A winning Design Excellence competition scheme for a new mixed use; retail, residential and commercial tower in Parramatta.

Underpinning our design response was establishing an understanding of what high density developments in Sydney's Second CBD currently looks like and set forth how we might subvert those preconceptions to create a better residential, commercial, retail and public outcome.

Key to this was understanding the context. The northern elevation of Parramatta is set to become the most visible face of city. Through substantial increases in height and density controls, it will rise at the edge, with the river at it's feet. The scale and strategic location of the site means that it will transform the context as much as it responds to it, and it will define how the precinct emerges around it.

The design proposed a reimagining of the site from a "back door" to the "front door", an entrance marker to the city providing significant public and commercial value.

Designed as a building in the round, our response to the residential component of the project was to ensure unique views were captured and framed for all apartments. The form fans out to the context addressing both key arrival views as well as inner urban axes. This move distributes a greater number of apartments across the primary arc of view whilst concurrently providing greater quality of light and air to higher number of dwellings. Bringing amenity for users deep into the plan.

A vertical composition of solid and light, stands out from the surrounding towers of metal & glass banded by floors.  This robust approach, focused on deploying materiality strategically to respond to environmental conditions and interaction points, allows for a clear architectural reading from the public realm and a high quality user outcome. Balconies and winter gardens are treated as part of a continuous external skin, as the materiality of the facades wrap into dwelling spaces. This integrated façade helps to facilitate sun-shading and wind buffering to create usable, livable places for habitation.

The commercial component of the design focuses on a site specific response to the context. Its unique parameter's, directly facing a large green spaces in Parramatta, coupled with the limited footprint of the massing, sets the scene for creating a distinct commercial offering. Given the small floor plate, in order to attract the desired tenants there is opportunity to take advantage of the frontage to the park and proximity to the river and CBD, and create a flagship building that is a benchmark in sustainability, well being and connection to Country.

CHROFI recognises the traditional custodians of the lands on which we work, the Gayemagal people. We inclusively acknowledge all of the eora (local custodians) of the Parramatta area including the D’harawal, Dharug, Eora, Gai-maragal, Gundungara and Guringai peoples. We pay our respects to the Ancestors and Elders, past, present and emerging and honour their unique Ancestral connections to Country, story and knowledge.

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