fjcurban
fjcurban prepares masterplans, planning proposals and precinct frameworks that secure approval and create lasting places for people. We work with developers, government, councils and universities, from a single city site to a whole precinct.
Each project begins with its place: its relationship to Country, landscape and the city around it. We test built form, open space and movement early, then shape a framework that delivers value for our clients and generous public places for the city, and that can be realised in stages over time.
Darling Quarter
A new pedestrian street, the Civic Connector, links Darling Harbour with Town Hall, framed by new buildings, parklands and a children's playground. fjcstudio led the urban design, architecture and landscape; the project was approved in 2009 and completed in 2011.
Norwest Marketown
Masterplan to transform a retail centre beside the new Norwest Station into a mixed-use local centre, with a pedestrian-friendly street network, civic public spaces and a considered relationship to the heritage-listed Bella Vista Farm Park.
Liverpool Civic Place
Reshapes the southern end of Liverpool's CBD. A walkable public space at the end of Macquarie Street leads to the Civic Building and Yellamundie library, which step down in scale between the heritage School of Arts and larger buildings to the south.
University of Adelaide 2030, Three Campus Masterplans
Masterplans for the University of Adelaide’s North Terrace, Waite and Roseworthy campuses connect each campus to its city and community through clear pedestrian routes, reinforced heritage axes and shared spaces with high amenity.
Planning Outcomes
| Project | Scope | Outcome | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Street Metro, Sydney | Over-station development above the new Sydney Metro station | Planning proposal gazetted; concept SSD applications for both towers approved | 2023, 2024 |
| 201 Elizabeth Street, Sydney | Competition-winning tower concept facing Hyde Park | Stage 2 SSD application approved | 2025 |
| 56 Pitt Street, Sydney | Urban design report for a planning proposal | Endorsed by the Central Sydney Planning Committee | 2025 |
| Blackwattle Bay, Sydney | Urban design statement for the state-led precinct rezoning | Rezoning finalised | 2022 |
| Bankstown Central, Sydney | Masterplan and urban design statement for a planning proposal | Endorsed by Council; Gateway approval | 2022 |
| 187 Thomas Street, Sydney | Urban design study for a planning proposal | LEP amendment made | 2021 |
| 55 Pitt Street, Sydney | Urban design study for a planning proposal | LEP amendment made | 2021 |
| Harbourside, Sydney | Concept envelope and public domain framework | Approved by the Independent Planning Commission | 2021 |
| 338 Pitt Street, Sydney | Competition-winning masterplan with two towers, laneways and squares | Concept and detailed applications approved | 2021 |
| Eagle Street Precinct, Brisbane | Precinct masterplan with Arkhefield | Approved by Brisbane City Council | 2020 |
| City Tattersalls Club, Sydney | Stage 1 concept envelope | Approved by the Central Sydney Planning Committee | 2019 |
| Cockle Bay, Sydney | Concept building envelope for the wharf redevelopment | Approved by the Independent Planning Commission | 2019 |
| Sydney Science Park, Luddenham | Design of the first 10-hectare precinct | Rezoning gazetted | 2016 |
| Parliament Square, Hobart | New public square and laneways behind Parliament House | Approved by an Act of the Tasmanian Parliament; complete | 2012 |
| Darling Quarter, Sydney | Urban design, architecture and landscape for a new public place | Approved 2009; complete | 2011 |
Our Approach
Place and Country
We start by understanding the landform, water, history and Country of each site, and the streets and neighbours it joins. These shape the first moves of every framework, from where buildings sit to how people move through the site. A clear reading of place gives each framework a strong and lasting logic.
Testing Early
We test height, density, open space and movement through many options before settling on a scheme. Clients see the trade-offs between yield, amenity and public benefit early, when they are easiest to resolve. We share these options with councils and communities through digital models, so decisions are made with clear evidence.
