Case Studies
Elizabeth Quay

Design Feature

Type of project
Infrastructure
State
Western Australia
Location
Urban
A popular waterfront destination in Perth’s CBD, Elizabeth Quay was designed as a dynamic and active entertainment and leisure precinct for visitors to enjoy at all times of the year and day. Constructed alongside Perth’s Barrack Street Jetty, from 2012 to 2016, the Quay was developed to reconnect the city with the Swan River and inject activity into what was an underutilised public space. Active living principles were considered throughout the planning and design of the Quay to ensure it would be a popular and active community space – infused with a strong sense of place – and enjoyed by millions of visitors each year.
A state of the art destination in WA
Elizabeth Quay was designed as a seamless extension of Perth’s CBD to the river.
Its centrepiece is a 2.7-hectare inlet, framed by public promenades, community amenities and future food and beverage, office, apartment and hotel accommodation. This diverse mix of land uses was deliberately designed to support activity all year round.

Healthy Active by Design principles can be seen in Elizabeth Quay’s:
  • Community facility intensity: including a water park and playground, boat moorings, ferry terminal, island, bridge and a variety of short-term event spaces – all located within a compact 10-hectare site.
  • Movement facilitation: realigned roads and reconnected cycle and pedestrian pathway networks encourage safe travel in and around the Quay, integrated with the city’s public transport system. Universal access shaped the site design and level changes.
  • Sense of place: a celebration of the area’s Aboriginal history and European past through design, artworks, heritage interpretation and events.
  • Buildings: a deliberate mix of retail, housing, commercial, office and tourism accommodation to deliver 24/7 activation. Buildings provide casual surveillance, activated frontages and direct connections to the promenades and open spaces.



The Quay has attracted millions of visitors since opening in 2016 and construction of the second phase of the project by private developers is currently underway and expected to catalyse further activity.
Project team
  • DevelopmentWA (formerly known as the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority) on behalf of the Western Australian Government.
  • ARM Architecture
  • TCL (Taylor, Cullity and Lethlean) Landscape Architects

Project cost
$440million (offset by more than $300million in land sales)
Health value
  • A continuous circuit of undulating promenades attracts and draws visitors around the Quay, while the community spaces, public art and attractions are strategically placed around the site – and at different levels – to encourage movement.
  • Wide footpaths and road pavements are built with granite cobbles in a distinctive pattern that provides a high-quality pedestrian environment that is universally accessible. Long shallow walkways preclude the need for ramps, with gradients not exceeding 1:20.

  • A popular shared cycling and walking route has been re-established through Elizabeth Quay.

  • The playground and BHP Water Park provide highly active spaces for children to enjoy.
  • Transit-oriented design and connections to public transport (bus, train and ferry) encourage active transport use. Neighbouring transport stations have been renamed ‘Elizabeth Quay’ to consolidate the site’s role in Perth’s central transport network.
  • Public artwork and heritage elements, integrated into buildings, signage and the landscape, encourage an emotional response from visitors who stop and reflect on the site’s past and its future – encouraging further exploration of the site.
  • Fitness programs and a wide range of activities are part of the Quay’s strategic events program, which promotes positive and active community participation.
  • Numerous bike racks and drinking water fountains – including water bowls for dogs – encourage active travel and exercise.
  • Shade sails and umbrellas were installed to provide shade while the new trees grow and mature.

Economic value
  • Elizabeth Quay generated more than 4,000 employment opportunities during construction of the and is predicted to create an average of more than 500 jobs each year.
  • Around $300million has been achieved in land sales within the Quay site. The resulting private developments – including the recently completed Ritz-Carlton and The Towers apartments – are expected to generate up to $2billion in retail, commercial and business expenditure.
  • Five food and beverage outlets have experienced strong patronage since opening and provide hospitality services for a range of visitor types. Record sales have been registered by the Elizabeth Quay Carousel, Gusto Gelato and the existing Bell Tower attraction, which experienced a 75% increase in visitors after the Quay opened.
  • Perth ferry patronage has markedly increased since the opening of the new ferry terminal within the Quay.
  • Elizabeth Quay has proved popular with visitors since its opening in 2016. The river cycle route that passes through the Quay has become an essential pathway in and out of the Perth CBD. Tourist numbers are forecast to reach up to 50 million people over the next decade, including almost nine million international and interstate tourists. This is expected to generate potential tourism-related expenditure of almost $350million over a decade.1
  • The Quay’s public art program injected around $4million into Western Australia’s artistic industry and built capacity in the Aboriginal arts sector.

