The project involved the design & construction of a two-storey retail arcade on a town-centre block that both enhances the town’s walkability and connects major hubs of Bowral. It houses 21 carefully curated retail spaces, each designed to be adaptable for businesses that come and go.

The first floor accommodates a large commercial space, also flexible in its design through its capability to be subdivided or retained, creating a variety of spaces for local services and professionals.

Care was taken to engage with the historical streetscape, with facades designed to draw inspiration and reinterpret architectural aspects from neighbouring buildings in a contemporary way. The facades are sleek and modern, but parapet heights and material palettes of local face brick and Australian granite paving ensure the buildings fit nicely within their context.

The sight line from the car park to the main street has been designed to create various visual and spatial experiences and to place focus on shop fronts to help increase business. One of the key features of the arcade is a central resting point, landmarked by timber seating and a large tree with a lightweight, retractable roof for shade – a place to momentarily stop amongst the hustle and bustle of surrounding shoppers. Brass street drains give a pop of colour and work harmoniously with the custom street furniture to emanate a ‘High Street’ atmosphere.

Planter boxes and hanging planters permeate the block in order to establish a relationship between the built environment and the natural. An irrigation system was devised in order to collect rainwater to maintain and ensure growth of these plants.

This project was selected for use as a case study for regional urban design by the Government Architect NSW. An excerpt from this guide is below:

“Reciprocal public and private benefits are possible when a project looks beyond its immediate site to connect and engage with its history, surroundings, and community. As well as analysing the site in order to understand the local character and context for this development, the project team can credit the success of this design solution to their thorough research into what makes a good pedestrian shopping arcade, based on reviewing and learning from national and international precedents.”