The $250 million Sydney by Crown is expected to add a new dimension to central Sydney streets.
Designed by Koichi Takada Architects, the 25-storey building will feature a curved steel roof in the air, and heritage-influenced archways on the lower facade inspired by Sydney’s early 20th century buildings.
The final design, which was selected during a design competition held last year, incorporates a modern ground-floor retail precinct, as well as a pedestrian-only laneway that connects with Skittle Lane, off King Street in the CBD.
This T-shaped laneway will be flanked by 11 new cafes, restaurants and retail fashion stores.
“Sydney by Crown will be a symbol of history and future of the City of Sydney – with a heavy brick masonry podium and lightweight, high-tech residential tower rising above,” says lead architect Koichi Takada.
The podium building blocks create a sequence of vertical voids, a seven-storey opening to the through-site link. A nine-storey atrium will allow natural light to reach the centre of the site.
“The articulated base and soaring voids make the architectural expression dramatic. These links have a grandness to the scale that enhances the spatial quality and enjoyment of the space. It aims to draw people into and through the site,” Takada notes.
Sydney by Crown will house 220 studios, apartments and penthouses, with a component of apartments to be five star service apartments.
Construction is expected to begin in mid-2014.
