One30 Hyde Park: Sensitively Designed Tower in Sydney

One30 Hyde Park: A Sensitively Designed Tower in Sydney

One30 Hyde Park is a stunning 38-storey residential tower located at the intersection of Liverpool and Elizabeth Streets in Sydney. The tower is a masterpiece of Bates Smart architectural studio, as it seamlessly blends into the existing fabric of the city's eastern edge. The design of the tower reflects the surrounding urban context while respecting the neighboring Mark Foy's heritage building.

A Tower That Floats: An Innovative Design Paradigm

To negotiate the complex shadow envelope on the tower's southwestern edge, the tower is expressed as a series of 'floating' volumes that are 'stacked' to reference the various heights of the urban context. The tower's upper volumes are defined by a lively composition of off-white horizontal and vertical metallic fins which provide solar shading to apartments while creating a residential scale and grain that conceals the more prosaic components such as operable windows, balconies, and vents.

A Podium that Respects the Scale and Texture of the Heritage Building

The podium of the One30 Hyde Park tower is wrapped in a precast masonry fret of single, double, and triple height pillars, respecting the scale and texture of the Mark Foy's building. The fret is a contemporary reinterpretation of the architectural language and materiality of this historic landmark. The ground floor is covered in white brick, which directly recalls the materiality of Mark Foy's, creating a richly tactile pedestrian experience.

A Carefully Designed Ground Plane

The ground plane of the One30 Hyde Park tower has been carefully designed to activate the surrounding streetscapes with retail tenancies fronting Hyde Park, the residential lobby on Elizabeth Street, and a 'hole-in-the-wall' café on the rear lane. The Museum Station entry has been reinterpreted as a circular glass lantern, marking the corner intersection and opening up the public domain. The public space is animated by 'Penultimate,' a dynamic light installation by Brendan van Hek that pulses in a digital interpretation of the train station's timetable.

In conclusion, One30 Hyde Park is a stunning tower that sensitively weaves into the existing fabric of Sydney's eastern city edge. The tower's innovative design paradigm, which eschews the simplistic tower and podium paradigm, creates a corner expression that deftly negotiates the complex shadow boundary. The tower's interiors incorporate natural materials, providing a timeless and calm elegance, while maximizing the harbor views and the city's natural and urban beauty.

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