A series of new buildings on the edge of Hyde Park will “reinvigorate a significant piece of Sydney’s streetscape,” according to a development application.
The proposal for 201 Elizabeth Street, for which FJMT has produced a reference design, calls for several distinct volumes around an existing 40-storey modernist tower. The northern volume extends out to the Park, Elizabeth and Castlereagh street boundaries and rises to 45 metres at the street frontage, re-establishing a historic street wall.
FJMT explains in planning documents that, by the 1930s, Elizabeth Street had developed a clearly defined character of low (average five-storey) and high (9-10 storey) street walls with only the lantern of the original T&G building at 201 Elizabeth Street rising above. Most of the buildings along this elevation were stone, brick or rendered masonry “which brought warmth and Sydney specific context to Hyde Park.”
This consistent street wall was broken when the T&G building was demolished in 1975, replaced with the tower that stands in its place today.
Designed by Kann, Finch and Partners and completed in 1979, the tower had a forecourt that “[broke] the strong corner definition with negative space.” A low building occupied by a Starbucks café now occupies that space.
“The intersection at Park Street and Elizabeth Street defines the city’s edge and entry point along Park Street,” states FJMT.
“The form at this corner re-establishes the historical street wall at this crucial point at the city’s edge.”
In addition to the northern volume, on top of which is a smaller volume set back eight metres from the street, the development application calls for a lower volume capturing the existing tower lobby and extending to the Southern boundary and Elizabeth Street, and a southern volume aligning with 227 Elizabeth Street’s podium and preserving view lines to St Georges Church.
The existing tower, which is not heritage listed, will be retained. The proposal would add 11,059 square metres of ground floor area, with the ground plane activated by retail tenancies and office space above.
“Sunken retail voids will be replaced by street hugging buildings activating Park and Elizabeth Streets and providing pedestrian connections between new and existing transport nodes,” state the architects.
“Active frontages have been provided along Park, Elizabeth and Castlereagh Streets with a through site link connecting Castlereagh and Elizabeth Streets.”
The development application now before the City of Sydney is for the building envelope only. A design competition will be held to arrive at the final design.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
