Kings Square WA competition winners

Kerry Hill Architects has won the Kings Square Architectural Competition to remake the civic heart of Fremantle, Western Australia. The winning design for a $45 million community, civic and retail hub in the centre of Fremantle will form part of the broader $220 million Kings Square Project, one of the largest new developments ever to be undertaken in Fremantle.

Run by the City of Fremantle, the two-stage international design competition attracted fifty-three eligible entries in Stage One, from which three firms were shortlisted: Kerry Hill Architects, Victorian practice McBride Charles Ryan, and Fremantle practice CODA.

The key civic spaces of Kerry Hill’s winning concept include the inclined plane of the City Lawn, the Verandah, and the Civic Drum, with the intention of establishing a civic presence and a degree of formality, while also generating sufficient informal space to invite relaxed public participation.

The Civic Drum, expressed in the form of a sandstone cylinder, contains a number of public functions: council chamber on top, staff lounges, community room, exhibition, and multi-purpose room within the library in the basement. The library, organized on a single floor plane, is located under the City Lawn with its side glass walls allowing the library to be visible from the ground plane. It has a separate entrance, which also provides a foyer to the town hall and a gallery space.

Kerry Hill Architects scheme: The design  reinforces the height datum of the Town Hall.

Kerry Hill Architects scheme: The design reinforces the height datum of the Town Hall.

Fremantle mayor Dr Brad Pettitt said the winning concept had the design and sustainability qualities that the Fremantle community demands and deserves. Jury chair Shelley Penn said:

“We received a range of entries from around Australia and the world, and as a jury we were pleased with both the overall quality and diversity of these entries. There were certainly some interesting ideas and ways of approaching the space, and a lot of these were very good. The final three shortlisted entries were all outstanding. As a jury, we selected the Kerry Hill Architects’ proposition of simple, clear elegance that centred on a compelling urban gesture to re-establish Kings Square, which we also found to have a refined architectural palette of form, space and materials.”

Once final tenancy agreements are secured and commencement of the broader Kings Square Project is confirmed, Kerry Hill Architects will be engaged to fine tune their concept and work with the City of Fremantle and project partner Sirona Capital to realize the project.

Kerry Hill’s winning design and the other shortlisted concepts will be on public display until 24 December 2013 at the former Myer building in Kings Square. A public exhibition of all Stage One and Two entries is planned for early 2014.

Competition jury

Shelley Penn (chair, immediate past national president, Australian Institute of Architects), Dominic Snellgrove (CCN Architects; member, City of Fremantle Design advisory committee), Melinda Payne (associate to the West Australian Government Architect; member, City of Fremantle Design advisory committee), Andrew Sullivan (architect, City of Fremantle Planning Committee chair) and Alan Kelsall (architect, City of Fremantle heritage co-ordinator.).

See shortlisted Stage Two entries here, Stage One entries here, or read more about the Kings Square Competition here.

Related topics

More industry news

See all
The proposed Gurrowa Place designed by NH Architecture, Kerstin Thompson Architects, 3XN Australia, and Searle × Waldron Architecture. Queen Victoria Market towers approved

The Victorian Department of Transport and Planning has approved a $1.7 billion project to create three towers adjacent to Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market.

The building’s design incorporates elements to reference both Vietnamese and Australian culture. ‘Nationally significant’ cultural museum on its way

Brimbank City Council in Melbourne’s north west has agreed to sell a parcel of land to the Vietnamese Museum of Australia, paving the way for …

Most read

Latest on site

LATEST PRODUCTS