Bays West is one the last strategic pieces of inner harbour land, and one of Sydney’s most extraordinary urban renewal opportunities, spanning White Bay, Glebe Island, Rozelle Bay, White Bay Power Station Precinct and Rozelle Rail Yards.
The NSW Government is seeking to maximise the opportunity of this strategically located urban renewal precinct to support housing supply and deliver up to 8,500 homes across the broader Bays West precinct, including a minimum of 10% affordable and essential worker housing. The ambition is not simply to accommodate growth, but to demonstrate how higher density living can create an extraordinary and enduring place.
The Bays West vision builds on the area’s rich natural, cultural, maritime and industrial history to create a new suburb that delivers well-located homes, public open space and key transport connections, including access to the new Metro West line.
The precinct will recognise Indigenous cultural connection to place and celebrate Country over time through built form and public spaces that embrace its natural and cultural heritage. Critically, this project will open public access to this waterfront for the first time in more than 100 years.
About the competition
The Bays West Delivery Authority, in partnership with the Government Architect NSW, is seeking bold and innovative ideas that inspire the next generation of Sydney urbanism: connected to the Harbour, fostering wellbeing and inclusion, and creating an exceptional place to live for a diversity of people.
We are seeking to unlock creative thinking to realise the full potential of 2 key sites at Bays West (Glebe Island and White Bay Power Station precinct) by inviting a range of ideas, insights and expertise from Australian and international designers.
Shortlisted competition teams will be asked to develop a design-led urban framework for a distinctive, connected and memorable place that supports the NSW Government’s housing ambition.
Proposals are to respond to 7 key place principles including: regenerative systems, public life and place, adaptability and resilience, density done well, diverse, inclusive and thriving, post-car mobility and Connecting with Country.
Competition details
The competition will be run in 2 stages, beginning with a global Expression of Interest on Tuesday 28 July, 4 pm AEST, and followed by an invitation-only, paid design phase for 4-6 shortlisted teams. A minimum of 2 small teams will be shortlisted from the Expression of Interest stage to progress to the paid design phase.
A small team is considered as a consortium of small and/or emerging practices. Small practices are considered as those with 20 employees or less. Emerging practices are those that have been established for less than 10 years.
Who is eligible
We are looking for diverse ideas and experience, and for teams/designers of varying scales. This may include architects, landscape architects, and urban designers as well as other specialisations.
We encourage you to participate whether you are:
- an emerging practice passionate about innovative ways of living
- an established firm with experience in city-shaping urban renewal projects
- a recognised leader in regenerative and sustainable design.
We want this competition to attract the best ideas for a design-led urban framework, regardless of the size of the practice. We are committed to creating genuine opportunities for practices of all sizes to participate, recognising that innovation and design excellence are not defined by scale.
To demonstrate that commitment, a minimum of 2 small teams meeting the competition's definition of a small team will be shortlisted from the Expression of Interest stage to progress to stage 2 of the design competition.
Competition milestones
1. Expression of Interest opens
Tuesday 28 July 2026, 4 pm AEST
2. Expression of Interest closes
Friday 21 August 2026, 3 pm AEST
3. Shortlisted competitors announced
To be announced
4. Design competition opens
To be announced
5. Design competition closes
To be announced
6. Winner/s announced
To be announced
Hear from Anita Mitchell (Chief Executive of the Bays West Delivery Authority) and Abbie Galvin (Government Architect, Government Architect NSW) about the Bays West International Design Competition.
Bays West International Design Competition Overview
Introducing the Bays West International Design Competition
Bays West International Design Competition – Process
Frequently asked questions
An urban framework sets the overarching logic and structure for how an area functions and evolves over time. It focuses on the relationships between spatial elements rather than detailed design outcomes. It seeks to enhance liveability by creating well-connected, accessible, and inclusive environments, while also enabling economic vitality and protecting environmental and cultural values.
The urban framework for the international design competition will define the character and ambition for the future of the site including:
- the street structure
- open public space and location
- built form distribution and height
- how the development will accommodate the desired number of homes.
The Bays West Delivery Authority will provide all shortlisted proponents with access to a coordinated technical advisory framework during the invitation-only stage, ensuring equitable access to specialist expertise and a consistent approach to key project matters, including First Nations cultural knowledge.
Proponents are not required to include Indigenous design specialists within their core teams. Instead, the authority will coordinate First Nations expertise across all teams to ensure cultural integrity, consistency, and alignment across all submission stages.
The competition seeks to inspire wide industry participation; as such all designers are welcome to participate, whether as individuals or in collaborative team structures. The competition is seeking diverse ideas from diverse experiences and from design teams/designers of varying scales. This may include architects, landscape architects, and urban designers as well as other specialisations. All international teams will be required to partner with an Australian design team. Australian designer/s can participate without the requirement for partnering with an international team.
The competition seeks ideas for a design-led urban framework to establish the character and ambition of 2 key sites of Bays West, Glebe Island and White Bay Power Station precinct. It is not a detailed masterplan or a design response that positions and designs every building or park on the proposed site.
Yes. Shortlisted competitors participating in the invite-only, design competition stage will be paid an honorarium of AUD $200,000.
An independent Design Advisory Panel, chaired by the Government Architect NSW will assess submissions across the 2 stages of competition, and provide recommendations to the NSW Government, who will make the final decision.
Selected designer/s will have an ongoing role within a broader design team, as the design evolves. This may include as part of the team responsible for the rezoning package, and/or for the design of key public spaces and/or assets.
For any queries, email designcompetition@bays.nsw.gov.au