144 Wicks Road, Macquarie Park
The site is located within the Macquarie Park Corridor in Sydney’s northwest approximately 11 kilometres from the CBD. It contains strong industry clusters in finance and business services, information intensive industries, global and national transport and multimedia and is fast becoming the preferred location for global corporations wishing to establish regional headquarters within Australia. Formerly the site of Peter Board High School, 144 Wicks Rd is an approximately 6 hectare site located toward the eastern end of the Macquarie Park Corridor.
The site offers opportunities to integrate underground car parking, access buildings and spaces from different levels and afford views of Sydney’s North shore Chatswood and CBD skyline. The master plan seeks to maximize the environmental benefits obtained through a considered approach to water retention and building orientation. The inclusion of a central bio-retention parkland and true north-south building orientation not only encourages efficient operation of the site but also enhances the idea that its ESD components are also central to the visual identification of the development. Organizing the office accommodation on a true north-south orientation also has the benefit of minimizing additional architectural and building servicing devices, otherwise required to control internal working environments.
A simple and coherent road network is enabled through a direct primary east-west thru-site link to Wicks Rd and a secondary access link that connects with this from Waterloo Rd. This will maximize the efficiency of traffic flow and plot division and enable an appropriate phasing strategy to be implemented. It will also provide high levels of street frontage for all office accommodation on the site. The inclusion of a central open parkland not only houses the high levels of water storage required for a site of this size, but also provides “breathing space” for the surrounding built environment and a focal point that seeks to attract users from adjoining property. With the location of two connected urban plazas either side of this central green space, it offers an opportunity to create an active and vibrant heart or spine to the development. This spine will both engage with the wider precinct and promote a logical, inter-connected succession of both internal and external spaces. Users will seamlessly be navigated from site entry points and car parking locations, through a series of active public streets and squares into building forecourts and atriums, and up onto open, flexible and connected office accommodation. ESD and building orientation, an organized road network strategy and the provision of green open parks alongside active urban plazas have all culminated in a new business park offer for the region.