UNSW D14 Public Realm / University of New South Wales
Applying Place Visioning® to campus design to provide functional, distinctive and popular spaces.
As part of the broader strategic vision for the main Kensington campus of University of New South Wales (UNSW), Hoyne was commissioned to create a Place Vision and activation strategy for the D14 Realm, encompassing three pivotal public domains at the heart of the lower campus: Quadrangle Lawn, Alumni Park, and Fig Tree Heritage Conservation Area.
These spaces, centred around the proposed D14 academic building – an innovative seven-storey engineered timber structure replacing the 1959 UNSW Hall Building – are integral to student life. Located near the light rail and the main campus entrance, the D14 Realm serves as a hub for circulation, outdoor learning and social interaction, hosting events and welcoming visitors to the campus.
Through our Place Visioning® process, which included a workshop with students, staff, and alumni, four key themes emerged to guide the future of these spaces: rediscovering the lost world, creating a magnetic and welcoming destination, designing a sympathetic ground-level environment, and setting an international benchmark. These themes informed a Vision that reflects the collective identity of UNSW while celebrating the unique attributes of each space.
A key challenge of the project was to balance the need for both creative, unstructured environments and formal, purpose-built areas, while also anticipating future shifts in values and needs among students, alumni, and staff. Through Place Visioning®, we identified common drivers among stakeholders. These informed our strategies and recommendations.
The resulting Vision highlighted five competitive strengths for the D14 Realm: green, safe, and spacious community spaces; retail and food and beverage as social catalysts; curated, frequent events; inspiring and magnetic built forms and design; and innovative technology enabling collaboration. These strengths shaped the place recommendations: the Quad as a place of connection, Alumni Park as a space for celebration, and the Fig Tree Conservation Area as a hub for creativity.
This vision not only clarified the strengths and opportunities of these spaces in the context of the D14 building but also contributed to the redevelopment brief for Alumni Lawn, transforming it into a destination for celebration. The new Alumni Park, completed in 2021, has since won numerous awards, including the AILA 2022 NSW Landscape Architecture Award (Health & Education) and the AILA 2022 National Award of Excellence.
