Darling Quarter – Best Place to Work and Relax
Darling Quarter is a true integration of urban design, architecture, and landscape architecture toward the creation of a public place within the City. The architects from FJMT and ASPECT Studios have sought to enhance the joy and beauty of Darling Harbour, one of the most popular public places in Australia, and to do so in a way that imbues it with a sense of quality and permanence.
Darling Quarter is where the western edge of the City and the Park meet and is celebrated in a series of defined public spaces, including a pedestrian boulevard, parklands, gateway, children’s playground, and activated edges lined with cafes and restaurants. It is a place for everyone, for city workers at lunchtime and in the evenings, families, children, the young and old, visitors and locals.
Darling Quarter is a 1.5-hectare precinct that creates a vibrant new district at the edge of the Sydney CBD in Darling Harbour South. The redevelopment incorporates an innovative new playground; high quality retail terrace, children’s theatre, community green and two nine storey campus-style commercial buildings named Commonwealth Bank Place. The buildings accommodate over 6,500 Commonwealth Bank of Australia employees. The site is complex insofar as it needs to address the connection to the city core on the one side and a very important public domain on the other.
The precinct reconnects Darling Harbour South to the city through a bold new east-west pedestrian gateway that dissects the commercial buildings and opens views to Tumbalong Park. A sinuous boulevard weaves between Tumbalong Park and the retail front of the buildings to establish a pedestrian link through the site from Chinatown to the Sydney Harbour forshore.
On the public domain side of the precinct is a spectacular world-class 4,000 square metres playground that is one of the largest free family entertainment attractors in Sydney. The playground will be the first illuminated public playspace in Australia and integrates interactive play equipment and waterplay in a landscaped environment.
The two commercial buildings at Commonwealth Bank Place achieved world leadership status in sustainable design. An efficient building envelope responds elegantly to Sydney’s climatic conditions and the dual city and park frontages. The clear glazed western façade is softened by warm timber mullions and louvres that move in a shifting pattern throughout the day. At night the illuminated façade becomes a digital canvas for one of the world’s largest interactive light installations.
The development is a result of a collaborative effort between Lend Lease, the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, the Commonwealth Bank and the hundreds of consultants and contractors who worked on the project throughout its development.
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Materials provided by FJMT and ASPECT Studios