1PSQ | Architectus

The design of 1 Parramatta Square (1PSQ) draws together urban design, architecture and landscape architecture to create a place that significantly contributes to the revitalisation of Parramatta Square and regeneration of the Parramatta CBD.

Originally intended as an A-Grade 15 storey office building, 1PSQ was transformed into a 5 Star Green Star education campus for Western Sydney University (WSU) through a rigorous process that tested the flexibility and resilience of the initial commercial base-building design.

1PSQ owes its stepped form to the sun access plane which protects the heritage listed Lancer Barracks to the south east. The podium maximises the available site coverage and the tower cranks back to the west to sit below the sun access plane and responds to the oblique geometry of the Smith and Macquarie Street intersection. 

A building in the round, 1PSQ gives careful consideration to the treatment of the ground plane and the public spaces created around and under it. Retail frontages within a two storey colonnade activate Smith Street to the east culminating in a suspended public art installation by Emily Floyd at the entry to Parramatta Square. To the west, a new laneway provides an active and vibrant pedestrian link.

The main lobby entry fronting Macquarie Street provides a formal address and engages with the street edge. The southern entry is less formal and engages with the eastern extent of Parramatta Square providing direct access to the train station and bus terminus. The tiered amphitheatre creates a dynamic outdoor room which interacts with the central atrium space and the flexible work spaces located against the southern façade.

The triangular atrium at podium level draws light into the centre of the building creating a sense of community and a focus for communication and interaction. The work environment is dynamic and flexible and suits open plan and cellular office fitouts and includes floorplates of 2145 m2 at podium level and 1250 m2 at high rise level. The podium floorplates have proven ideal for adaptation to the new teaching and learning model developed by WSU and showcase the flexibility of the base building solution.

The podium floors terminate at Level 8 as the sun access plane pushes the building envelope to the west and into the more regular tower footprint. The change in building form creates a large open terrace at Level 9 which enjoys extensive panoramic views and a generous landscaped break out area.

Levels 9 – 14 are a prime example of highly efficient and flexible A-Grade commercial office space with the large central structural span and balanced external cantilever delivering large generous and connected floorplates.

The core, which is clad in a light coloured terracotta rain screen that evokes the tones of the sandstone prevalent in many of Parramatta’s historic buildings, is located on the west taking advantage of the highest part of the sun access plane envelope and shields the building from the harsh western sun, allowing it to have a highly transparent façade without relying on excessive external shading.