The White Bay Power Station located in Rozelle’s Bay’s Precinct has been an untouched heritage treasure of Sydney’s identity, with strong cultural significance since 1917. With the site decommissioned in 1983, the site has not been utilised and unappreciated, yet it played such a vital role in the development of the built environment of Sydney, as well as an icon to the Coal-power industry.

Given the significant location and scale of the project, students were challenged to envision an approach to the site in todays context, addressing and promoting the interior as a form which can fuse people and place. Fourth year studio has maintained a strong engagement with Urban Growth NSW and their key narrative of ‘driving world-class urban transformations’. The graduating fourth year Interior Architecture students at UNSW each developed a unique ‘imprint’ based on research and resolution, focusing on this idea of a future vision for a ‘world-class urban transformation,’ to be proposed within the White bay Power Station. The approaches to the revitalisation of the site consider how an interior space can have a positive impact on the local community as well as Sydney through social, economical, site language & environmental means.

The first semester focused on research, which played a vital role in findings as each student formed a unique brief and spatial approach which progressed into the second semester. Research allowed students to hone into certain areas and propose ideas which were then resolved in the final semester. Second semester extracted the initial research into the development of the interior, with prime focus on composition, language, materiality, joinery, furniture and lighting, which was continuously underpinned by the research developed in the first phase of design.

This online archive showcases the work and progress of students as they ‘imprint’ their visions for the White Bay Power Station.

We invite you to see the work first-hand at the opening night of our exhibition on November 24, 2015 at 6pm in the Red Centre Gallery Space, University of New South Wales.