A state significant development application for the establishment of an $845.85 million data facility in Sydney’s Artarmon has been approved.
The proposed Lanceley Place Data Centre, designed by HDR, was greenlit for development across five individual allotments at 2–8 Lanceley Place and 14 Campbell Street, comprising a total site area of 14,024 square metres. Several vacant 2–3 storey buildings currently exist on the site, which were previously occupied by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s film and television studios until the site was sold in 2021.
Planning documents indicate that the new data facility will house the hardware and infrastructure needed for storing and processing digital data.
The large-scale facility will reach up to ten storeys at a maximum building height of 51.479 metres and a total gross floor area of 26,769 square metres. The architectural design report noted that the mass of the building has been broken down into three “blocks.” These include a data block, which accommodates five levels of data halls along with supporting facilities; a generator block that houses backup generators, and an office block that features a lobby, office spaces and a rooftop garden.
Each of these “blocks” are characterised by a stepped form that gradually descends from west to east across the site. According to the design report, the stepped massing was a response to the surrounding built context – which is of greater scale to the west and of a lower scale to the east – and the natural topographical fall across the site, which also declines from west to east.
The facade draws inspiration from both the historical and contemporary context of the area. Each block is supported by a continuous masonry brick base, while the top portions of every block feature a distinct expression. The use of brick pays homage to the area’s industrial heritage, specifically its history of brick manufacturing. The data and generator blocks instead feature metallic elements that reflect themes of technology and machinery, aligning with the intended use of the facility and the site’s location within a growing technology infrastructure hub.
According to the design report, the building envelope is set back 27 metres from its primary frontage on Campbell Street and 14 metres from Lanceley Place. Plans state that these increased setbacks “provide numerous benefits with respect to the urban design outcome, including reducing the perceived height and scale of the development from the adjoining public realm and streetscapes, as well as minimising overshadowing and other environmental impacts to these same locations.”
The increased setbacks have additionally allowed for new and improved landscaped edges surrounding the building, “introduced to provide public amenity and to soften and enhance the quality of adjoining streetscapes,” the report states. The landscape architecture practice appointed to the project is Cola Studios.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
