JOURNAL/ February-March/2016

Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Paul Garrard commented:
“It is great to see this culmination of the design excellence process started by Parramatta City Council for this landmark building. Our early input on the tower helped to spark a desire among leading developers to be part of Parramatta Square and the world-class transformation of our CBD," he said.

"We couldn't have hoped for a better partner in Walker Corporation. They have refined the vision for 8 Parramatta Square and enlisted internationally-renowned architects to create the innovative and inspirational design unveiled today."

The mixed-use Parramatta Square development by Walker will accommodate two commercial buildings – incorporating a wide range of retail offerings including numerous cafés, bars and restaurants along with the residential tower.

The precinct will also feature the 26,000 square metres Western Sydney University Campus housing more than 10,000 university students, as well as community facilities, a civic building, community centre, library and a 250 metre long public domain in the heart of the city – critical to the activation of the project.

“From Perth’s Max Light Rail to Sydney and Melbourne’s Metro projects, Australian cities are experiencing a rail infrastructure boom that is recasting the fabric of our cities. New developments over and around rail infrastructure have the capacity to renew our cities and create vibrant new urban places. To maximise the opportunities this infrastructure investment offers our cities, we need to learn from global as well as local exemplars.

The Hong Kong MTR metro system is highly integrated with many stations directly connected to thriving mixed-use developments containing shopping centres, residential apartments, offices and hotels. These developments provide active use and connectivity throughout the city whilst generating income for the metro authority. This form of income allows the MTR to continue their metro expansion and upgrades to the benefit of the entire community.

“The Rockefeller Centre in New York is widely regarded as an exemplary urban development with much loved public spaces. It utilises pedestrian scaled podiums and setback towers; creating new public spaces, and incorporating mid-block connections, public art, cultural institutions, roof gardens, and restaurants in the sky. This 1930’s landmark is probably the most loved modern urban development in the world. As Rem Koolhaus exclaimed in his book “Delirious New York”:

“How perfect can perfection be!”

“Bates Smart has built on this legacy with a series of over rail developments informed by urban principles of good city making. Successful urban environments are achieved through identifying a cities DNA to design human-scale architecture, incorporate pedestrian networks and laneways and provide engaging public space.

“These principles are evident in the success of Melbourne’s Federation Square, an immense urban renewal project over railyards and attracting an estimated 8.4 million annual visitors. Low-rise buildings housing restaurants and galleries define the street edge while a series of crevasses between create ‘laneways’ to a new public square. The square incorporates a super-sized digital screen that has proved to be extremely popular for major public events.

“Meanwhile on the western edge of the city Fairfax’s new headquarters, Media House, is built over the Spencer Street railyards. This large 17,000sqm commercial office building aligns with Collins Street and boldly asserts the edge of the city to the adjacent Southern Cross Station.

“Media House is setback from the street to create a generous landscaped plaza . A large digital screen addresses the park and is frequently used for public events while a civic scaled ‘loggia’ reasserts human scale and terminates the building.

Philip Vivian is an active participant in the debate around the future development of our cities and recently presented Bates Smart’s vision for Sydney 2050 at the CTBUH forum in New York.

Each of the buildings lobbies were designed with a tailored, handcrafted and eclectic quality. Concavo’s lobby was inspired from the surrounding harbor. Nautical language filters through with the use of bespoke macramé installations from ‘Smalltown Collaboration’ referencing fishing nets and low level timber coffee tables echo the feel of the boat decks.

Kendra Pinkus, Associate Director notes “The neutral palette and selection of the natural textures of leather, raw and refined timber and a mix of textiles creates a timeless design that exudes a sense of elegance and calm”.

The communal areas are staged as a series of intimate spaces, by contrast, the kitchen bench extends across the entire space to act as a social hub and focal point. The lounge is designed as a space for all residents to socialise, relax and enjoy.

"Our vision is to create an authentic place that captures the essence of the neighbourhood. A large public square is connected to the intimate laneways that are the lifeblood of The Rocks and creates a focal point and meeting place. Connected on all corners to laneways, this place will be a dynamic urban experience with activity extending through the day into the night.

"Restaurants, cafes and providores activate the space over three levels. Hotel guests arrive via a discreet entry off Cambridge Street, creating a sense of discovery and uniqueness. Each building has been individually articulated to respond to the scale and materiality of its surroundings. A palette of authentic natural materials draws on the vernacular vocabulary to create an architecture of parts designed as a contemporary interpretation of the Rocks."

The workspace is a cul-de-sac cluster design with offices radiating from the perimeter to create neighbourhood teams of 10-12 people and a mix of enclosed and open workspace. This layout had a number of advantages: equality in access to natural light; placing junior staff either in an open environment or shared offices to fast track their learning; and teams, typically of 10-12 people are placed away from the main circulation path, removing disruption and allowing more focused work.

Natural materials and earthy tones, combine with organic shapes and softer forms to create an environment that is warm, welcoming and unpretentious.

Designed as a four storey perimeter block with two, six storey corner elements the building form maximises water views and protects a communal central landscape. Bates Smart was able to limit excavation while increasing salable floor space by creating a split level, semi-basement set behind the ground floor units and retail space.

Bates Smart’s holistic approach to the interior design brings the external textures and tones inside, setting a new standard of quality in the area.

Read the press Buyers flock to Kingston Foreshore's Atelier

Originally trained as an architect, Angela has been instrumental in creating property and workplace strategies for many of Australia’s leading companies such as BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and IAG through years of experience in top-tier design firms and also 'client side' for the University of New South Wales.

Angela has also worked across the public sector, creating workplace strategies for Reserve Bank and the Sydney Opera House, and most recently she has worked with academics to re-think the teaching space in the Education sector.

We look forward to introducing Angela to our workplace sector clients.

Bates Smart Director, Kristen Whittle, commented:
"The narrow site required a rethinking of the structure of tall buildings. Through an inventive structural system, combined with cutting-edge construction techniques, we have reinvented the tall tower. From a technical viewpoint it is at the limits of current construction technologies available today."

Collins House is scheduled for completion in 2018.

Government agency, Urbangrowth, recently conducted the 'Call for Great Ideas for the Bays Precinct', designed to tease out concepts for the future of this significant part of Sydney’s foreshore. The precinct consists of 95 hectares of government-owned land, 94 hectares of harbour waterways and sits within 2km of the central business district. It includes White Bay Power Station, Rozelle Rail Yards, White Bay and the Sydney Fish Markets.

Bates Smart was invited to join a consortium to participate in the Call for Great Ideas, led by Australand, now Frasers Property Australia.

In the spirit of collaboration, and in the interests of creating a diverse and multi-layered urban response, the multidisciplinary team included HDR, Candelapas Associates, Turner Studio, AECOM, McGregor Coxall, Atelier 10, WSP and Elton Consulting.

Together, the group identified several themes and opportunities including: best practice high-density living; potential to create new learning hubs; programmes for year-long activation of the precinct; and opportunities to extend the parameters of the precinct to achieve higher quality public domain outcomes.

The diversity of ideas generated demonstrates the benefit of approaching a large precinct, consisting of a number of disparate elements, in a multidisciplinary way that encouraged a range of responses.

Bates Smart are proud sponsors of WORKTECH 16 Sydney