A proposed blood red, 27-storey North Sydney tower, inspired by the waratah, is being billed as “a new sculpture in the heart of the city.”
The curved tower designed by Woods Bagot incorporates a through-site link, a central atrium space, and flexible office floor plates. In total it will have 33,000 square metres of gross floor area.
In planning documents before North Sydney Council, the architects explain how the design references the waratah, New South Wales’ official floral emblem, which is a symbol of resilience and regeneration – and an analogy for the post-pandemic renewal of North Sydney.
Warada, 63-83 Walker Street, by Woods Bagot.
“Surrounded by existing multi-storey commercial towers, the proposal seeks to strengthen North Sydney’s position as a major commercial centre by introducing a new premium commercial offering to the mix,” Woods Bagot’s design report reads.
Developed by Thirdi Group and Couloumbis Property Group, the $191 million tower will be built at 63-83 Walker Street, a site formed through an amalgamation process involving 21 owners and 31 lots across two freehold and two strata buildings.
Ethos Urban notes in a report that “It constitutes one of the last remaining significant redevelopment sites in North Sydney.”
The design of the office space aims at creating diverse workplace experiences that are more attractive than working from home.
Planning documents describe “A new approach to spatial layout that encourages a porosity of movement through divisible lobby and workspaces with separable cores.”
With landscape architecture by 360 Degrees, the tower will include multiple outdoor work spaces, including roof gardens and a street-level urban outdoor room.
The building will be called Warada, the Eora word for the waratah.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
