Construction work on Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre in Sydney, Australia, is expected to be completed in late 2020. The City of Sydney, which owns the centre, said that the COVID-19 pandemic had caused delays to works and it now expects the facility to open by the end of the year. When complete, Gunyama Park will be the biggest aquatic complex built in Sydney since the 2000 Olympic Games.

Cox Architecture 's Sydney Coliseum Theatre combines a flowing form with a restrained palette of materials to create a beautiful and dramatic new cultural hub. Located in the Rooty Hill area of Western Sydney, the design for the facility was based on the concept of transcendence, with the aim of creating a journey from the outside world into the "the magic of performance". The 8000sq m (86,000sq ft) multi-mode venue

ARM Architecture have begun work on a AU$150m (US$101m, €91m, £77m), two-year renovation of the Sydney Opera House that will better equip it for performances, enhance its acoustics, improve accessibility and create a safer working environment. The project is part of the 10-year Decade of Renewal capital works programme, via which AU$275m (US$185m, €167m, £142m) of investment will transform the Opera House ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2023. The

Moreau Kusunoki Architects, working with local firm Genton, have won a competition to transform Sydney's Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences with a design aimed at challenging the perception of a conventional museum. The new Powerhouse Parramatta venue is envisaged as a multi-functional "hyper-platform" comprising seven flexible spaces that will allow the museum to host a variety of exhibitions and immersive experiences, as well as showcase its collection. Beyond its

Adjaye Associates and Sydney-based contemporary Aboriginal artist Daniel Boyd have unveiled the designs for a new public square and community building in Syndey with a huge perforated canopy. Sydney Plaza is intended to celebrate the origins of the Eora indigenous people in its coastal Sydney location, highlight their complex relationship with early colonisers and create a dialogue about the reconciliation of cultures. It is inspired by the "simple unitary forms

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) and Cox Architecture have won an international competition to design the new Western Sydney Airport in Australia, proposing both a passenger-focused experience and a leisure destination for locals. The new AU$5.3b (US$3.6b, €3.3b, £2.8b) greenfield airport is aimed at helping to drive the growth of Sydney and its greater metropolitan area over the coming decades. In addition to a design for the airport, ZHA and Cox

Sydney Fish Market is to more than double in size and gain a variety of new leisure amenities and public spaces, following confirmation that AUS$750m (US$509m, €463m) will be invested in its redevelopment. The market, which is said to be the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, will move from its existing location in Pyrmont to the adjacent Blackwattle Bay in Sydney Harbour. The new site will occupy

A major renovation by Cox Architects and Neeson Murcutt will expand touring exhibition halls and create new facilities at the Australian Museum in Sydney. The attraction closed to the public from 19 August for the improvements, that will see storage space being repurposed to give the museum 1,500sq m (4,900sq ft) of additional touring exhibition halls across two levels. This capacity means it could host either one major exhibition or

Lendlease has reportedly withdrawn its bid to build the long-planned Sydney Modern expansion at the Art Gallery of NSW in Australia. The AUS$344m (US$233m, €210m, £193m) project was first announced six years ago and has been funded mostly by the New South Wales (NSW) Government, with AUS$100m (US$68m, €61m, £56m) coming from private philanthropy. When announced in 2013 the project cost was estimated at AU$400m. This was revised up to

Danish architecture firm 3XN have pulled back the curtain on their designs for the Blackwattle Bay fish market in Sydney, Australia. Described by the company’s founder, Kim Nielson, as a future "iconic destination" for the country, the 3.6-hectare waterfront emporium and public attraction will feature a number of open-air restaurants as well as customisable modular spaces for social events and performances. The estimated AU$250m (US$182.1m, €158.7m, £138.6m) complex, which was

Construction has commenced on an elevated cycleway and pedestrian overpass in Sydney’s North Rye neighbourhood. Designed by Australian architectural firm KI Studio and developed by Landcom, the new 160-metre bridge will span across the Hills M2 motorway and Delhi Road, providing a direct link between the not-yet-completed Lachlan’s Line 'urban village', Macquarie Park, and the North Rye railway station. Intended to function both as a public space and as a

Cox Architecture have been selected to design a new stadium at Moore Park in Sydney, Australia. Set to replace the Allianz stadium, which was built in 1988 by the firm’s principal, Philip Cox, the arena is planned to be a 45,000-seat "civic infrastructure" that will provide extensive amenities and services to "multiple specialist and public groups". Cox’s design director, Pete Sullivan said the new building would "provide a superior platform

Philip Vivian, director of the multidisciplinary design firm Bates Smart, has criticised plans by the Australian government to demolish and rebuild Sydney's Allianz football stadium at Moore Park. In November 2017, the government announced it would spend AU$2.7bn (£1.5bn) to demolish and rebuild two of Sydney’s major stadiums. In March 2018, it was decided that Sydney's Allianz would be the only site to be rebuilt. In a statement, Vivian responded

Proposals for an open water surf sports lagoon at Sydney Olympic Park have been given the green light by planning chiefs. The artificial wave park – located 25km from the ocean – has been designed by architects MJA Studio in collaboration with the WavePark Group, which will operate the site under its URBN Surf banner. The duo are already developing similar parks in Perth and Melbourne, with each site set

