Shaping Sydney's future

Bold, dynamic and welcoming, the recently completed Barangaroo South precinct is enhancing Sydney’s role as a global city. “But it’s just the beginning for Barangaroo South,” says Tom Gellibrand, Chief Executive, Infrastructure NSW. “The precinct will continue to evolve.” 

“It'll keep on growing in terms of popularity and it'll operate as an urban regeneration benchmark.” Authentically Sydney, the new commercial, residential and hospitality precinct on the CBD’s western harbourfront is attracting locals, visitors, residents, workers and businesses.

“Promoting Barangaroo to the wider world is really important,” says Gellibrand. “Not just in terms of getting people to come here but to make sure the valuable lessons we've learned and the great outcomes we've achieved are articulated around the globe.”

Former New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally is also looking to the precinct’s future. “I know our grandchildren and great grandchildren will be grateful the people of Sydney, the State Government and Lendlease supported this project and brought it to life,” she says.

Leigh Mackay, Lendlease’s Head of Corporate Affairs & Marketing, underscores that point: “Through the years ahead, Barangaroo South will keep evolving. It's responsive. There are opportunities for Barangaroo to keep reinventing itself and stay relevant to its audiences.”

Annie Tennant, Director, Design and Place at Placemaking NSW, has been closely involved in the development of Barangaroo South. She’s excited by the outcomes. “What we envisaged was a place that was extraordinary, and it’s stood the test of time,” she says. “The legacy of Barangaroo South is also the legacy of how to do designing with Country at all levels of city making.”

“I'm so proud of what we achieved, not only with public art but also with the public domain, the public spaces and the sustainability.”

Annie Tennant, Director, Design and Place at Placemaking NSW

At the heart of Barangaroo South’s commercial area is International Towers, and one of the first major tenants to relocate to the precinct – KPMG Australia – has renewed its lease to 2034. Doug Ferguson, KPMG’s NSW Chairman and Head of Asia & International Markets, sums up the precinct’s appeal: “It’s a centre where you feel ‘This is the future of the Sydney CBD. Our people – from the graduates all the way through to the partners – feel very proud to work in this beautiful precinct.”

Tony Lombardo, Lendlease’s Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, emphasises the importance of maintaining the precinct’s momentum. Discussing the completion of the Barangaroo South project, he says: “It’s been a journey throughout. We’ve enjoyed being involved and, in fact, that constant involvement will continue for many years as we manage this place.”

“I'm also proud of what our construction team did through delivery as well as our development team putting together the best propositions for our tenants and the residents who live here.”

Lendlease’s former Group Head of Development, David Hutton, was on the team which bid for the NSW Government project. “Right from the outset, Barangaroo South was about the future of Sydney,” he says. “It was about respecting its Indigenous and industrial past while creating a new, ambitious future. “Barangaroo was never just about the transformation, it's about the ongoing role the precinct plays."

“I know the same passion which was brought to the development by everyone involved will now go into the ongoing curation and management of Barangaroo. That ambition has always been the driving force behind the project,” says Development CEO Tom Mackellar.

“The vision was to do something internationally significant – something that made you feel like you were walking the streets of New York or Hong Kong – and create something truly exceptional. I really think we’ve done that. Barangaroo positions Sydney on the world stage, not just through its architecture, but through the way it brings people together.”