Through Every Planning Pathway
We prepare urban design studies and reports for planning proposals, concept and Stage 1 applications, State Significant Development, the Housing Delivery Authority, unsolicited proposals and state-led precinct rezonings, including Transport Oriented Development and low and mid-rise housing sites. We work closely with planners, councils, design review panels and the Department of Planning. Our reports answer the questions assessors ask.
Public Realm First
Squares, laneways, parks and connections are designed as carefully as the buildings around them. At Darling Quarter and Parliament Square, the public places are the heart of the project. We design them for use by day and night, with shade, seating, lighting and clear connections.
Realised Over Time
Our frameworks set clear rules for staging, so that each stage adds to a coherent whole, as in the University of Adelaide's three campus masterplans. Clear envelopes and setbacks give each later design team a firm brief. Plans are tested for how they will work over many years, not only on opening day.
One Studio
Urban designers work alongside our architects, landscape architects and placemaking team, so the framework and the buildings that follow are designed by people who understand both. Clients work with one team from feasibility to the finished place, with fewer handovers and a design intent that carries through every stage of the project.
Services
Precinct and city masterplans
Frameworks for land use, built form, open space and movement, from a city block to a waterfront precinct. Each masterplan sets out how a place can grow over time, balancing homes, workplaces, public space and connections, and gives clients, councils and future design teams a clear shared reference for every later stage.
Urban design studies for planning proposals
Testing and reports that support rezonings and LEP amendments, as at 187 Thomas Street and 55 Pitt Street, where our studies supported planning proposals that led to Sydney LEP amendments made in 2021. Each study shows how a site can accommodate change, and what it can offer the city in return.
Concept and Stage 1 envelopes
Building envelopes and design principles for concept applications, as at Cockle Bay, Harbourside and City Tattersalls Club. Envelopes are tested in three dimensions for overshadowing, wind, views and heritage before they are fixed, and clear principles carry the quality agreed at concept into the detailed design that follows.
State Significant Development and precinct rezonings
Urban design input for state-led and SSD pathways, including over-station development at Hunter Street, where the concept applications for both towers were approved in 2024. We prepare material for each stage of assessment and work alongside the planning consultants and agencies involved, keeping the scheme consistent through to determination.
Transport Oriented Development
Precinct and site studies around new metro and rail stations, balancing housing, jobs and public space. We test what Transport Oriented Development controls allow on each site, and shape height, setbacks and ground floors so new homes support local centres, connect to stations on foot and respect their neighbours.
Development controls and design guidelines
Controls and guidelines that carry a masterplan's intent into each later stage and design team. Clear rules for height, setbacks, public space and staging give each new building a firm brief, while leaving room for good architecture, so the place develops as a coherent whole over many years.
Public domain and laneway frameworks
New squares, laneways and through-site links, as at Liberty Place, 338 Pitt Street and Parliament Square. These frameworks make city blocks more permeable, shorten walking routes and create places to gather, with active edges, shade and clear sightlines that keep them comfortable and safe through the day and evening.
Campus and cultural masterplans
Long-term plans for universities, museums and cultural precincts, including the University of Adelaide and Old Parliament House. These plans balance heritage, public access and the changing needs of each institution, and set clear stages so that every new building adds to a coherent campus or cultural precinct.
Design competitions
Competition schemes that set the urban framework for a site, including the winning entries for 201 Elizabeth Street and 338 Pitt Street. Winning schemes are carried through to approval without losing their design intent; the 338 Pitt Street masterplan was approved by the City of Sydney, with final approval in 2021.
Feasibility and yield testing
Early massing studies that show what a site can support before major commitments are made. We test height, density, open space and movement through many options, so clients can compare yield, amenity and public benefit side by side, and understand the trade-offs while they are still easy to resolve.
