Sydney’s retail landscape is entering a bold new era, with Chatswood Chase at the centre of its transformation. More than a redevelopment, this landmark project redefines what a premium shopping destination can be – one that honours local heritage, elevates customer experience, and sets a new benchmark for world-class retail design.

In the heart of Sydney’s Lower North Shore, a project that elevates the city’s Retail Landscape and transforms an iconic and long-lived retail destination is taking shape. The Chatswood Chase redevelopment represents more than just another retail renovation – it’s reimagining how premium retail environments can celebrate local identity while delivering world-class experiences.

Located on Victoria Avenue in Chatswood’s CBD, this project serves a unique demographic with an 80,000+ daily workforce to Chatswood and household incomes 49% above Greater Sydney averages, the development brief demanded nothing short of exceptional.

The project’s design vision draws inspiration from Sydney’s natural heritage, specifically the sandstone formations and landscape textures of the nearby Ku-ring-gai National Park. This connection to country has proven transformative in briefing international retail partners, many developing localised design responses for their store environments for the first time.

“The retail design strategy has gone hand in hand with the broader development vision,” explains Simon Nicholas, General Manager, Leasing Design and Delivery, Vicinity Centres. “Every design brief starts with an introduction to the local area and the cultural significance of Ku-ring-gai National Park. Our international partners and their teams have shown genuine excitement about interpreting these stories.”

The design framework centres on five core principles: Individualism, celebrating unique customer needs and community identity; Time, creating spaces for intentional, memorable experiences; Space & Light, optimising natural llumination and spatial flow; Authenticity, ensuring genuine brand expression through honest materials; and Awareness, promoting cultural and environmental consciousness throughout the design process.

This approach has yielded unique and memorable results. Retailers have interpreted the brief through diverse lenses—some commissioning First Nations This approach has yielded unique and memorable results. Retailers have interpreted the brief through diverse lenses – some commissioning First Nations artists for bespoke murals, others incorporating Australian landscape colour palettes and textures, while several have developed entirely new design concepts making their Australian or global debuts at Chatswood Chase.

The project’s technical complexity stems from working within an existing structure that has undergone multiple expansions and alterations over four decades. Spanning five retail levels plus two basement car parks, the centre requires well-planned vertical integration of services and sequencing for tenant requirements. “We’ve continually needed to adapt and arrive at suitable design solutions to respond to sometimes unexpected site conditions,” notes the project team. This challenge has demanded ongoing collaboration between base building services trades, design management, and construction management teams.

Whilst for the majority of cases the existing building structure, grid, and facade lines are maintained, the internal mall planning and void connectivity between levels has been completely reconceptualised. The redevelopment optimises customer circulation across vertically stacked levels while improving visual connectivity, activation, and movement between floors requiring significant structural works to the existing building.

Fire safety presented another layer of complexity, with comprehensive smoke re-modelling, fire engineering requirements, and compliance measures being revisited throughout the centre.

Multiplex, serving as head contractor, has demonstrated exceptional capability in managing the construction delivery in a project with diverse constraints and opportunities. A rigorous tenancy management plan has been necessary to facilitate a large influx of shopfitters during the project’s tenancy fitout phase. This coordination has proven instrumental whilst working towards the first stage opening in Q4 2025, with subsequent precinct openings targeted throughout 2026.

The sustainability credentials are equally impressive. Targeting a certified Green Star 4 Star Design rating from the Green Building Council of Australia, the project encourages tenant initiatives. Many retailers opening within the new Chatswood Chase have sustainability initiatives that are key components of their shareholder reporting and ESD governance, this sees alignment between landlord vision and tenant execution with respect to environmental responsibility.

The project’s success reflects remarkable collaboration between diverse expertise. Make Architects provided concept design vision, while Webber Architects delivered executive architectural services. Latitude 27’s landscape architecture ensures seamless integration between interior and exterior environments.
Steve Watson and Partners managed certification processes, with Urbis handling town planning complexities.

As October arrives, the development has approximately 60 shopfitting partners onsite working to deliver the diverse and intricate retail mix. The site has a distinctive energy that only retail developments can deliver – where multiple stakeholders collaborate intensively toward a common opening date. The result promises to be more than a shopping destination; it’s an experiential oasis where community, culture, and commerce converge seamlessly.