Sydney firm Scott Carver has won a design competition for a two-tower development in Parramatta that will combine a 32-storey hotel with a 25-storey office building.
The development at 197 Church Street, modest in comparison to the previous 83-storey tower proposal for the site designed by Spanish architect Rafael De La-Hoz in partnership with Group GSA, will feature two distinct forms, tied together with common horizontal massing breaks.
The tall and slender hotel tower fronting Marsden Street will rise above the layered, terraced form of the commercial tower, with the terraces providing space for a series of green rooftops.
In a statement, Scott Carver director Nicholas Bandounas describes how the design responds to historic Indigenous pathways and geomorphological lines through the Parramatta region. “Our key design principles are equal parts physical and philosophical, driven by geomorphology, contextual history, community, and the urban framework,” he said. “Importantly, these key principles are also underpinned by cultural layering and connection to Country.”
The 197 Church Street development by Scott Carver.
The firm has worked with Indigenous design consultancy Fellingham Consultancy and Design with the aim of ensuring “the Barramadigal voice and Dharug Nations’ ethos was captured in multiple design elements.” A key outcome of this consultation was that a through-site link will be named Ngara Nura Way, meaning, “connecting to Country by practicing active listening, hearing and thinking whilst on Country”.
The design also responds to nearby heritage buildings, with th epodium featuring a double-height entry volume lined with contemporary arches that respond to the adjacent Murrays’ Building and Post Office.
Overall, the architect said, the development will “contribute positively to the urban life of the precinct, connect with its rich history and culture, and align with the transformational evolution in growth and prosperity happening in Parramatta.”
Source: Architecture - architectureau