Experience Matrix
| Project | Description | Stage 1 / Masterplan / Concept DA | City of Sydney | OSD / Infrastructure | Precinct Plan | Masterplanning | Precincts | Education Masterplans | Planning Proposals and Rezonings | Concept Masterplans | State Significant | Housing Delivery | Unsolicited Proposals | Design Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Halifax Street, Macquarie Park | Two residential towers of 45 and 46 storeys at Lachlan’s Line. Recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | ||||||||||||
| 5 Blue Street, North Sydney | Concurrent rezoning and redevelopment for shop top housing, recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority for State Significant Development. | • | • | |||||||||||
| 6-14 Mona Vale Road, Mona Vale | 14-storey residential flat building. Recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | ||||||||||||
| 8-10 New McLean Street, Edgecliff | 18-storey residential development. Recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | ||||||||||||
| 10 Gordon Avenue, Chatswood | Winning competition scheme for a residential development. | • | ||||||||||||
| 33-37 Herbert Street, St Leonards | Three residential towers with health services and retail. Recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | ||||||||||||
| 50-52 Phillip Street, Sydney | Unsolicited proposal for a hotel of 244 rooms and 23 apartments. | • | • | |||||||||||
| 55 Pitt Street, Sydney | Urban design study for Mirvac supporting a planning proposal for a new tower near Circular Quay. The Sydney LEP amendment was made in October 2021. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| 56 Pitt Street, Sydney | Urban design report for the planning proposal for 56-60 Pitt Street and 3 Spring Street. Endorsed by the Central Sydney Planning Committee in June 2025 and now at finalisation. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| 60 Union Street, Pyrmont | Residential addition above an existing commercial building, with a concurrent rezoning, recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| 100 Edinburgh Road, Castlecrag | Two residential towers above a retail podium. Recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | ||||||||||||
| 187 Thomas Street, Sydney | Urban design study for a planning proposal to redevelop the Haymarket site. The Sydney LEP amendment was made in September 2021. | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||
| 200 George Street, Sydney | At Crane Place, a stone ground folds into steps and displays the site’s archaeological finds, with a bronze line marking the edge of the pre-European estuary. | • | ||||||||||||
| 201 Elizabeth Street, Sydney | Competition-winning concept for a tower facing Hyde Park. The Stage 2 State Significant Development application was approved in June 2025. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| 275 Alfred Street, North Sydney | 39-storey shop top housing tower. Recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | ||||||||||||
| 338 Pitt Street, Sydney | Competition-winning masterplan for two slim residential towers with new laneways and public squares. The concept and detailed applications were approved by the City of Sydney, with final approval in March 2021. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| 388 George Street, Sydney | A new urban pavilion re-creates a diagonal public arcade through the site. | • | ||||||||||||
| 402-420 Pacific Highway, Crows Nest | A 39-storey mixed-use residential tower for Prosper in the Crows Nest accelerated TOD precinct, a short walk from the new Crows Nest metro station. The design responds to the new planning controls for the precinct, with residential floors rising above a mixed-use podium on the Pacific Highway. The State Significant Development application was lodged in 2025 under the TOD pathway and is now under assessment by the Department of Planning. | • | ||||||||||||
| 815 Pacific Highway, Chatswood | Mixed-use tower with retail and commercial uses. Recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | ||||||||||||
| Acton Waterfront Urban Design Review, Canberra | Urban design framework (2022) that respects the 1918 Griffin Plan and the Griffin Legacy. It now guides the ACT City Renewal Authority's planning and staging of the waterfront. | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| Auckland Art Gallery Precinct, New Zealand | Redevelopment of the gallery and its links to Albert Park and Kitchener Street, with Archimedia. Resource consent was granted in 2006; the gallery reopened in 2011 and was named World Building of the Year in 2013. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| Balfour Park (CUB site), Broadway | • | • | ||||||||||||
| Bankstown Retail Masterplan, Sydney | Masterplan and urban design statement for Vicinity's Bankstown Central planning proposal. Endorsed by Council in April 2022 and given Gateway approval in November 2022. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| Bennelong Cove, Wentworth Point | Two 50-storey towers with commercial uses and childcare. Recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | • | |||||||||||
