After winning the 2013 International Design Competition, Wilkinson Eyre was responsible for the design of the One Barangaroo Tower, located on the waterfront of the newly remodeled Darling Harbour on Sydney Harbour's Foreshore. The 275-metre-high tower and podium, a landmark in the north-west corner of Sydney's CBD, includes a 349-room/suite luxury resort, beachfront restaurants, cafes, bars and luxury shops, as well as 76 luxury apartments above.
As a "habitable sculpture", the form of the tower takes inspiration from nature, like three petals twisting when they rise from the ground and the podium. One "petal" peels off in the middle layer to form the hotel, while the other two petals continue upwards to form the apartment mass.
The towers connected to the ground floor and the podium are supported by core tubes, and the cantilever beams are connected to the concrete spiral arrangement columns, which follow the morphological changes of the building. The continuously curved, highly insulated façade consists of three different systems: triangular curtain wall panels are used to handle tighter curves; glass in the main tower is made up of pitch-height rectangular panels of different widths, cold-pressed with the latest technology; and a third glass system encloses the hotel rooms, using a more traditional curtain wall system with a protruding keel.
While glass systems require the use of a large number of custom glass plates to handle curvature, they are also highly insulated to reduce solar radiation and provide a continuous glass form to capture and reflect the changing light throughout the day. The hotel's rooms and apartments are designed to take advantage of the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and panoramic views of the city, with each room configured differently to cope with the shape of each floor.
Surrounded by terraces, the marble arched façade is reminiscent of Gothic stonework, providing shade for the terrace below while providing a visual lightness to the podium. The podium on the ground floor responds to an excellent waterfront location and a public space adjacent to the newly renovated, with a total of four entrances and exits, establishing a strong connection with the site through the infiltration of the site. Through the entrance, guests enter a striking three-storey porch enclosed by rotating glass partitions and verdant plants, limiting the main entrance to the hotel and apartments.
The overall and undulating cornice seamlessly transitions with the ceiling of the lobby, directing one's gaze to the reception. Plants, sculptures, and lighting on the water surface project light-dark relationships onto the cornices, creating an environment that changes throughout the day. Upon entering the hall, a dramatic staircase winds its way up to the fourth floor, where a cylindrical atrium continues the concept of sculpture. The geometry of the staircase allows light to be filtered and projected to the lower part, physically and visually connecting all floors.
The podium is topped by two sky terraces, each with an infinity pool overlooking the harbour, as well as tennis courts, gymnasium, outdoor wedding venue, ballroom, café, bar and restaurant, including Nobu, where internationally renowned chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa sits, and Michelin-starred restaurant owner Clare Smyth's first restaurant in Australia. The exotic landscape design was completed by St Legere Design International, and the spa was inspired by Sydney Harbour and designed by interior design studio Blainey North.
Waterfront cafes, bars and restaurants sit in an exotic landscape under a glass-enclosed polygonal canopy, making the most of the harbour's views. All of the public spaces, hotel rooms/suites, residences and most of the relaxing spaces are designed by international design studio Meyer Davis. Featuring a range of high-grade materials and bespoke lighting fixtures, furniture, woodwork and carpets, the interiors were designed by Meyer Davis and the interior design is unique but also symbiotic to sydney harbour's architectural and natural environment. Since the building mass twists around the axis, it means that no two rooms are the same, which requires a custom design of each interior space. Committed to the ultimate attention to detail and natural materials such as rare stones and marble, the interior design is inviting, refined and provides a premium luxury experience for every guest.
Chris Wilkinson, co-founder of Wilkinson Eyre, commented: "The idea was to create a sculptural form that rises above the skyline like a man-occupied, with different works of art of transparency. As an elegant structural form, the building takes full advantage of panoramic views of the Sydney Opera House, harbour bridge and its relationship to the Darling Harbour site. The way a tower reaches the sky is important to me: in the past, you would find plants on the upper floors, but in this building, the petals twist as the building rises into the sky. Equally important is the way the building connects to the ground: a petal extends to the ground, providing a continuous line for the building's western façade, which is quite unique. "
Will Meyer, co-founder of Meyer Davis, said: "Crown Sydney's interior design is directly influenced by the quality of Sydney Harbour and the coastal lifestyle it represents, as well as the complex, twisted scheme design of Wilkinson Eyre. Our design philosophy for this building is rooted in a sense of luxury inspired by this and the exquisite blend of interiors and surroundings. We hope the end result is an incredible reflection of this unique city and a world-class experience for Sydney locals as well as travellers from around the globe."
The building played an important role in Barangaroo's transformation into the first carbon-neutral zone and world-class tourist destination. To support a local zero-waste strategy and a broader commitment to the Climate Positive Development Program, the design exceeds current performance standards and is embedded with locally developed district heating and waste treatment systems. During the construction of the building, the hotel contributed significantly to the clean-up and renovation of Barangaroo, planting more than 300 trees within the site. The building has also created more than 2,000 jobs for NSW and supported indigenous craftsmanship by showcasing hundreds of works of art by Australian artists.
Project sheets
General floor plan
Typical floor plan
Sky Villa Floor Plan
Roof plan
Section view
Elevation
Project information
Architectural design: Wilkinson Eyre
GFA: 146,500.0 m²
Address: 1 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000, Australia
Year of the project: 2021
Client: Crown Resorts Limited
Photographer: Tom Roe