He created the glittering shores of Clarke Quay in Singapore and a high-tech cruise terminal in the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai, now Stephen Pimbley will turn his talents to an infamous Wollongong block of land.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Singapore-based British architect has been chosen to design a new mixed-use development at the corner of Flinders and Keira streets and will visit the city to reveal his vision for the site of the former Quattro development next week.
If Mr Pimbley's past works in Asian hubs like Beijing, Hyderabad and Kuala Lumpur are anything to go by, a soaring, futuristic and angular city square could soon adorn the dilapidated corner block at Wollongong's city fringe.
The site, to be renamed the Bass and Flinders Gateway, will be developed by Malaysian-Australian consortium Gateway Wollongong if the council backs a master plan and development application for the property.
Wollongong-based group director Jan Lindrum yesterday said Mr Pimbley and his agency SPARK had been chosen for their "innovative and spectacular" designs as well as the architect's capacity to work within budget constraints.
The corner of Keira and Flinders Streets."He understands what great entrance-ways should look like but he also understands the economics of producing these entrance-ways," she said.
"He has a very wide focus and when he looks at the entrance to a city he's really looking as the total picture."
Late last year, Ms Lindrum told the Mercury the new development could include "a wonderful piazza, lots of greenery, restaurants, and possibly an arthouse cinema".
She would not reveal details of the project's budget or timeframe ahead of a public meeting being held next Thursday, but said Mr Pimbley had captured a "Covent Garden-type atmosphere" in his initial site designs.
Despite the Gateway's site's chequered past, Ms Lindrum said her plans for the property would be a "fresh page" for Wollongong.
"When I first started to work on this project almost two years ago ... I never ever put the past into the equation," she said.
"It's well and truly time now to move on, [because] we went through a very rigorous, transparent process.
"We've continued to conduct ourselves that way and certainly, as far as I was concerned, I looked at it as a completely fresh page."
Gateway Wollongong will work with Wollongong City Council to consult with residents once the details of the master plan are revealed.
