A City Reborn

Design Anthology

For somewhere once described as the worst place to start a colony, Perth is looking pretty impressive these days. On regular visits over the past five years, I’ve watched the inner city go from tumbleweed town to blossoming cultural hub. 

This renaissance is thanks in no small part to the now-ended mining boom, the economic upturn of which provided the impetus for some major inner-city projects. The first was the ambitious rejuvenation of downtown’s historic Cathedral Square precinct. The trio of interconnected 19th-century government offices now known as the State Buildings had been vacant for almost 20 years before a local property developer called on Kerry Hill Architects to transform it into a casually elegant inner-city dining destination, completed in 2015. Staying at the luxury 48- room COMO The Treasury hotel, undoubtedly the star tenant, is still one of my favourite indulgences when visiting the city. Its huge suites combine soaring ceilings and Victorian-era windows with contemporary, neutral interiors that background botanical paintings of Western Australia’s glorious wildflowers. Without leaving the building, guests can saunter into high- profile chef David Thompson’s Long Chim Thai restaurant or pull up a stool at Petition for a craft beer among a local crowd. 

The neighbourhood’s new City of Perth Library, which opened in 2016 and is also designed by Kerry Hill Architects, is a superbly cylindrical, contrastingly contemporary structure. Inside, exquisite vertical timber panelling brings to mind the pages of a book, and the facade’s similarly slim, angular granite fins herald a 

new-look Perth. From the library, it’s a short walk down to the Swan River, where there’s no mistaking the new Elizabeth Quay waterfront development as anything other than a future- forward endeavour. Officially opened in 2016, the snazzy lifestyle precinct covers nearly 10 hectares of river frontage and features a 2.7-hectare inlet surrounded by shops, outdoor dining areas and public spaces complete with art installations and entertainment. A new ferry terminal brings suburbanites to the inner city, and it’s not hard to imagine a crowd beelining it here from the city’s 60,000-seat Perth Stadium (opened in 2018) after a derby between the Eagles and the Dockers. 

But perhaps the most head-turning development is Perth City Link, on the edge of the city. For over a century, a railway line had separated the suburb of Northbridge from the CBD, but the track has somewhat miraculously been sunk underground and the two areas are now seamlessly connected by the beautiful Yagan Square. Opened in 2018, the one-hectare public square offers seating areas, play equipment and art installations. Northbridge’s grid of streets now hums with hipster cool, and restaurants and cocktail hangouts add to the Melbourne-style laneway atmosphere. Topping it off is the new Hassell- and OMA-designed WA Museum Boola Bardip, part of Northbridge’s 8.5-hectare Perth Cultural Centre complex. It’s an extraordinary architectural feat uniting a clutch of Federation Romanesque buildings with a sleek glass and metal addition. As I ponder its gleaming cantilevered roofline, I can only appreciate how this city has worked hard at revitalising and re- imagining its centre. Long may it draw a crowd.