civil)
ARUP (Lighting)
Lyons Architecture (Development Plan phase)
Delta (Contractor)

Country: Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung

A recent design competition asked us to imagine the college campus at two points in the future - 2050 and 2080 - to expl...
13/03/2026

A recent design competition asked us to imagine the college campus at two points in the future - 2050 and 2080 - to explore how universities can respond to changing and uncertain environmental and social conditions. In doing so, a larger question was posed: what does resilience really mean? The results of the University at Buffalo’s Resilient Campus Competition are now being shared through a traveling international exhibition, and we’re proud of our answers to those questions.

ASPECT Studios collaborated with Woods Bagot and Dr Jillian Walliss to reimagine the University at Buffalo South Campus as a resilient and adaptable campus landscape. Hosted by the University at Buffalo (part of SUNY), the competition asked teams to explore how universities can respond to future climate scenarios while reinforcing their public purpose.

Our proposal, the Collaborative Campus is grounded in the idea of the commons. Rather than a campus separated from its surrounding community, the project imagines a shared civic landscape shaped through participation from students, researchers, neighbours and the city.

The work will now form part of a travelling exhibition that will be presented at institutions including the University of California, Berkeley, the Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin, the Boston Society of Architects and the Center for Architecture in New York.

12/02/2026

Wherever we work, our projects are shaped and delivered through collaboration and craft.

The serpentine Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway draws on imagery from Gadigal and Cammeraygal Country, featuring two interlocking eel forms embedded along its length to reflect local marine life and cultural connection.

In collaboration with artists Madwings and delivery partners including Sam the Paving Man and Arenco, we translated artwork into the pavement itself. It required close coordination, trust and precision at every stage, and we’re extremely happy with the results.

This video from Sam the Paving Man featuring Project Landscape Architect Scott Badham and Project Lead Jason Packenham offers a behind-the-scenes look at how it was delivered.

Full video: youtube.com/watch?v=KsTwUIMuLSc&feature=youtu.be

Landscape Architect: ASPECT Studios
Commissioned by: Transport for NSW
Artists: Madwings
Builder: Arenco
Videographer: Christopher Ireland
Paving: Sam the Paving Man

A mixed-use development in Hong Kong that uses the retention of existing trees as an opportunity for design, rather than...
01/02/2026

A mixed-use development in Hong Kong that uses the retention of existing trees as an opportunity for design, rather than an obstacle, has been recognised at the Green Building Awards 2025.

Existing ancient Ficus trees form the foundation of the SHKP Sai Yee Street master plan. Their protection zones were used as the backbone of an overall organising framework, defining hardscape limits, circulation, and activity spaces. Rather than treating the trees as constraints, the design shapes the space around them, ensuring their long-term health while anchoring the project in a strong and authentic sense of place.

From this logic emerges a cascading landscape that extends from street to sky. Public ground level spaces rise into an elevated urban eco park above Mong Kok East Station, transition into community gardens, and culminate in a publicly accessible observation deck at the top of the tower.

The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) and The Professional Green Building Council (PGBC) jointly organise the Green Building Awards, which aim to recognize outstanding contributions to sustainable development and environmental building. The project has won a merit award in the New Buildings; Projects Under Construction and Design (Commercial) categories

We look forward to sharing more of this collaboration with in the future.

The New Sydney Fish Market Opens as a Landmark Destination Project Director, Louise Pearson and Project Lead, Miguel Ser...
30/01/2026

The New Sydney Fish Market Opens as a Landmark Destination

Project Director, Louise Pearson and Project Lead, Miguel Serrao from ASPECT Studios join 3XN GXN and BVN in celebrating the opening of the new Sydney Fish Market. This incredible project has taken many years to realise and unlocks a vital new public realm.
Perched at the heart of Blackwattle Bay, the waterfront unfolds as a welcoming edge of water play and public art that celebrates cultures old and new. Native planting and generous seating frame the harbour, while an amphitheatre transforms the public domain into a lively stage.

Green pockets of vegetation and abundant places to sit, weave in subtle ‘fishy’ references, and flashes of safety‑orange offer a crisp nod to the site’s industrial past.



