Comprising 200 apartments within a nine-storey building, New Life Darling Harbour will be designed by Architectus, and will be due for completion by the end of 2018.
Five leading Australian architectural firms were invited to compete for the project, with Architectus winning the competition for what was called their “innovative, sympathetic and eye-catching design.”
According to principal architect, Brendan Randles, “The building’s eye-catching, multi-layered form creates an outstanding place to live, to experience, and to glimpse from its many surrounding environments.”
“New Life Darling Harbour’s central city location, close to Sydney’s major educational, cultural and commercial hub, makes it ideal for innovative live-work-play environments,” says Randles.
Michael Harrison, the director of urban design and planning at Architectus says the overall design aim was to “balance horizontal and vertical articulation with face brickwork and timber batten screens."
"We wanted to create a masonry street development that blended with the old wool store warehouse buildings of the peninsula which provided great amenities for residents, from generous apartment sizes with views to match, to natural ventilation and solar access throughout the entire development.”
“We wanted to provide plenty of access to green spaces with courtyard and rooftop vegetation sites, as well as communal gardens and outdoor areas for residents. We also ensured solar access and natural ventilation, both sustainable features, were incorporated into the design,” says Harrison.
Construction company Parkview has been appointed to build the $300 million New Life Darling Harbour mixed-use development, situated at 495 Harris Street and part of the $1 billion facelift of Darling Harbour that is now well underway.
This facelift also includes the construction of a new 44-storey office tower, updated retail offerings and a new Cockle Bay amphitheatre.
Mirvac, the owner of Harbourside Shopping Centre, says that it will also undertake an upgrade of the existing mall, into what it has described as a ‘state-of-the-art’ retail precinct.
