The Government Architect NSW (GANSW) provides strategic design leadership in architecture, urban design and landscape architecture.

At GANSW we:

  • Champion - Promote, educate and advocate for design awareness and excellence on behalf of Government, its agencies and partners
  • Connect - Foster public and private sector partnerships, collaboration and design collaboration across built environment initiatives
  • Advise - Provide strategic and independent advice and quality review to support best practice and outcomes for design projects

By integrating design expertise, we work across government, the private sector and the community to improve social, environmental and economic outcomes for NSW and all of our communities.

In acknowledging the traditional Aboriginal custodians of the land and their unique cultural relationships to place, GANSW seeks to uphold the idea that If we care for Country - It will care for us.

nsw state design review panel feature mobile 375x251

Image Credit: GANSW

NSW State Design Review Panel

The NSW State Design Review Panel has been operating for over two years to improve the design of built environments across NSW.

Find out more about the NSW State Design Review Panel
Abbie Galvin - Portrait

Image Credit: GANSW

Abbie Galvin announced as the 24th NSW Government Architect

On Tuesday 1st October Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes announced the appointment of Abbie Galvin as the 24th Government Architect.

Read more about this appointment
A view of Central Park on Broadway in Sydney with pedestrians passing by.

Image Credit: GANSW

Movement and Place

Our network of roads and streets are a major part of the system of public space that helps connect our places. The Movement and Place Framework creates a shared language and approach to help all stakeholders achieve better place outcomes for the people of NSW.

Find out more about Movement and Place
better placed feature mobile 375x251

Image Credit: GANSW

Good Design is Government Policy

Better Placed is a policy that provides a set of principles and guidance to support good design in NSW.

Read about our policies
An elderly man playing oversized chess in a public park.

Image Credit: GANSW

Publications and Resources

We research and prepare documents that provide policy, principles, advice and best practice examples to support good design processes and outcomes.

These include Policies, Design Frameworks, Guides & Manuals, Case Studies, Advisory Notes, and Webinars.

View all our publications and resources
A group of soccer players kicking a soccer ball around a park.

Image Credit: GANSW

Projects

We deliver strategic spatial frameworks for complex government led precincts and support for project formation and definition.

Read about Projects
Looking up at two people leaning against a circular balustrade.

Image Credit: GANSW

Design Review

We provide a range of independent design advice and quality review including the State Design Review Panel (SDRP).

Read about Design Review
A cyclist on a path travelling through Sydney's Hyde Park with a fig tree in the foreground.

Image Credit: GANSW

Greener Places

Greener Places is a design framework produced by GANSW to guide the design, planning, design and delivery of Green Infrastructure in urban areas across NSW.

Find out more about green infrastructure and the design framework