| Bennetts Lane, Melbourne | Retail, food and beverage line three street frontages, adding to Melbourne’s laneway network. | |||||||||||||
| Blackwattle Bay Concept Plans (Multiple sites), Sydney | Three draft masterplan scenarios, followed by the urban design statement for the state-led precinct rezoning, finalised in December 2022. | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||
| Blackwattle Bay Finalised Precinct Plan, Sydney | Urban design statement for the state-led precinct rezoning of Blackwattle Bay, finalised in December 2022. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| Broadway Physical Concept Plan, UTS | Education masterplan, Ultimo, New South Wales. | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| Bunjil Place, Narre Warren | A civic and cultural precinct for the City of Casey, bringing a theatre, library, exhibition spaces and a public plaza together beneath the sheltering wings of Bunjil. | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| Campbelltown Farrow Road | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| Campus 2010 and Beyond 2020 Review | Education masterplan, Sydney, New South Wales. | • | • | |||||||||||
| Chatswood Chase Residential, Chatswood | Two residential buildings with a through-site link to Chatswood Chase. Recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | ||||||||||||
| City Linked Squares / Circular Quay, Sydney | • | • | • | |||||||||||
| City of Sydney Precinct Plans | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| City Tattersalls Club, Sydney | Stage 1 concept envelope approved by the Central Sydney Planning Committee in November 2019. fjc then oversaw heritage design for the Stage 2 scheme, approved in 2021. | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| Cockle Bay Masterplan, Sydney | Concept building envelope for the Cockle Bay Wharf redevelopment, prepared with JBA and Right Angle Studio. Approved by the Independent Planning Commission in May 2019. | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||
| Darling Quarter, Sydney | An integration of urban design, architecture and landscape that creates a new public place at Darling Harbour. Approved in 2009 and completed in 2011. | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||
| Darling Square, Sydney | Residential buildings within Darling Square, a new neighbourhood of laneways and squares in Haymarket. | • | ||||||||||||
| Druitt & York Streets Modelling, Sydney | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| Eagle Street Precinct Masterplan, Brisbane | Masterplan and design for Waterfront Brisbane, with Arkhefield. Brisbane City Council approval was granted in December 2020, and Stage 1 has been under construction since 2023. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| Edgecliff Centre, Edgecliff | Redevelopment of the Edgecliff Centre with homes, retail and commercial floorspace, new public and open spaces, a community facility and improved connections to transport. Recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | ||||||||||||
| Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park | Unsolicited proposal for the Entertainment Quarter, including a 185-room hotel. | • | • | |||||||||||
| Fort Street School | Education masterplan, Millers Point, New South Wales. | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| Harbourside, Sydney | Concept envelope and public domain framework for the Harbourside redevelopment at Darling Harbour. Approved by the Independent Planning Commission in June 2021. | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||
| Haymarket Precinct Study, Haymarket | Chinatown and Haymarket urban design study for the City of Sydney, prepared by the studio's predecessor practice, Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp, in 1994. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| Heritage DCP, Sydney | • | • | • | |||||||||||
| Hunter Street Metro, Sydney | Over-station development above the new Sydney Metro station. The planning proposal was gazetted in November 2023, and the concept State Significant Development applications for the east and west towers were approved in April 2024. | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||
| Kensington Campus Masterplan, UNSW | Education masterplan, Kensington, New South Wales. | • | • | |||||||||||
| Liberty Place, Sydney | The ANZ Tower and a new public laneway and plaza linking Castlereagh and Pitt Streets, with the heritage Legion House. Approved in 2007 and completed in 2013. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| Liverpool Civic Place, Liverpool | Reshapes the southern end of Liverpool’s CBD, with a walkable public space leading to the Civic Building and Yellamundie library. | • | • | |||||||||||
| Mixed Use Precinct, Neutral Bay | • | • | • | |||||||||||
