The Darling Hotel is located within the dense and historic 18/19th century context of Pyrmont. Following careful contextual and urban analysis, a set of design principles emerged which clarify and enhance public movement at street level around and through the hotel as well as through the adjacent casino complex. Critically, Pyrmont's Union Square is re-connected to Sydney harbour and a key public transport interchange via these urban manoeuvres.
DESIGN DESCRIPTION
The site itself had managed to remain vacant for some 15 years since the decommissioning and demolition of the Switching Station which it previously accommodated - the switch gear served the once adjacent Pyrmont Power Station, a site now occupied by The Star complex.
The hotel lobby is treated as a 'through site' link with dual entries encouraging public permeability and directly linking the lobby to the darling harbour entertainment precinct. Its alignment responds to a similarly scaled public retail arcade directly opposite on Edward Street. The atrium contains active uses which enhance the public domain, encouraging public use and extending Union Street's relaxed café and bar activity.
Union, Pyrmont and Edward Streets are activated via retail frontages and linkages, multiple hotel entries and outdoor cafe space located to capture the winter afternoon sun. Improvements to the public domain include street trees, lighting and paving all detailed to extend perceived public domain onto the property.
The carefully scaled podium relates positively to the historic neighbourhood character and streetscape through its extensive, robust but contemporary use of sandstone many surrounding buildings being built of honey coloured Sydney sandstone quarried in Pyrmont.
The tower presents a positive and memorable form to Sydney Harbour, and particularly in its iconic gesture towards the Pyrmont Bridge approach to the Peninsula on the critical Union Street alignment - its key pedestrian link to the Sydney CBD.
The tower form is responsive to its context but crisply detailed as a glass curtain. It provides a separate identity and counterpoint to the adjacent precast clad buildings of The Star entertainment complex, however the curvature of tower's north façade references this adjacent built-form. On its south, the tower is significantly set back from Union Street, mitigating its impact on the public domain. It also presents as a planar glass wall which 'holds' the Street alignment.
A dual core solution separates 'served' and 'service' functions and permits an efficient solution for the towers structural design. The floor plate is configured to maximise hotel rooms on the towers northern facade - maximising both prospect and aspect for patrons. The dual cores are located on the southern façade, as is adjacent and naturally lit egress stairs.
The building has integrated environmental strategies to achieve reduced water and energy consumption. Strategies implemented include centralised blackwater, mixed mode ventilation to both lobby and hotel rooms (a first for Australia), use of low e DGUs with external shading and gas fired hot water generation.
ACCOLADES
Asia Pacific Hotel Awards, Best New Hotel Asia Pacific Region (Design + Construction) Winner, 2012
International Hotel Awards, Best International New Hotel, (Design + Construction) Winner, 2012
PRODUCTS
SANDSTONE CLADDING
EURO MARBLE & GRANITE
POLISHED MARBLE CLADDING
EURO MARBLE & GRANITE
HONED BASALT CLADDING
EURO MARBLE & GRANITE
STAINLESS STEEL STANDING
RHEINZINK SEAM METAL CLADDING
COMPOSITE ALUMINIUM CLADDING
ALOPLIC
PERFORATED COMPOSITE ALUMINIUM CLADDING
ALCAN DIBOND
COMPOSITE ALUMINIUM CLADDING
ALCAN DIBOND
GLASS MOSAIC TILES
BISAZZA AUSTRALIA
STEEL FACED SANDWICH PANEL
CSR ROKCORE
MOTORISED LOUVRE PERGOLA SYSTEM
AUSTRAL MONSOON MAXIFLOW INDUSTRIAL
IGU GLASS CHINA
SOUTHERN GLASS
