David Adjaye has unveiled visuals of a multifunctional building and public square in Sydney that will be shaded by a perforated metal canopy, designed with Aboriginal artist Daniel Boyd.
The scheme, named Sydney Plaza, will be built by Adjaye Associates in the city's central business district where the Circular Quay Tower by Foster + Partners is also under construction.
In a bid to spotlight the site's history as the home of indigenous Eora people, it will be characterised by a giant perforated-steel canopy, which Adjaye Associates designed with Boyd to evoke an Aboriginal dot painting.

"An attempt to uncover, layer and celebrate the Eora origins of this part of coastal Sydney, the project is about the reconciliation of cultures and defining identity in an ever changing world," explained Adjaye Associates. "This reconciliation of difference lies at the heart of the proposal and aims to articulate and establish dialogue around the complex relationship colonisers have to their indigenous communities."

Sydney Plaza has been designed by Adjaye Associates and Boyd to be made from steel, intended to complement the site's current industrial aesthetic.
Its circular perforations will be randomly scattered and lined by mirrors that will filter and refract light to create a playful "cosmic" effect on the plaza below.

The circular motifs seen on the canopy will also adorn the plaza's paving in the form of steel circles and cylindrical, glass skylights.
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