An innovative vision for the future | Lendlease and the community

Steve McCann presented the 2017 Lendlease Bradfield Scholarship for Urban Vision to 20-year old architecture student Caleb Niethe for his innovative vision to future-proof Sydney. 

Now in its third year, the annual Lendlease Bradfield Urbanisation Scholarship celebrates the legacy of John Bradfield, the eminent engineer and University of Sydney alumnus best known for his work on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the city’s underground railway system. 

Caleb Niethe was one of seven University of Sydney student finalists shortlisted their innovative ideas to support Sydney’s population boom and to future-proof Sydney’s and Western Sydney’s success as a global city.

Steve McCann said: “As one the Bradfield Board of Governors, I always take delight in the written submissions and pitch presentations of potential scholarship recipients.

“Given the very high calibre of our finalists’ thinking when they’re just setting out on their professional journeys, one can only imagine how our city, our nation and the world at large will benefit from their careers over time.”

Caleb’s multi-faceted approach targets housing, transport and environmental sustainability. The impressive pitch included: modular apartment buildings which aim to address housing crisis; an underground transport network; piezoelectric tiling which converts footsteps into electricity; and reclaimed waterways throughout the city.
In his acceptance speech, Caleb said: “The truest measure of Sydney’s success is the experiences of the people within it. My strategy for the future of Sydney aims to bring citizens into more invested relationships with the city in which they live, to the benefit of both quality of life and sustainability.”

Scholarship winner Caleb, along with two other finalists, Bridgid White and Eloise Bull, will be joining Lendlease as summer interns, and 2016 winner Kate Zambelli has been working as part of the Lendlease team this year. 

Find out more about the finalists in this video.