Nicholas Street Precinct

Architecture•Interior Design•Brand Experience•Masterplanning

The award-winning Nicholas Street Precinct sets a national benchmark for urban regeneration - a transformation that has delivered a new city heart to the people of Ipswich and legacy for future generations.

A landmark city renewal project, the Nicholas Street Precinct and Tulmur Place form the connective tissue between Ipswich’s city centre and the river – establishing a vibrant hub of leisure, culture, and community that embodies the principles of climate responsiveness, cultural inspiration, connectivity and adaptability.

Recognised for urban design best practice, Nicholas Street Precinct demonstrates how collaborative partnerships and visionary planning can shape resilient, people-focused cities.

Discipline | Masterplanning, Architecture, Interior Design, Brand Experience
Sector | Precincts
Region | Australia
Location | Ipswich, Australia
Client | Ipswich City Council
Value I $311 million
Photography | Alana McTiernan, Mindi Cooke, Ross Pottinger, ICC

Since 2016, Buchan has worked closely with the Ipswich City Council and local community to ‘reimagine Ipswich’.

Embedded within the precinct’s design ethos is a commitment to adaptability and innovation, with a staged and flexible masterplan that responds to the changing needs of the growing community.

Informed by deep insight into local demographics and usage trends, the design prioritises enriched public amenity and fosters strong social, cultural, and civic connection.

Enhancing the social fabric of Queensland’s fastest growing region, the precinct prioritises pedestrians, shading and gathering spaces.

The new walkable, connected town centre encompasses the 1 Nicholas Street council administration building, two libraries including Australia’s first standalone Children’s Library, Tulmur Place civic plaza, retail and commercial tenancies, dining and entertainment offerings, and an extensively landscaped public realm.

Ipswich is known traditionally in the Yagara language as Tulmur, with the civic square named Tulmur Place in recognition of the millennia of stories, traditions, and culture held by the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waterways we all now share.

Tulmur Place forms the centrepiece of the redevelopment with expansive open space, an urban water park and the central public library. The design of Ipswich Library rethinks the introverted traditional library experience, creating an environment that fosters transparency with the outside world, promoting a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere.

The City Council Administration Building brings together all council departments and features a two-storey inverted podium, with seven stories of offices above and three levels of parking with bike storage and end of trip facilities.

With a 5-star Green Star rating, the building incorporates sustainable design, materials, and management. This includes smart glass, a reflective colour scheme, solar panels, environmentally friendly glues, and modern construction techniques. The use of tone, colour, and limestone throughout is influenced by the importance of Ipswich’s mining history to Queensland’s industrial development.

The Children’s Library, located on the ground floor of the Administration Building, is the first standalone library dedicated to children in Australia. With local population growth driven by young families, the Children’s Library was purposefully located in the centre of the CBD, enabling greater access and further activation of the ground floor plane.

Internally, the space features unconventional, interactive artworks and visual technologies. Every aspect of the design has been created exclusively for young people, right down to the shelving and furniture heights, interactive activities, hidey holes and reading nooks. Family centred placemaking continues outside the library with indigenous landscaping featuring sculptures of native animals for children to explore.

As part of the Nicholas Street Precinct redevelopment, Buchan’s Brand Experience team masterfully harnessed the power of technology in architecture to bring the Ipswich CBD to life after dark. Illuminating artistic projections onto buildings in the heart of Nicholas Street reinvents the Ipswich CBD precinct as a safe, family friendly community heart at night. The projections serve as an interactive backdrop for festivals and events, and a driver of local art.

At the heart of the Nicholas Street Precinct’s design philosophy is the creation of great places for people to gather, work, and socialise.

Nicholas Street dining, retail and entertainment has become the region’s premier entertainment and leisure hub. The design plays tribute to the former art deco Wintergardens and Ritz Theatres, with iconic white walls and exposed brick. Inside, the new dining, retail and entertainment precinct will offer a 6-screen cinema complex.

The historic Hotel Commonwealth, Ipswich’s treasured gathering place since its first grand opening in 1910, has undergone a meticulous heritage restoration, preserving the local heritage and character through carefully planned urban design.