Environmental value
  • Water saving urban design initiatives, such as tree pits and swales with a bioremediation function, are installed to protect the local river environment.
  • Hydrological studies and comprehensive flood modelling was undertaken (considering a 1 in 100-year flood event and sea level rise) to inform the design of the inlet to protect and enhance the sensitive ecosystem and Perth’s Swan River catchment.
  • A stepped inlet wall was installed to accommodate storm surges and water level changes, while curved-edge and nodulated fascia panels on the inlet walls work to manage water quality, reduce algae and improve maintenance.
  • Native plants were used wherever possible, especially on the island, and non-deciduous varieties of trees were used along the promenades to avoid organic runoff into the river and assist with wind protection.
  • Energy efficient lighting was installed throughout the Quay.
  • The land use mix and intensification has maximised the use of existing infrastructure and seen a major upgrade of key infrastructure that services the site and adjacent city areas.
  • The transit-oriented development approach has improved the relationship between bus, train and ferry infrastructure on the river side of Perth’s CBD and encouraged sustainable public transport use.
  • Comprehensive design guidelines are in place to ensure private developers recognise the site’s microclimate and address amenity, access and sustainability, while also encouraging design innovation through exploration of new building typologies and materials.

Social value
  • Elizabeth Quay has hosted more than 200 small and large-scale events and attracted millions of visits since opening in 2016 – creating opportunity for social connection and engagement on a scale not previously delivered in Perth. The Quay has become a meeting point and destination of choice in Perth.
  • Free public facilities, such as the BHP Water Park, island playground and the open spaces, as well as the ongoing public events, bring people and cultures together. Independent research shows the Quay has attracted a more diverse spread of visitors to the area, especially children and families who were significantly under-represented in surveys undertaken in 2015.2
  • Elizabeth Quay includes one of Perth’s first accredited Changing Places facilities. This toilet and changing facility is available for people with profound disability, helping them to enjoy the public space with friends, family and carers. This facility is co-located with public toilets and showers.
  • Iconic public spaces and artworks engage Perth’s city skyline and create internationally identifiable landmarks that build the city’s identity and character.
  • Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles are embedded throughout the Quay’s design. The varying ground levels and viewpoints were deliberately planned, as well as extensive lighting and year-round activation work undertaken to deliver a safe space that is supported by passive surveillance and active crime prevention measures, including CCTV and a precinct control room.
  • Heritage interpretation highlights both pre and post-settlement in this area of Perth. It flows through the Quay’s signage and wayfinding, heritage panels and illustrative and artefact displays, public infrastructure, paving, public art, seating inscriptions and etched walls.
  • The heritage-listed Florence Hummerston Kiosk (c.1928) was painstakingly deconstructed and reconstructed on the island for use as a restaurant as a respectful acknowledgement of the area’s past.
  • Artworks – such as the sculpture of former activist Bessie Rischbieth and the ‘Signature Ring’ interpretation of a millennial schools’ project – showcase other aspects of the area’s past.
  • A dedicated Aboriginal art program was developed, including a program for emerging Aboriginal artists to showcase their talent and cultural heritage.

Use value
  • The diversity of land uses – public, commercial, residential, tourism and retail – provide an intensity and diversity of purposes that, over time, will add to the vibrancy and use of the area.
  • Around 800 new apartments will be provided at the Quay for Perth CBD’s growing residential population, with up to 400 hotel rooms catering for tourists.
  • More than 225,000 square metres of commercial and entertainment space will provide places to live and work for the state’s growing population.
  • The range of strategically planned and designed public spaces, which vary in size, enable small and large events to be delivered side-by-side and informal activities to occur throughout the day.
  • The Quay was designed from the outset to meet the needs of all visitors, with ramped walkways, connected public spaces, universal access, clear wayfinding and public toilets enhancing the experience for people with disability.
  • Benchmarks against places around Australia show visitors are now rating the Quay as higher than other comparable public areas in the country for mobility.3
  • Independent research shows people feel the Elizabeth Quay/Barrack Street Jetty area is much safer than before the construction took place.

References
  1. Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority 2016, Economic Impact of Elizabeth Quay, Deloitte Access Economics, Perth
  2. Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority 2015 & 2016, Elizabeth Quay and Barrack Street Jetty Data and Insights, Culture Counts™, Perth
  3. Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority 2015 & 2016, Elizabeth Quay and Barrack Street Jetty Data and Insights, Culture Counts™, Perth

Key project documentation and information is available at:

https://www.mra.wa.gov.au/projects-and-places/elizabeth-quay/vision/document-finder


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