| North West Sydney Masterplan | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| Norwest Marketown, Norwest | Masterplan to transform a retail centre beside the new Norwest Station into a mixed-use local centre with civic public spaces. | • | • | |||||||||||
| Old Parliament House Masterplan | Twenty-year strategic masterplan for Old Parliament House and its precinct, commissioned by the Museum of Australian Democracy in 2015-16. | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| Oxford & Foley, Darlinghurst | Foley Lane is redefined as a key pedestrian corridor, with new through-site connections drawn through the heritage buildings. | • | ||||||||||||
| Parcelpost Western Gateway | Invited design competition entry (2021) for a tower above the heritage Parcels Post Office at Central. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| Parcels Post Office, Central Station | Proposal for a 222-room hotel tower above the heritage Parcels Post Office at Central. | • | • | |||||||||||
| Parliament Square, Hobart TAS | A new public square and laneways behind Tasmania's Parliament House, linking Salamanca Place to Murray Street. Approved through an Act of the Tasmanian Parliament in 2012 and completed in stages. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| Parramatta Civic Place (Parramatta Council) | Design of community, council and commercial facilities for Stage 3 of Parramatta Square for Parramatta City Council (2013), and shortlisted in the 2016 civic building competition. | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| Partnerships in Victorian Schools | Output specifications for eleven new government schools across Victoria. | • | • | |||||||||||
| Pedestrian Study, Sydney | • | • | • | |||||||||||
| Precinct Masterplan, Kogarah | • | • | • | |||||||||||
| Quincy Hotel, The Rocks | Unsolicited proposal for a 295-room hotel. | • | • | |||||||||||
| Royal Randwick Shopping Centre, Randwick | 13-storey building with three levels of commercial and community space. Recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | ||||||||||||
| Section 96, Canberra | • | • | • | |||||||||||
| Southbank Cultural Precinct Masterplan, Melbourne | Redevelopment masterplan for Melbourne's Southbank cultural precinct. | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| South West Sydney Master planning | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| Spring Quarter, Chatswood | Four buildings with commercial and retail space, through-site links and 3,600 sqm of open space. Recommended by the Housing Delivery Authority. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| Sustainable Sydney 2030, Circular Quay | Contribution to the City of Sydney's Sustainable Sydney 2030 strategy as part of the consultant consortium. The strategy was adopted in 2008. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| Sydney Science Park, Sydney | Design of the first 10-hectare precinct of the Sydney Science Park at Luddenham. The site's rezoning was gazetted in October 2016. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery Stage 2 Masterplan, Hobart | Whole-of-site masterplan for the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Stage 1 was completed in 2013. | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| The Concourse, Chatswood | A civic and cultural centre in Chatswood with open public spaces above a podium for performance and community. Completed in 2011. | • | • | • | ||||||||||
| The Cutaway, Barangaroo | Competition-winning scheme codesigned with Bangawarra and artist Jake Nash, transforming the space beneath Barangaroo Reserve into a cultural venue. | • | • | |||||||||||
| The Harrington Collection, The Rocks | The project restores and extends the pathways, laneways and stairs of The Rocks, linking pedestrian flow to places to gather. | • | ||||||||||||
| University of Adelaide 2015-2035 Masterplans | Education masterplan, Adelaide, South Australia. | • | • | |||||||||||
| University of Adelaide 2030, Three Campus Masterplans | Masterplans for the North Terrace, Waite and Roseworthy campuses, connecting each campus to its city and community through clear pedestrian routes, heritage axes and shared spaces. | • | • | |||||||||||
| Urban Taskforce Sydney 2050 Vision | One of three invited long-term visions for Sydney, published by the Urban Taskforce in 2014. | • | • | • | • | |||||||||
| Waterloo Precinct, Waterloo | Build-to-rent precinct of 826 homes across nine towers, with retail, hospitality and communal open space. Approved through the Housing Delivery Authority pathway. | • | ||||||||||||
| Yipiringa School Masterplan | Education masterplan, Alice Springs, Northern Territory. | • | • | |||||||||||
| York Street Priority One Study, Sydney | • | • | • |
David Haseler leads fjcurban. To discuss a site or precinct, please enquire by email. You can also browse our selected urban projects, and read about our work in the Housing Delivery Authority pathway.