Waterloo Station

Designing transport infrastructure is highly complex. At Waterloo, the design challenges included: • integrating large-scale infrastructure into an existing, smaller-scale urban environment; • establishing the foundation for a new mixed-use precinct, the Waterloo Metro Quarter, to evolve around the station and best serve the community; • providing a safe, efficient and enjoyable experience for transport users; • accommodating complex technical requirements, including rationalising the services; and • developing a unique identity that reflects Waterloo's dynamic, multicultural community and rich heritage.

Indigenous advisor Yerrabingin's phrase ‘the past is in the earth and the future is in the sky’ became the conceptual framework for Waterloo Station's design, which reflects the suburb's ancient and living history. At precinct level, scale and materials respect existing streetscapes and buildings. Internally, the station's three levels create a layered journey unified by a palette of locally informed colours and textures, enlivened by Indigenous artist Nicole Monks' embedded artworks. This celebration of local Aboriginal heritage and culture, and the underground station's overarching sense of light and air, makes using public transport an enjoyable and uplifting experience.

Waterloo Station's contextually rich architecture establishes a strong civic presence that builds on local character whilst providing the foundation for a new town square and mixed-use precinct, the Waterloo Metro Quarter. Local amenity is greatly improved by efficient transport connectivity, whilst spaces for new businesses and services in and around the station support economic and community uplift. Inside the station, clear sightlines, joyful art and an overarching sense of light and air deliver a safe, enjoyable public transport experience. Enlivened by the Indigenous cultural heritage embedded in the design, the station signals a bright future for Waterloo's dynamic, multi-cultural community.

• The architecture references the site's evolution from marshland to inner-city suburb. • The southern station box features a facade perforated with an abstracted image of Waterloo’s historic marshlands, once an Indigenous food bowl. • The station's three levels reflect Waterloo's heritage, rising from ancient to modern. • Perforated panels lining the platform feature an abstracted image of a stone tool fragment unearthed during excavation. • On the concourse, panel perforations evoke the endemic banksia. • Materials in the entrance hall reference Waterloo's recent history. • Display cases showcase items found during excavation. • The layout of the granite floors is based on historic timber block floors. • Concourse wall cladding echoes the site's sandstone geology. • A lighting row in the concourse ceiling aligns with the exit escalators for intuitive wayfinding. • A skylight delivers natural light. • Three embedded artworks by Indigenous artist Nicole Monks were developed with the Aboriginal community. • The first artwork is a lenticular wall in the entrance, 'Footprints on Gadigal Nura'. • The second is a sparkling map formed from the cast footprints of hundreds of community members. • The third is the 9.7 metre image of Roscoe, a young Indigenous dancer, in the concourse. • The main station sign is based on historic type from a local hotel.