Sydney Water Corporate HQ — 2 Parramatta Square

The Project

Sydney Water's move to 2 Parramatta Square brought the utility's corporate functions together into a single contemporary headquarters. The fitout spanned multiple floors within the landmark Parramatta Square development, a fully activity-based workplace for over 1,000 staff, incorporating open plan workstations, collaboration zones, focus rooms, and a bespoke First Nations artwork programme woven throughout the interior.

The Challenge

This was a large, multi-floor fitout inside an occupied commercial precinct, which meant coordinating closely with the base building operations at 2 Parramatta Square while keeping to a demanding programme. Sydney Water's brief was ambitious, they wanted a genuine activity-based workplace, not just open plan with a few breakout chairs. The First Nations cultural expression strategy added a further layer of specialist coordination, requiring engagement with artists and cultural consultants alongside the core design team. And all of this had to happen while managing the transition from Sydney Water's previous headquarters without disrupting business continuity.

My Approach

I managed the project through design development, procurement, and construction delivery on behalf of Sydney Water. I worked closely with their property and people teams to develop the workplace brief, establishing activity ratios, technology integration requirements, and the parameters for the First Nations cultural design programme. I engaged and managed the design consultants, appointed Buildcorp as principal contractor, and administered the contract through construction. The cultural programme was something I took particular care with, coordinating the integration of commissioned murals, glazing graphics, and wayfinding elements so they felt embedded in the design rather than applied as an afterthought.

The Outcome

The completed headquarters gave Sydney Water a workplace that matched their aspirations, a modern, flexible environment in the heart of Greater Parramatta, with a cultural programme that genuinely enriches the space. It was the largest single fitout I had managed to that point, and it taught me a lot about the importance of getting the brief right before design begins. The time I invested in understanding how Sydney Water's people actually work made the design process smoother and the outcome stronger. That conviction, that good buildings start with good briefs, is something I carry into every project at Yaxley Studio.