Macquarie Street East Precinct Master Plan (MSEP)

The master plan for the Macquarie Street East Precinct, located on Gadi Country in central Sydney, Australia, creates a unified vision for this place of significant political, social and cultural meaning. 

Our team worked in close partnership with Dr Danièle Hromek (Budawang/​Yuin) of cultural design and research company Djinjama and Sharon Veale of GML Heritage. Together, our design process began with a deep grounding, or honest reckoning, with the histories entangled in the place and the attendant memories, meanings and interpretations — especially the impacts that decisions made in the institutions within this precinct have had on First Nations peoples.

A central ambition of the master plan is to ensure that Macquarie Street East Precinct is an authentically public place; that it is welcoming to all people. The master plan focuses on improving access to and through the precinct, opening up and activating public spaces, and identifying where new public buildings might be located. 

“[This place] offers a unique opportunity for an honest reckoning and truth telling… a chance to come together to celebrate diversity and embed sustainability. It is a space where the difficult stories can be told and stories can be told and heard. A space for genuine change. If not here, where?”

— Dr Danièle Hromek

The needs of major cultural institutions are balanced with the delivery of greater public permeability, amenity and ownership of the precinct – ensuring that the Macquarie Street East Precinct is both a global destination of culture and a place that supports local enterprise and creativity.

The NSW government’s Connecting with Country Framework has chosen this master plan as a case study. It showcases the proactive inclusion of First Nations knowledge and co-design from the outset, ongoing engagement throughout the master planning process, and the continuous involvement of First Nations designers in delivering specific projects within the precinct.