Designed by Woods Bagot, In the heart of Sydney sits Wynyard Walk: a fully accessible pedestrian link designed around the concept of ‘flow’. The design challenges the perception of a transport interchange, shifting the emphasis from the efficiency of travel to the quality of experience, with the forms optimized to capture the largest volume of space and ease pedestrian movements through its curved profiles, rounded corners, and sinuous forms.

Providing a highly functional and practical connection, the design is focused on the quality of the customer journey – allowing pedestrians to travel from Wynyard Station to the Barangaroo waterfront in approximately six minutes by avoiding steep inclines and road crossings. Photography: Trevor Mein
Linking Wynyard Station to the western corridor of Sydney’s CBD, Wynyard Walk consists of a series of above and below ground urban interventions including a nine-meter wide pedestrian tunnel, bridge, plaza and a new civic building connecting the existing Wynyard Station.

The design concept of flow draws on the natural geology of the Sydney Basin, with its landscape of deep cliffs, gorges, beaches, and estuaries carved by erosion. A metaphor for the fluid flow of pedestrians, the design references the movement of water as, like water, people follow the path of least resistance. The linearity of movement is reinforced through materials and detailing to enhance wayfinding and create a unified ...