Location: Parramatta, NSW

The project was prepared for an invited ‘design excellence’ competition. The site is a key gateway location to the growing Parramatta City Centre, and has extensive frontages to the Church Street restaurant precinct, the Parramatta River and Council’s vision for a future Civic Place on the adjacent car-park site. Its re-development will offer an unprecedented opportunity to re-define public perception of the urban character, quality and future dynamic of the city centre.

The substantial residential component required by the Brief demands that tower form is largely shaped by responses to creation of living amenity – the provision of outlook, privacy, and naturally ventilated, well-lit apartments with good solar access. The proposed towers create this amenity, but also respond in a less formal, but perceptible manner to the pattern of the city at ground level. This concept design makes the proposition that an improved urban resolution will be achieved by the creation of smaller footprint, taller/slender buildings that have the ability to provide the requisite residential amenity.

A key urban form response of this proposal is to ensure that the residential elements do not form a broad visual barrier and that a sense of permeability is achieved from south to north. Key frontages of the site to Church Street, the river and the east are dedicated to provision of active retail and residential address uses. A six metre high colonnade is proposed to the riverfront, creating opportunities for protected outdoor eateries and cafés along this edge of the development.

The Supermarket proposed along the southern boundary is planned to allow for a narrow band of activated retail uses along this frontage, should Council’s Laneways 2010 strategy be enacted along this edge in the future.