Infrastructure NSW
Placemaking NSW
3XN GXN Architects
BVN Architecture
ASPECT Studios
GXN
Mott MacDonald
AT&L
Aecom
Equilibrium/Climatec (Joint Venture)
WSP
Arup
Multiplex
Mike Hewson
Cultural Capital
Alison Page



Photography: Tom Roe, ASPECT Studios

“The new Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway ramp is a legacy piece of city-shaping infrastructure,” says Sacha Coles, Global...
07/01/2026

“The new Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway ramp is a legacy piece of city-shaping infrastructure,” says Sacha Coles, Global Design Director of ASPECT Studios. “The design is grounded in Country, integrating contemporary infrastructure with the Bridge’s heritage and the cultural layers of Milsons Point to make cycling across the harbour an inclusive, everyday experience.” 
 
By resolving the northern access to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the ramp delivers a continuous, step-free connection between the city and North Sydney that is safe and accessible for all abilities. 
 
ASPECT Studios is proud to have led a design collaboration that comprised ASPECT Studios (urban design and landscape architecture), (architecture), (heritage interpretation), (engineering),  (First Nations consultation), (engineering),  (lighting design), .murals (art). 
And beautifully built by
Read more about the project
 
Photography: Ruth Gold

Today marked the opening of the new Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway Ramp, a significant milestone for active transport in...
06/01/2026

Today marked the opening of the new Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway Ramp, a significant milestone for active transport in Sydney.
For those of us on the design team, helping to bring this project to life has been a privilege and a pleasure. It was terrific to recognise this achievement with The Hon. John Graham, NSW Minister for Transport , our collaborators , and the community. .sydney
Designed to make cycling across the Bridge safe, enjoyable and accessible for riders of all ages and abilities, the project carefully balances contemporary transport needs with the heritage stature of one of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks. This includes honouring the site’s traditional custodians, the Gadigal and Cammeraygal people.
The ramp improves safety and capacity while strengthening connections to the wider cycling network and enhancing access to Bradfield Park. Its serpentine form minimises visual impact through lightness, transparency and fluidity, while meeting rigorous engineering, sustainability and maintenance requirements.
The project’s public domain outcomes extend beyond cyclists. New footpaths, crossings and a generous paved plaza create a welcoming community space with seating, water and bike repair facilities, supporting everyday commuters and visitors alike. Together, these elements establish a new benchmark for cycling infrastructure in a sensitive heritage setting and signal a confident vision for Sydney’s transport future.


.thepavingman

Rowan D'Arcy, Regional Studio Director (MENA) at ASPECT Studios, recently spoke at the Landscape Middle East conference ...
26/11/2025

Rowan D'Arcy, Regional Studio Director (MENA) at ASPECT Studios, recently spoke at the Landscape Middle East conference in Abu Dhabi, where he asked whether “placemaking” is a live and relevant concept for cities in the region. 

In his session, “Placemaking: Bridging Disciplines for Design,” Rowan encouraged attendees to rethink established terminology and consider more precise and meaningful ways to describe the work of creating places that serve people and communities. 

The conference provided a rich forum to discuss landscape architecture as a driver for positive change in the Middle East, and it was great to see ASPECT well represented.

The excellent work done by ASPECT’s designers has been recognised by their peers at the 2025 Landscape Architecture Awa...
18/11/2025

The excellent work done by ASPECT’s designers has been recognised by their peers at the 2025 Landscape Architecture Awards, where received top honours across multiple categories. 

The Xixi Campus in Hangzhou received the Award of Excellence in the Parks and Open Space category, celebrating its innovative integration of landscape, ecological repair and sophisticated response to the problems posed by a difficult site. 

In the same category, Devonport Waterfront Precinct and the University of Melbourne New Student Precinct (in association with GLAS Landscape Architecrs) both received Honourable Mentions. 

The Ribbon Playground received the Award of Excellence in the Play and Playground Design category, recognising its imaginative approach to involving children in the life of Darling Harbour. 

These awards highlight ASPECT Studios’ continued commitment to designing landscapes that enrich urban life, connect people with nature, and foster cultural and ecological resilience. 

Congratulations to our teams, clients and collaborators.

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