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MCGREGOR COXALL

@mcgregorcoxall

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Working globally, we masterplan & design vibrant, resilient cities, places & environments, informed by digital intelligence from our Biourbanism Lab.

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Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve: seven years on
In 2019 we began work with @baysidecitycouncil and the Boon Wurrung Foundation on Boon Wurrung Country, to decommission the golf course beside Elster Creek into an ecological park. The masterplan gave the site two guiding ideas: ecology and connection.

The masterplan proposed ecological regeneration of seven habitat zones, from open water and tall marsh to grassy woodland, gather around the mature trees that already stood on the site. A chain of ponds slows and cleanses the waters of Elster Creek before they reach Port Phillip Bay. One island is left untouched, a place for wildlife to rest undisturbed.

Paths wander through the grasses. Stepping stones lead to the water’s edge. Boardwalks and shelters give people reason to pause and look closely. A Caring for Country philosophy shaped how the Reserve was designed, experienced and cared for.

Over the past seven years, delivery of the plan has been guided by the Yalukit Willam Nature Association @ywna.community, whose local knowledge and advocacy shaped the design outcomes. Today the Association leads community-run management of the park, including plant procurement and ecological surveying and monitoring, so the Reserve is cared for by community.

Masterplanning: McGregor Coxall
Collaborators: Project Architects: @chrofi_architects, Project Landscape Architects: @realmstudios_ by @mcgregorcoxall

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3 days ago

The 22-hectare Ken Birdsey Park in Blacktown, Sydney, is moving from design to delivery, with construction almost complete.

It's an ecological engine—a water filtration system, a heat refuge, a public park and playground. Utilising everyday materials, it delivers a playful industrial aesthetic at minimum cost. Recycled timber from the site creates the playscape. Water flows are harvested, stored and filtered through solar driven UV and recycled back for non-potable reuse

The park is set to open in late 2026. by @mcgregorcoxall

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5 days ago

Congratulations to our client @cooks_river_alliance and its stakeholders on sharing this award for the Cooks River Masterplan Activation Study. It was recognised with the Landscape Planning Award at the 2026 @aila_nsw Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Award Ceremony.

The Cooks River moves through densely populated and culturally diverse communities across multiple LGAs in Inner West/South Western Sydney — from Yana Badu (Chullora) to Kamay (Botany Bay). The Alliance had identified hundreds of community, open space and event strategies across the river catchment. Our study utilised multi-criteria analysis and geospatial data to create a priority matrix that assessed competing priorities, funding constraints, recreation needs and community accessibility to the river across multiple council boundaries.

The Study resolved this by reframing the river as a continuous recreational and environmental system governed by three principles: Population Movement, Blue Green Grid Connection, and Equitable Design. A Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis framework scored every potential intervention across six weighted pillars: passive recreation, active recreation, population demand, equitable use, blue-green grid connection, and population movement. Projects were then filtered through environmental constraints — and subjected to qualitative design review.

The result was an evidence-driven, transparent, and measurable shortlist of nine priority river activation projects.

Delivered through partnership between the @cooks_river_alliance, @strathfieldcouncil, @ourcbcity, @innerwestcouncil, @baysidensw, and @sydneywater.

Photo credit: @nicwalker101 by @mcgregorcoxall

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7 days ago

Reconnecting community with the Nepean River through regenerative landscape moves.

We're celebrating Regatta Park, recognised with the Parks and Open Space Award and the ShadeSmart Award at the 2026 @aila_nsw Award Ceremony.

The realignment of River Road was the project's most consequential decision. Removing the road that bisected the park reunited the landscape into a continuous whole for the first time, enabling an unbroken foreshore experience from entry to river edge. What seems like a single move enabled everything that followed.

Designed on Dharug Gundungarra Yandhai Country in Penrith, the park now brings riparian restoration, active recreation, cultural identity, and genuine civic gathering together along 400 metres of the Nepean River. A clear east-west access spine draws visitors from street to water, flanked by double rows of canopy trees that provide both shade and spatial definition. At the river's edge, continuous foreshore paths, over-water viewing platforms, terraced river stairs with integrated seating, and kayak launch areas offer multiple connection points to the water — from quiet observation to active participation.

The impact is already visible. The 2025 community celebration drew crowds large enough to require a dedicated shuttle bus service — a measure of civic uptake that landscape design made possible. Over one million people are projected to visit annually, transforming Penrith's relationship with its river.

What makes this park exemplary is how each element reinforces the others. The riparian planting stabilises the bank that the viewing platforms celebrate. The Water Sensitive Urban Design swales protect the river that the kayak launches access. The First Nations artwork grounds the park in the cultural history of the place that the road realignment finally allows people to fully experience.

