A visual anchor at the forefront of Sydney’s rapidly growing Tech Central
TOGA Central will include a 45-storey hotel and office tower above the historic Parcels Post Office building and a redesign of the public space at Henry Deane Plaza, stitching together the site’s significant historic character with its wider, future-focused precinct.
A State Significant Development Application has been lodged for the mixed-use redevelopment within the Western Gateway precinct of Tech Central. The hotel and commercial office tower will be developed by TOGA, with landscape architecture by Arcadia, Connecting with Country engagement led by Cox Inall Ridgeway with Janis Constable, and heritage interpretation by Freeman Ryan Design.
TOGA Central celebrates the intricate Georgian style architecture of the Parcels Post Office building. The Parcels Post Office is intimately linked with the history and operations of Central Station. Its heritage fabric will be retained and the interior light well reinstated and extended vertically to connect various floors and functions – which include retail, food and beverage, co-working offices and a Business Centre with a rooftop terrace bar.
At ground level Henry Deane Plaza is set to be a redesigned public space with activated edges, and will integrate public art and heritage interpretation. Enhanced pedestrian links will better connect the Central Tech precinct while a diverse mix of settings will encourage people to relax and socialise.
Philip Vivian
Managing Director, Bates Smart
The design of the tower employs the geometric language of concave and convex curves from the Parcels Post Office building below. A cluster of ‘pill’ shaped forms create a slender tower form that recalls the shape of an Indigenous message stick. The paired concave terracotta fins of the facade interpret the masonry character of the Parcels Post Office. The tower dedicates 10 levels to hotel facilities, including 204 rooms, and 2 levels to hotel amenities. The commercial office space above is accommodated across 22 levels, offering floorplates that are highly flexible and suited to the evolving needs of technology-driven businesses.
TOGA Central is a unique opportunity to contribute to Tech Central and Sydney’s positioning as a global leader in innovation and technology. The development recalls the character and heritage of its unique site, and proposes a building that is capable of being carbon neutral. Vivian says, “with the evolution of the Western Gateway sub-precinct, TOGA Central will be surrounded by monumental and futuristic buildings that bear little relationship to Sydney or its history. That’s why it is so important for the design to add to the Parcels Post Office as an integral part of the historic Central Precinct, without being overbearing or diminishing its characteristics.”
Read more in ArchitectureAU or view our Project page.
