Urbis | Creating meaning, identity and community through cultural placemaking

28 Oct 2019

Urbis and Cultural Capital, cultural advisors and art producers for government and the development industry, are excited to announce we have formally entered a Strategic Partnership.

The partnership fuses Cultural Capital’s expertise in the emerging field of cultural placemaking with Urbis’ established planning, design and economic capabilities. Together they create a new offer to the development industry; enabling places of every scale to be shaped in human-centric ways that create meaning, identity and community, underpinned with sound planning and innovative urban design.

The partnership’s potential has been proven over the last eighteen months with the successful delivery of a number of collaborative projects including the Dunwich (Goompi) Master Plan for the Queensland Government, Transform BNE for Brisbane City Council and Oceanside for Stockland.

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Working with Urbis expands the scope of our mutual opportunities to bring meaning to our places, towns and cities.
Mark McClelland, Creative Director Cultural Capital

The formalising of a strategic partnership agreement will strengthen our ability to provide fresh thinking and innovation to the market. Our unique combination of skills, experience, culture and knowledge will be directly applied to the challenges our clients are facing. It underpins both firms’ belief in the importance art and creative expression play in the contemporary urban landscape.

Mark McClelland, co-founder of Cultural Capital and the firm’s creative director, commented, “Urban development is making a steep turn toward the human-centric and place-based. Cultural placemaking sits at the heart of contemporary approaches to the urban landscape. Working with Urbis expands the scope of our mutual opportunities to bring meaning to our places, towns and cities.”

Some of Cultural Capital’s notable recent projects include the transformation of Wynyard Station into Sydney’s newest cultural destination with projects like Wynscreen and Interloop, pictured below. Also showcased is the world-class tourism, recreation, lifestyle and event destination, Howard Smith Wharves, in which Urbis played a key role in delivering.

Interloop, Wynyard Station — Cultural Capital planned and curated this cultural intervention in Wynyard Station, commissioning Chris Fox’s stunning artwork Interloop as a work of both heritage interpretation and contemporary art. Images courtesy of Cultural Capital.

Wynscreen, Wynyard Station — Cultural Capital commissioned eighteen artists from around Australia to bring their stories in moving image art to this 23-metre-long screen in the heart of Sydney. Image courtesy of Cultural Capital.

Howard Smith Wharves, Brisbane — Howard Smith Wharves celebrates the site’s unique position beneath the Story Bridge; its city and river views add yet another cultural dimension to Brisbane’s lively inner city. A collaboration between our design, planning and heritage teams, Urbis established a vision to transform the 3.43-hectare site. Image courtesy of Howard Smith Wharves.

Benjamin Pollack, Chief Executive Officer, Urbis said, “The spotlight on vibrant, sustainable and liveable cities has come with an increased focus on place and the quality of public amenity. We’re thrilled to formalise our relationship with Cultural Capital and believe their skills, combined with Urbis expertise will bring a new depth of cultural understanding and celebration of art in the public realm to shape better cities and communities.”

“Together, Urbis and Cultural Capital will deliver a holistic and comprehensive, evidence-based, solution for our clients,” stated Mr Pollack.

Creating meaning, identity and community through cultural placemaking

Urbis and Cultural Capital, cultural advisors and art producers for government and the development industry, are excited to announce we have formally entered a Strategic Partnership.

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