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Surry Hills Village
Surry Hills Village
Redfern, Australia
Project Featured on Sep 02, 2025
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Other Projects by ASPECT Studios
Surry Hills Village
Redfern, Australia
Project Featured on Sep 02, 2025
Firm
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2025
SIZE
10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft
A transformational urban renewal project from TOGA Group, Surry Hills Village is in the heart of one of Sydney’s most eclectic neighbourhoods. Working with principle architect SJB and heritage architect, Studio Prineas and a host of retail designers, ASPECT Studios demonstrated the potency of landscape-led design by reimagining a once-neglected supermarket and warehouse site as a vibrant, connected public realm that builds on the character of its surrounds.
ASPECT has been deeply embedded in the project since the competition phase in 2018, leading the development of the public domain, which includes streetscapes, laneways, public artworks, rooftop gardens, and a new public park. The design centres on a bold urban gesture: opening the previously landlocked site with a new laneway that extends to the surrounding street network. This move not only introduces multiple active frontages but reintegrates the site into the Surry Hills and Redfern street networks.
Where the original site once turned its back on the neighbourhood, it now provides a human-scaled, layered public domain where lush greenery and high-quality materials foster spaces for rest, interaction, and community gathering. From intimate planting nooks and seat steps to a tree-lined courtyard and warm-toned paving, the landscape is designed to respond to site-specific conditions and the daily rhythms of urban life.
On the retail side, the design prioritises solar access, comfort, and activation. Thoughtfully arranged planting, edges, and seating areas create inviting moments of pause throughout a clearly legible east-west laneway link. The relationship between retail and landscape is deeply integrated, allowing outdoor dining and retail spill-out to merge with gardens and planters.
“At the scale of the site, multiple seats, planting nooks and retail spill-outs have been provided so that the community can have generous places to dwell, adjacent to greenery and the vitality that comes with street facing food and beverage retail and services,” said Sacha Coles, Global Design Director, ASPECT Studios.
“The team has turned what was an internal shopping environment inside out, and it has made for a welcoming meeting place for residents of Surry Hills and Redfern.”
The residential aspect continues this ethos, offering green buffers and defensible spaces through private planters, balconies, and rooftop gardens. The rooftop and communal courtyard gardens are designed with layered planting for both privacy and openness. Residents experience a rich, garden centric environment that blends seamlessly into the architecture—bringing vibrancy and softness to every level.
A new park developed in partnership with the City of Sydney returns precious space to the public. Located on the site of a former carpark, the park features retained mature eucalypts, new street trees, and an east-west cycle link connecting Baptist and Cooper Streets. It is already well-used by locals for picnics, dog-walking and gatherings.
The landscape strategy is underpinned by regenerative and climate-responsive principles. Native plants, low-water species, and extensive permeable green spaces contribute to urban cooling and ecological resilience.
The development’s identity is defined by its landscape. Greenery drapes over balconies, climbs facades, and anchors every outdoor space—from laneways and courtyards to rooftops and streets. The landscape is not an afterthought or an add-on, but the central organising principle of the place.
Surry Hills Village reflects and extends the surrounding character of Surry Hills and Redfern, drawing inspiration from local gardens, laneways, and street trees.
“This is a project grounded in place, enriched by community, and made possible by a deeply supportive client committed to making landscape a priority,” said Sacha Coles.
ASPECT has been deeply embedded in the project since the competition phase in 2018, leading the development of the public domain, which includes streetscapes, laneways, public artworks, rooftop gardens, and a new public park. The design centres on a bold urban gesture: opening the previously landlocked site with a new laneway that extends to the surrounding street network. This move not only introduces multiple active frontages but reintegrates the site into the Surry Hills and Redfern street networks.
Where the original site once turned its back on the neighbourhood, it now provides a human-scaled, layered public domain where lush greenery and high-quality materials foster spaces for rest, interaction, and community gathering. From intimate planting nooks and seat steps to a tree-lined courtyard and warm-toned paving, the landscape is designed to respond to site-specific conditions and the daily rhythms of urban life.
On the retail side, the design prioritises solar access, comfort, and activation. Thoughtfully arranged planting, edges, and seating areas create inviting moments of pause throughout a clearly legible east-west laneway link. The relationship between retail and landscape is deeply integrated, allowing outdoor dining and retail spill-out to merge with gardens and planters.
“At the scale of the site, multiple seats, planting nooks and retail spill-outs have been provided so that the community can have generous places to dwell, adjacent to greenery and the vitality that comes with street facing food and beverage retail and services,” said Sacha Coles, Global Design Director, ASPECT Studios.
“The team has turned what was an internal shopping environment inside out, and it has made for a welcoming meeting place for residents of Surry Hills and Redfern.”
The residential aspect continues this ethos, offering green buffers and defensible spaces through private planters, balconies, and rooftop gardens. The rooftop and communal courtyard gardens are designed with layered planting for both privacy and openness. Residents experience a rich, garden centric environment that blends seamlessly into the architecture—bringing vibrancy and softness to every level.
A new park developed in partnership with the City of Sydney returns precious space to the public. Located on the site of a former carpark, the park features retained mature eucalypts, new street trees, and an east-west cycle link connecting Baptist and Cooper Streets. It is already well-used by locals for picnics, dog-walking and gatherings.
The landscape strategy is underpinned by regenerative and climate-responsive principles. Native plants, low-water species, and extensive permeable green spaces contribute to urban cooling and ecological resilience.
The development’s identity is defined by its landscape. Greenery drapes over balconies, climbs facades, and anchors every outdoor space—from laneways and courtyards to rooftops and streets. The landscape is not an afterthought or an add-on, but the central organising principle of the place.
Surry Hills Village reflects and extends the surrounding character of Surry Hills and Redfern, drawing inspiration from local gardens, laneways, and street trees.
“This is a project grounded in place, enriched by community, and made possible by a deeply supportive client committed to making landscape a priority,” said Sacha Coles.
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