From car park to precinct: Canberra’s city centre to be transformed

Designs have been unveiled for a new transformative commercial precinct on the law courts car park in the city comprising four multi-storey buildings set around a central plaza.

Canberra Airport’s Capital Property Group will develop the prime corner site of Northbourne Avenue and London Circuit and intends to start construction by November this year, subject to approval.

Architectural renders of the proposal show two 12-storey towers and two mid-sized seven-storey buildings with glass facades and ground-floor restaurants, cafes and shops.

Designed by architects Johnson Pilton Walker (JPW), the development will be organised around a central urban park flanked by food and beverage outlets.

JPW Director Mathew Howard said the new urban plaza would extend the public realm through the site, integrate green spaces with future light rail infrastructure on London Circuit, and establish walkable connections to surrounding civic functions and the broader city centre.

“The distinctive building forms will respond to the unique scale and character of their context, accommodating a diversity of uses that will create a vibrant new civic destination and set new benchmarks in design excellence, sustainability and placemaking,” he said.

The 65,000 square metre precinct aims to provide high-grade office space for the Federal Government.*

But the developer says the development could also include a 4.5 to 5-star upper-scale hotel as well as residential suites.

The project will be one of the largest private sector investments in Canberra, creating more than 1500 jobs during construction. Once complete, it will be home to about 4000 workers, residents and guests.

Capital Property Group’s Head of Property Richard Snow said the project was a strategic investment in the growth and vitality of Canberra’s CBD despite a challenging investment environment.

“By creating a dynamic mixed-use precinct, the development will enhance the city’s identity and reinforce Civic as the heart and lungs of the city, as well as its role as the cultural, commercial, and social heart of Canberra,” he said.

Mr Snow said the development would offer modern, flexible workspaces and amenities designed to support productivity, collaboration, and employee well-being.

“This approach highlights the importance of physical workplaces in fostering innovation, creativity and professional networks, with new workspaces acting as an enabler for cultural change,” he said.

Sustainability and architectural excellence have been the trademark of Capital Property Group, known for successful projects such as the Canberra Airport precinct, the ongoing Denman Prospect residential development and the award-winning Constitution Place precinct in the city.

That will continue with this proposal.

The office accommodation will feature all-electric plant, carbon neutral in operation, roof-top solar and aim for a Five Star Green Star Rating, setting a new benchmark for environmental sustainability and adhering to the Commonwealth’s recently announced Net Zero policy for all new workplaces.

Mr Snow said the Net Zero policy was a critical reason for progressing the development.

“The policy demands all-electric buildings, sustainable design benchmarks and minimum Green Star ratings,” he said.

“These all lend themselves to new building designs and we look forward to the Commonwealth’s ongoing commitment to this requirement.”

About half of the estimated 55,000sqm of lettable space would be for offices.

Construction is scheduled to begin by November 2024 with an estimated completion in 2027.

A spokeperson said: “We are heavily engaging with the NCA and other stakeholders and the planning approval process is well underway. Subject to NCA development consent, we will be onsite by the end of the year”.

Capital Property Group acquired the 11,381 square metre site from the ACT Government last November for $53 million.

The developer is required to provide car parking equivalent to that on the current site that will service the precinct and the public.

Capital Property Group also bought a vacant block of land next to Constitution Place on Vernon Circle for $17.75 million where a $150 million six-level office building is planned.

*It was originally reported that the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, the Department of Education and the Australian Electoral Commission would be moving in but a DEWR spokesperson said the tender for its National Office was expected to be completed and announced later this year.