…urban thinking

There is more to creating a city than designing buildings. …urban thinking presents the work of CM+, an architecture and urban design practice deeply rooted in site, culture and place. CM+ projects range from urban furniture to new cities…

Designing new cities is the challenge of how to generate a sense of authenticity in a new place. Projects range from the redevelopment of Sydney’s industrial lands at Darling Harbour and Homebush, to new city plans for Jakata, Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City.

Designing waterfronts is often a story of rediscovery, making the lost found, and returning a place to its genesis. Projects range from plans to transform Walsh Bay and Circular Quay, to the Kuching and Melaka waterfronts, and the London Promenade, which is destined to change the way people experience this city.

Designing universities often becomes how to generate a sense of organisation and a rational growth path. Projects range from the strategic masterplan for Sydney University, to major works at UNSW and Macquarie University, to plans for campuses in Shanghai, Beijing and Botswana.

The challenge of placemaking is focused on uncovering layers of meaning, making them visible and finding an appropriate way to express this in a public place. Projects include Canberra Walk, transforming Sydney’s Macquarie Street into a civic boulevard, and the establishment of Street Furniture.

The central question of designing with heritage is how to create a place that informs us of the past while positioning its identity in the future. Projects include plans for Goat Island, The Rocks, Hill End and the redevelopment of the historic Scottish Hospital in Paddington.

The design of housing takes place at two scales – that of the individual dwelling unit and that of the urban neighbourhood. Projects range from affordable housing in Ultimo to major developments in Shanghai and Abu Dhabi. Designing infrastructure becomes a question of how to develop a sense of place at a regional scale and a local scale simultaneously. Projects include the Heirisson Island Bridge in Perth, Pacific Highway upgrades, and aspects of Sydney’s Light Rail, MetroLink, NorthConnex, WestConnex and Westlink M7.