Meet our seven Bradfield finalists
The annual scholarship was set up in recognition of the legacy of John Bradfield, the celebrated engineer and University of Sydney alumnus whose grand ideas and vision drove two of Sydney's most transformative projects: the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the city's underground railway system.
Our seven Lendlease Bradfield Urbanisation Scholarship finalists
Hear their ideas
Chloe Henry-Jones - Bachelor of Design in Architecture
To make Sydney a better place to live Chloe Henry-Jones believes it needs to be more walkable, and wants to see pedestrian networks integrated with the transport hubs of Sydney. Chloe says gold standard, inter-connected footpaths would encourage Sydney residents and tourist alike to get out and explore the city.
The 24-year-old who completed a Law degree says her proposal for ‘Project Sydney’ works alongside NSW Government’s A Plan for Growing Sydney and focuses on the importance of footpaths.
A keen runner and a fan of Danish architect and urban designer, Jan Gehl, she believes footpaths are one of the most fundamental networks of public space, stretching across CBDs and suburbs, connecting us to community centres, parks, waterfronts, public transport, schools and work places.
Nikita Chaudhary - Bachelor of Design in Architecture
An outer concrete skin for our city’s CBD and other large business districts that can be transformed into vertical green gardens and high-rise heliostats coupled with rooftop solar towers is what Nikita Chaudhary sees for Sydney.
The 19-year-old says we could also transform Sydney into a network of digital nervous systems that respond to real-time changes in the human environment, by broadcasting live traffic updates, transport delays and available parking spaces. Public transport can attract more digital-savvy commuters by incorporating ‘work carriages’ with charging ports, free public Wi-Fi and retractable work desks.
Kate Zambelli - Bachelor of Architecture and Environments
If Sydney is to meet the long-term challenges of housing affordability and better access to workplaces more Transport Orientated Developments (TODs) need to be established, as these would provide quicker transportation to the city centres says Kate Zambelli.
Kate’s idea is multiple TODs accommodating autonomous hover drones that would collect people from a “drone stop” and transport them by air to a drone terminal - like a flying Uber service organised from a smartphone. The TODs would include a system of Living Farm Walls on the building’s vertical surfaces and solar glass windows that generate significant energy to make them self-sufficient.
Hillary Pan - Bachelor Engineering Honours (Civil)
Floating suburbs or a network of Independent Floating Modules (IFM) will solve the residential problems facing Sydney’s increasing population believes Hillary Pan, a second year civil engineering student.
Hillary has a passion for fluid mechanics and envisages high-speed ferries connecting IFMs to the mainland and powered by off the grid technologies such the solar, wind, and wave energy. Her IFMs would each measure approximately 74ha providing affordable housing for about 20,000 residents per island.
Linhao (Jerry) Li - Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Mechatronics)
A building should not just be a place where you live or work according to Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics) student Linhao (Jerry) Li.
Intelligent Sydney = Intelligent Buildings believes Jerry. A building should be an intelligent structure that helps improve the quality of your life - one that you can talk to or communicate with via its virtual assistant(s).
The 19-year-old, first year international student from China’s northern city of Harbin said: “Imagine this - before you get home, the virtual assistant can turn on a smart light, background music, adjust the room temperature, and send you a message reminding you that there is no milk in the refrigerator.”
Rory Green - Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Aeronautical) /Bachelor of Science
Great ideas make a first-tier city says Rory Green whose vision for Sydney includes the creation of a Global Innovation Corridor (GIC) that spans the greater metropolitan area.
Rory believes his GIC would distribute innovation infrastructure across the city, establishing employment opportunities for people closer to their place of residence in science, research and education-related fields. The GIC would result in less traffic congestion and more leisure time.
Edward Fay - Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Mechatronics)/ Bachelor of Science (Advanced)
Edward Fay’s vision for Sydney is a city of Silica – a city of Silicon. He sees Sydney’s future firmly embedded in its historic sandstone but cleverly transformed through the integration of state-of-art technology and data.
The CBD would be flanked by high-tech, pre-planned and semi-independent communities, replicated as thriving hubs throughout the western Sydney region and interconnected by a rapid transport system.
The recipient will be announced tonight at the Bradfield Oration – a 21st Century vision, and will receive a $10,000 scholarship provided by Lendlease.