Plans to develop a second zoo in Sydney, Australia, have been given the go-ahead after local government officials granted planning permission to the AU$36m (US$28.8m, €24m, £21.3m) “cage free” project in Bungarribee. First touted in September 2015, the proposal for the Western Sydney Parklands – masterplanned by Australian design firm Misho + Associates (M+A) in conjunction with landscape architecture from Aspect Studios – will create natural-looking spaces developed to showcase

Australia’s minister for the arts Don Harwin has awarded AU$244m (US$186.2m, €164.8m, £145.4m) to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, with the funding going towards the museum’s grand AU$344m (US$262.5m, €232.4m, £205.2m) expansion. In addition to the government funding, the Sydney gallery is planning to launch a capital campaign later this year, seeking a further AU$100m (US$76.3m, €67.5m, £59.6m) in philanthropic support for the project, of which AU$70m (US$53.4m,

The Sydney authority responsible for developing vast swathes of new public realm for the city has released its proposal for a one-hectare public park, an expanded waterfront walkway, a public pier and a new Harbour cove. The Barangaroo Delivery Authority, on behalf of the New South Wales government, is planning the attractions to complete Barangaroo South – Sydney's largest urban renewal project since the 2000 Olympics. Development firm Lendlease will

New York design studio Snarkitecture have once again revived The Beach, their popular installation involving an indoor seaside experience and an ocean of plastic balls. Sydney is the latest destination to host the piece, which doubles as an artwork and an attraction and was first created in 2015 for the National Building Museum in Washington D.C – where it attracted 200,000 visitors in just two months. Taking cues from the

Australian architecture studio FJMT have been selected to design the proposed hotel and residential tower at The Star Sydney, which will accommodate a new six star Ritz-Carlton. A design competition featured submissions from three major architectural firms, and FJMT were confirmed as the winner after community and stakeholder feedback. Their design proposes a slender 60-storey tower that gradually twists as it rises. An associated development – featuring bars, restaurants and

The government of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia has unveiled its chosen design for a new 30,000-seat stadium in Parramatta, which it says will “revolutionise the spectator experience” when it opens to fans in 2019. NSW premier Mike Baird and sport minister Stuart Ayres have announced architect and developer Lendlease as the studio contracted to design and build the Western Sydney Stadium, which is envisioned as a sport and

Australian architects Crone Partners and Japanese studio Kengo Kuma & Associates will build a luxury hotel for Wanda in Sydey’s Central Business District. The pair have won an international architecture competition to design the Wanda Sydney, whose Chinese developer wants it to become one of Australia's most luxurious hotels. Located in the city’s Circular Quay, the building will feature a pixelated facade of sandstone, cascading green walls and large windows

Taronga Zoo, near Sydney, Australia, has received planning approval for a new science and conservation education centre. The A$30.7m (US$23.5, €20.8, £17.8m) Taronga Institute of Science and Learning (TISL) has been designed by New South Wales architecture firm NBRS. The old learning facility will be replaced by the new three-storey design, which is inspired by patterns in nature and will offer an immersive and interactive experience. NSW Department of Planning

One of the world’s most iconic cultural landmarks is set to be comprehensively revamped “and upgraded for the 21st Century”. The government of New South Wales, Australia has revealed working designs to update the Sydney Opera House as part of a AUS$202m scheme. The changes – which are the biggest in the building’s 43 year history – include an overhaul of the Concert Hall’s acoustics, accessibility, stage and backstage areas.

Plans to build a six-star Crown hotel and VIP-only casino in Barangaroo South, Sydney have been approved, after the design was altered to include more public space. The huge development, which is being bankrolled by billionaire James Packer and real estate firm Lend Lease, has split opinion in Australia, as the land it will sit on was originally earmarked as for a public park. Members of the public, design professionals

The City of Ryde has announced the shortlisted winners of its international design competition to create a new regional gateway for culture and commerce. The following architecture teams will now proceed to the second stage of the Design our Ryde contest: • Team2 in collaboration with Arcadia Landscape Architecture • MORQ • Architensions • Beijing Institute of Architectural Design The competition launched in February 2016 to find a design able

The New South Wales (NSW) government has confirmed plans to undertake an ambitious AS$1.6bn (£870.4m, US$1.2bn, €1.1bn) stadium strategy in Sydney which will see three grounds altered or rebuilt. As part of the proposals, which were unveiled by NSW premier Mike Baird, the Populous-designed Olympic Stadium – now called the ANZ Stadium – will be downsized from a 83,500-capacity venue to a 70,000-seat stadium and reconfigured as a rectangle football

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma will design his first building in Australia; a landmark civic hub in the heart of Sydney. Named the Darling Exchange, the building will house a new library, a ground floor open market hall, a childcare centre, an innovation exchange and a rooftop bar and restaurant with sweeping views over Tumbalong Park and the city’s Cockle Bay. It will form the centrepiece of the new inner-city village