Sydney Metro Waterloo Station's upgrade by John McAslan + Partners honours the site’s Indigenous roots, integrating themes shaped by local artists to reflect its deep history.

Key features

From the outside, Waterloo Station’s status as a cultural landmark is clear. Heritage is woven into the station’s architecture. The expansive interiors feature wide walkways and integrated skylights designed to highlight artworks celebrating Indigenous culture like a striking 9.7 m mural of local dancer Roscoe from the Brolga Dance Academy, one of three featured works by Indigenous artist Nicole Monks, collectively titled Footprints on Gadigal Nura. Artwork depicting a map of Waterloo is created from footprints cast in aluminium and lines the walls of the escalator to the first subterranean level.

Spread across three levels, the station is unified by a palette of locally informed colours, textures and materials such as rusty hues, aluminium and granite. Walls perforated with abstract imagery of a stone blade fragment uncovered during the site's archaeological excavation surround the metro platform. On the concourse level, wall panelling depicts the endemic banksia scrub plant species. The cavernous space features glass-reinforced concrete walls that echo the layered sandstone beneath the station.

FRAME's take

Sydney Metro’s Waterloo Station project merges contemporary architecture with the site's historic fabric, echoing a similar approach seen in John McAslan + Partners' recent upgrade of Sydney Central Station. As Troy Uleman, director at John McAslan + Partners, explains: 'The incorporation of Indigenous themes, in collaboration with artists and design consultants, grounds the station in deep history while symbolizing a robust future for First Nations peoples and their living culture.' Much like Central Station, Waterloo Station’s integration of Indigenous artwork and design elements elevates the commuter experience while honouring the connection between place and heritage, creating a meaningful space that fosters community amidst the urban rush.