Delivered through a $24 million partnership between @penrithcitycouncil, the Australian Government, and the New South Wales Government.

Design collaboration with @brkspr_

Photo credit: @martinmischkulnig @ruthgoldfilms by @mcgregorcoxall

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11 days ago

Connecting communities through integrated landscape and civic design.

We're celebrating the Parramatta Aquatic Centre, recognised with the Civic Landscape and Climate Positive Design Awards at the 2026 @aila_nsw Award Ceremony.

Rather than imposing a building on the landscape, the centre reverses the traditional aquatic typology — embedding the structure within Parramatta Park's topography. Located on Burramattagal (Dharug) Country within a UNESCO World Heritage site, it brings landscape, architecture, and cultural engagement together to create a destination where community life genuinely happens.

The impact is already showing — with more than 20,000 residents attending swimming lessons, nearly 4,000 school children participating in carnivals, and over 2,000 enrolled in swim programs. The facility has become a year-round destination, with more than one million visitors expected annually.

Early data reveals what genuine integration achieves. The dense urban forest provides essential shade and cooling during summer months. Pedestrian and cycle pathways have become genuine thoroughfares connecting the centre with the broader park and CBD. Seating integrated throughout the precinct is consistently occupied. Cultural narratives embedded in the design have resonated deeply with the community, providing a framework for understanding the site's continued significance as a gathering place.

For us, the measure of the project is not only the infrastructure itself, but who can now use it — and how it is changing the way people gather, exercise, and connect within a landscape that honours Country.

The jury noted that "the project demonstrates landscape-led design as a framework for creating civic places of genuine community consequence."

Congratulations to the @cityofparramatta and everyone who helped bring this important gathering place to life.

@andrewburgesarchitects, @grimshawarch

Photo credit slide 1: Peter Bennetts
Photo credit slides 3-7: @martinmischkulnig by @mcgregorcoxall

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13 days ago

What one coastal intervention, design or idea would you like to exist, and what would have to change to make it possible?

Our Founder and CEO @adrian_mcgregor participated in the inaugural Coastal Design Assembly at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia on 26 August 2026, a gathering of architects and designers working at the intersection of city and sea.

Adrian presented McGregor Coxall's Tsukiji Tokyo Urban Waterfront, sharing the Biourbanism thinking that shapes our approach to coastal and waterfront design. The evening featured six projects focused on coasts, harbours, headlands, tidal pools and reefs—alongside work by CHROFI, Bangawarra, Besley Spresser, Floorplan Studio, artist Anna May Kirk, and host Sophie Lanigan.

Each speaker responded to the same closing question. This framing highlighted that coastal resilience requires not just exceptional design, but systemic change across policy, regulation and collective values.

We thank @sophielanigan_ for bringing together such a rigorous gathering of practitioners committed to design excellence and ecological regeneration at the water's edge. by @mcgregorcoxall

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17 days ago

Aldea Tropicalia es el nuevo componente residencial y comunitario que ampliará el desarrollo Tropicalia en Miches. Impulsado por Cisneros Real Estate, su plan maestro ha sido diseñado por la firma internacional @mcgregorcoxall bajo un enfoque de biourbanismo que plantea una relación directa entre arquitectura, paisaje, naturaleza y comunidad.

El proyecto se desarrolla sobre una extensión de 184.3 hectáreas, de las cuales aproximadamente el 70 % se mantendrá como áreas naturales protegidas. La planificación contempla una comunidad peatonal organizada en tres etapas y diez biozonas, articuladas alrededor de un núcleo central de usos mixtos. La propuesta prioriza los recorridos a pie, los espacios abiertos, la vegetación y la conservación de las condiciones naturales existentes.

El programa contempla alrededor de 755 residentes, distribuidos entre 95 viviendas unifamiliares, 144 apartamentos y 18 villas, además de un hotel boutique. A esto se suman más de 43,000 metros cuadrados de espacios abiertos y aproximadamente 9.1 kilómetros de senderos, junto con áreas destinadas a educación, cultura, bienestar y actividades comunitarias.

El plan maestro incorpora estrategias de ventilación y enfriamiento pasivo, generación de energía mediante cubiertas fotovoltaicas, recolección de agua de lluvia, manejo circular del agua y conservación de especies vegetales nativas. Calles arboladas, parques, jardines y corredores verdes conforman una infraestructura paisajística orientada a reducir el impacto de la urbanización y mantener la continuidad de los sistemas naturales.

Ubicada aproximadamente a cinco kilómetros hacia el interior desde Four Seasons Resort and Residences Dominican Republic at Tropicalia, Aldea Tropicalia propone un modelo de desarrollo que conecta la costa con el paisaje interior de Miches y establece la naturaleza como uno de los principales elementos estructurantes de su planificación.

