Woods Bagot’s top-to-bottom redesign of InterContinental Sydney takes influences of the past and integrates them into a contemporary interpretation of the hotel, says Tracey Wiles, interior design leader at the global design practice.

Encompassing guest rooms, public areas, restaurant and bar venues, the $120-million project was unique not only because of the 171-year heritage of the property but also its iconic location next to the Royal Botanic Garden overlooking Sydney Harbour. Woods Bagot collaborated with InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, owner Mulpha Australia and construction company Built to deliver the project.

Woods Bagot’s design is inspired by the concept of ‘future heritage’.

“Permanence and longevity are at the heart of future heritage. When designing the InterContinental Sydney, it was imperative we designed with the same integrity of the past, selecting materials that both embue natural beauty and would stand the test of time. We created an interior of timeless elegance complementing the existing beauty and protecting the historical lineage for future generations,” Wiles explains.

Integrating and enhancing the three-level Treasury Building, built in 1851, and the 32-level tower completed in 1985, contributed significantly to the project’s success.

Woods Bagot flooded the guest rooms with the blues and greens of sub-tropical Sydney, while upscaling the hotel’s restaurant and bar venues to give visitors an elevated experience and attract more locals.

“The heritage architecture gave us a beautiful palette of colours, textures and classic geometries – crafted in sandstone, brickwork, timber,” says Wiles.

“In the guest rooms, embracing the tonal layering of a blue and green palette was a bold approach, which works incredibly well in connecting with the amazing views. It’s a strong departure from the standard beige on beige you so often see in modern properties.”

One of Wiles’ favourite spaces is The Treasury – a light-filled atrium and gathering area where the two buildings meet.

The Treasury Bar

The Treasury Bar at InterContinental Sydney (Photo: Trevor Mein)

Surrounded by the arched balconies of the Treasury Building, it’s now home to The Treasury Bar, which anchors the space on a stunning contemporary chevron tiled floor, with rich green foliage evoking the openness of the original courtyard.

The striking new entrance designed by project leader Tim Davies utilises the same marble that forms The Treasury Bar, providing a continuous thread of materiality as guests move through the hotel.

Reception

Pleated marble wall in the reception area (Photo: Trevor Mein)

“We designed a plisse (pleated) stone wall to invite guests from the porte-cochere through to The Treasury Bar,” Davies says.

“The feature wall is highly dynamic – a mix of honed limestone with book-matched Verde Oceania marble that forms a unified image at a certain point within the reception. Spotted Gum reception desks complement the feature wall and reference the naturalistic forms of Sydney’s coastal edge.”

The rooftop Aster Bar on Level 32, previously the exclusive domain of Club InterContinental, now shares the spectacular views.

The renovation takes the property into a new era of luxury while also giving it greater local appeal, observes InterContinental Sydney general manager Jennifer Brown. “A big part of our vision was to make sure we were creating not only something for hotel guests but for everyone else too, and a lot of direction comes from the restaurants and bars to sit as destinations in their own right.”

The Rotunda

The Rotunda private dining room (Photo: Trevor Mein)

The scope of the project, which included extensive heritage restoration, removal and replacement of the hotel’s cooling towers, new windows in 509 rooms and suites, all completely renovated, a new entrance, and redesign of the existing reception area, took several years to execute, and was completed 12 months ago.

Branko Miletic

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