Building Beside the Tracks …

Some projects challenge you from the very beginning. For us, 58 Anderson was one of them. The site sits in a prominent location in Chatswood, right next to the Sydney rail corridor and the Chatswood North Heritage and Conservation Area. Winning the Willoughby Council design competition was only the first step.

Designing next to an active train line is not something architects encounter every day. The site is located within both the Sydney Trains and the Sydney Metro impact reserves, whereby construction within these reserves needs to be carefully considered to minimise impacts and maintain the integrity of transport assets. It brought with it a unique set of technical and design considerations. Noise, vibration, and the structural effects of train operations all needed to be addressed from the start. Excavating deep basement levels added another layer of complexity, requiring careful planning to avoid disrupting the rail network.

Section through building, context and train tracks

As the proposed excavation is situated in the proximity to the Transport for NSW (TfNSW) rail corridor, early collaboration with TfNSW engineers and our structural engineer team was essential in the preparation of engineering impact assessment to demonstrate the feasibility of development and manage risks imposed on the existing TfNSW’s assets.

Proposed Development Application was approved in March 2025.

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