#perfilurbanord taken in Miches Republica Dominicana by @mcgregorcoxall

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18 days ago

Aldea Tropicalia. Biourbanism in practice. Adrian McGregor & Adriana Cisneros shared conviction for a new regenerative health and well-being village in the Dominican Republic. taken in Miches Dominican Republic by @mcgregorcoxall

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19 days ago

The 2026 @AILA_NSW Awards brought together the landscape architecture and planning community to recognise the diverse body of work shaping NSW. It was a significant occasion celebrating design excellence and the collaborative efforts that drive meaningful change to cities and places across the state. For McGregor Coxall, the night delivered substantial recognition, with five awards spanning three public projects:

+ Civic Landscapes Award [Burramattagal Country] — Parramatta Aquatic Centre with Andrew Burges Architects and Grimshaw Architects for Parramatta City Council
+ Parks and Open Spaces Award [Darug & Gundungarra Country] — Regatta Park with Breakspear Architects for Penrith City Council
+ Landscape Planning Award [Gadigal Country] — Cooks River Activation Study for the Cooks River Alliance
+ ShadeSmart Award — Regatta Park
+ Climate Positive Design — Parramatta Aquatic Centre

These awards represent the cumulative effort of sustained design practice, strategic client partnerships, and collaborative innovation. Each project reflects many years of design, consultation, and a commitment to delivering prosperous, sustainable, climate resilient places that support local communities. The recognition acknowledges not just the final outcomes, but the rigorous research and conviction that underpins our practice.

We're thankful to our clients, collaborators, and team who have contributed to these successes. We extend a special thanks to Cooks River Alliance, Parramatta and Penrith City Council for joining us on the night. by @mcgregorcoxall

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20 days ago

🌿 PORTES OBERTES / OPEN DAY

@ JARDÍ BOTÀNIC 🌿Barcelona 2026 - Capital Mundial de l'Arquitectura Música, vistes sobre la ciutat i un diàleg entre el paisatge mediterrani i els jardins de saló. 🗓 04/10 | 11:00 h
📍 Jardí Botànic de Barcelona (C/ Dr. Font i Quer, 2)

[CAT]
Celebrem el Finissage de Parlour Gardens: Dreams from the Rooftop!
🗣 Taula rodona: Adrian McGregor, Walter Hood, Henri Bava i Gareth Doherty (mod. Marina Cervera i James Hayter).
🌱 Xerrades: Tecnologies, adaptació climàtica i recerca botànica aplicada al disseny.

[CAST]
¡Celebramos el Finissage de Parlour Gardens: Dreams from the Rooftop!
🗣 Mesa redonda: Adrian McGregor, Walter Hood, Henri Bava y Gareth Doherty (mod. Marina Cervera y James Hayter).
🌱 Charlas: Tecnologías, adaptación climática e investigación botánica aplicada al diseño.

[ENG]
Join us for the Finissage of Parlour Gardens: Dreams from the Rooftop!
🗣 Round table: Adrian McGregor, Walter Hood, Henri Bava & Gareth Doherty (mod. Marina Cervera & James Hayter).
🌱 Talks: Future tech, climate adaptation & botanical research applied to design. by @mcgregorcoxall

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24 days ago

The Plant Portal has been shortlisted for Best Use of AI – Sustainability at the Australian AI Awards.

The platform addresses a fundamental challenge: how to guide landscape design decisions across one of the world's most ambitious urban development programmes. NEOM spans coastal sabkha plains, wadi systems, and mountain terrain reaching 3,500 metres, each with radically different ecological contexts.

Plant Portal reframes plant selection from preference to evidence-based governance. Using 24 years of climate data at 500m resolution, habitat classifications across thirteen habitat groups, and elevation mapping, a plant suitability model generates ecologically accurate recommendations for over 1,207 validated species. A parallel invasive species register, currently tracking 383 species, prevents climate-risk plantings. The underlying principle: ecological intelligence must be embedded into the infrastructure itself.

Developed by McGregor Coxall in partnership with NEOM. by @mcgregorcoxall

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a month ago

Congratulations Jack, on being named on the Dean's List of Excellence in Academic Performance at the University of Sydney for his master's in urban design, it is awarded annually on recommendation from the Deans, the prize recognises high performing students in each faculty based on annual average marks and enrolment.

Since joining McGregor Coxall, Jack has grown into a thoughtful and increasingly capable designer. Across a diverse range of projects, he consistently brings clarity to complex challenges, approaches problems with care and precision, and contributes meaningfully to studio culture and collaborative teams.

We're proud to have you as part of the team. by @mcgregorcoxall

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a month ago