First Building
Project status: Under construction
Construction is nearing completion on the First Building in Bradfield City Centre.
The First Building is the start of a new industry-led ecosystem to connect and attract local and global industry partners, and to nurture and grow a workforce skilled for the future.
Housed in the First Building will be industry tenants and stage one of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF). Featuring a hall surrounded by glass, visitors will be able to see all the action, and watch as prototypes and new technologies are tested.
Key design features
- Unique urban pavilion design of three buildings under one roof, including an advanced manufacturing hall, offices and a space for exhibitions, talks and events
- Rooftop viewing platform and green roof
- Large roof structure for solar energy generation and water collection for reuse
- Low embodied carbon materials including timber and rammed earth
Where is the First Building?
- 400m walkable distance from Bradfield Metro Station, due to open in 2026
- 5-minute train travel time from Bradfield City Centre to Western Sydney International Airport station on the future Sydney Metro Western Sydney Aerotropolis line
- Rapid bus services from Penrith, Liverpool, and Campbelltown to Bradfield City Centre and Western Sydney International Airport
Connecting and designing with Country
Connecting and designing with Country is at the heart of the First Building's design.
Taking its cues from the surrounding natural waterways and the Cumberland Plains, the building will be open and welcoming, surrounded by green and open spaces where residents, workers and visitors can gather. The building will have sustainability at its core, setting the benchmark for the new city.
For more information about the inspiration behind the building's design and surrounds, please watch the following video.
Read transcript
[Beginning of recorded material]
Liz Westgarth:
Hello, my name's Liz Westgarth and i'm the architect leading the first building.
John Hazelwood:
Hi, I'm John Hazelwood, a landscape architect working on the landscape setting for the building and really pleased to be working with Danièle Hromek
Danièle Hromek:
Hi I'm Danièle Hromek I'm a Budawang/Yuin woman and I'm the cultural designer and researcher for this first building. This is beautiful, Wianamatta Country out in Western Sydney. As you can see it's Cumberland Plains Woodlands. It's beautiful country with rolling grasslands, these magnificent eucalypts spotting the landscape and water. It's a very important water place. The water here is sacred. It's important in so many ways, especially to women, and it's an important place for us to be working on. So we have used Country as our inspiration and our guide. We've looked at things like cultural practice, women's relationships to place, how men come in play a role in this and how to use materiality in a really sensitive way.
John Hazelwood:
We've been working closely with Daniele to ensure that the the landscape setting of the building reflects the context in the setting of Cumberland Plain and of Country. It will be an exemplar of how this can be reflected meaningful in a contemporary and urban setting. The landscape will celebrate the connection to water that Daniele has discussed and a setting of beautiful tree stands that are diverse carpet of understory plants. And will include places for many people to gather and to celebrate and places to sit quietly, a meandering an intimate landscape in a new city centre.
Liz Westgarth:
The first building will sit softly within the landscape, blurring the line between built form and the landscape, allowing the landscape to flow through and have a female character. The first building will really be a memorable landmark. It also needs to be flexible and adaptable to evolve over time. It has a role to inspire investment and it must be welcoming and engaging and really start to showcase the values of the city, particularly around environmental and social sustainability, but also it has to be advanced and innovative unique to place and Country.
[End of recorded material]
Project documentation
In line with planning approval requirements, information and documents about the First Building are publicly available on our website. Please visit the Resources page for more information.
Contact us
If you have any questions, or would like to further discuss the project with us, please contact us via our webform.