An illustrious collaboration between Kengo Kuma, Koichi Takada, Silvester Fuller and Crown Group aims to bring the warmth and nature back into Sydney’s architecture.

Mastery by Crown Group is a 19-storey residential tower in Waterloo featuring a plant-filled green exterior designed to emulate a stacked forest, designed by famed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. The development also includes three buildings designed by the well-respected Japanese-Australian architect Koichi Takada, as well as emerging local architect Silvester Fuller.

This project project marks Kengo Kuma’s first residential project in Australia.

“Our intention is to give a warm and natural atmosphere to the community with unique design strategies,” says Kuma.

“The upper volume of the tower seamlessly transforms into the lower part of the stepped terraces in order to create an intimacy between the building scale and the pedestrian scale on the street level.

“Eaves wrapping the façade are covered by sticks which give a warm impression of the wood to the façade. The entire façade becomes a vertical urban forest by having vegetation on each eave. Those strategies will blur and soften the profile of the building.”

“Responding to Kengo Kuma’s vision for the tallest of the five buildings, I am excited to design three low-rise buildings that create a dynamic architectural dialogue within the precinct,” adds Takada.

According to Takada, many of today’s buildings are too visually-focused and lack human connection.

“A lot of architects try too hard with the visual elements. Today’s developments are too dense and don’t have breathing space,” says Takada, who explains that Mastery is more about a feeling than an aesthetic.

“[Mastery is] healthy for the mind – you can meditate, be yourself and not worry about time.”

In order to achieve this, the architects have carefully selected natural materials such as timber and stone, which will help create a greater connection with nature.

“Japanese design techniques have a great emphasis on the natural elements and the architectural dialogue between human and nature,” says Iwan Sunito, Crown Group chairman and CEO.

According to Sunito, Kuma’s central belief is that architecture is always in dialogue with humans, but good architecture does not attempt to fix nature – instead it moves with nature, always continuing the dialogue.

“Kengo Kuma and Koichi Takada each have their own unique style and ethos and are true leaders in their field, renowned for their creativity. I feel the collaboration of the two will lead to something new and unique for Sydney,” says Sunito.

Stephanie Stefanovic

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