So stylish, so Sydney
Rising above Sydney CBD’s harbour shoreline, Barangaroo South’s buildings are spectacular and sustainable. At ground level, a waterfront boulevard sweeps past busy restaurant and new ferry wharves. Criss-crossing the now completed precinct, laneways and walkways pulsate each day with thousands of office workers, Sydneysiders, residents and visitors. Designed by a talented group of local and international architects and placemakers, Barangaroo South’s bold buildings and imaginative public spaces are authentically Sydney.
“It's about democratising access to the picture postcard views of Sydney – there are views for everyone,” says RSHP Senior Director Ivan Harbour. With his architect colleagues, Harbour was responsible for the precinct’s masterplan and the design of the three commercial buildings forming International Towers. The project was shaped by a deep respect for Country. The legacy of Barangaroo, a powerful Cammeraygal woman, and the enduring presence of First Nations peoples is woven throughout the site, from public art and street names to the design philosophy.
Filmmaker, Artist, Designer and Filmmaker and descendant of the Dharawal and Yuin people Alison Page describes it as “a masterstroke in designing with Country,” where First Nations values of storytelling, and ceremony were embedded into the precinct’s fabric.
“It's also about what happens at the street level, about the excitement and hustle and bustle of being in a city.
“We’ve created a piece of city, a genuine piece of city that everyone uses all of the time.”
Ivan Harbour, RSHP Senior Director
Committed to improvement
According to Anita Mitchell, Chief Executive, Placemaking NSW and former Lendlease General Manager for Sustainability, Barangaroo South is on a journey of continuous improvement. “I often talk about placemaking in the analogy of being like a garden,” she says. “It's got to have a great design, good architecture, good form but it may need to be tended to over time. Sometimes things get overgrown and you need to prune and tend to them. So placemaking to me is the same for a city as it is for a garden.”
“While the beautiful masterplan set the scene, this precinct has been able to evolve and become something very different to what it was back in the day,” she says. “When we officially started construction here almost 15 years ago, it was a concrete graveyard reflecting its shipping history. “It was such a waste but now we’ve been able to give the harbourside back to the people of Sydney and New South Wales.”
Stephanie Graham, Lendlease’s Managing Director, Construction
A Design Showcase
Among prime examples of innovative architecture are International Towers and One Sydney Harbour. Utilising RSHP’s flair for unique design, the International Towers’ high-rise office buildings are workplaces of the future featuring large, open floorplates and natural lighting with a focus on wellbeing. The buildings, which are certified 100% carbon neutral by Climate Active, are the corporate homes of market-leading organisations such as Westpac, PwC, KPMG, HSBC, Accenture and Gilbert + Tobin.
The nearby apartment complex, One Sydney Harbour, has three visually striking residential towers which are also outstanding models of creativity coupled with sustainability. Featuring dynamic glass facades reflecting the water and sky, One Sydney Harbour’s design was conceived by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning Renzo Piano whose other achievements include The Shard on the Thames riverbank. On Barangaroo South’s own waterside, one of the latest additions is the serene civic space Pier Pavilion designed by Sydney firm Besley and Spresser.
With curved styling and utilising “oyster terrazzo”, a material combining whole Sydney Rock Oyster shells with a variety of recycled aggregates, the building reflects its foreshore location.
New Vibe in Sydney CBD
Acknowledging the work done by all the buildings’ architects as well as the streetscape designers, Lendlease Executive Director Kimberley Jackson reiterates the once vacant site’s successful transformation into a thriving commercial, residential and hospitality. “Barangaroo South demonstrates urban region done well, “she says. “It's really such a fantastic mix of residential office, fabulous restaurants and great outdoor spaces. “It adds a greater level of energy – a new vibe, in fact – to the city and it extends the CBD down to the western waterfront and brings a wide range of benefits to the people who work, live and visit Sydney.”
Artist credit: Lucy Simpson, ‘Gaawaa’
Created by Yuwaalaraay artist and designer Lucy Simpson - 'Gaawaa' takes its name from the Yuwaalaraay word for (deep) water. It holds story and remembers the currents, tides, and trails made by watercraft cutting across the Sydney Harbour.
The waters of the harbour once extended over the site of Barangaroo, with the natural shoreline near present-day Hickson Road. Through this narrative we remember the important story of water, its innate ability to connect and adapt, and to sustain life, and the power it holds to forge Country and bind together relationships. This is a story of strength, connection and continuity, and it is a testament to Barangaroo, the woman after whom this place is named - and the many fierce, strong women like her who care for Country and water and hold together and make strong our communities.
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