Detailed designs have been revealed for the $891 million Cockle Bay office tower and retail proposal that has long been a bone of contention for Sydney planning authorities.
A state-significant development application has been submitted for the Cockle Bay Park Redevelopment, which is designed by Danish firm Henning Larsen together with Architectus and McGregor Coxall.
The application calls for a 183-metre tower accommodating 75,000 square metres of office space along with 14,000 square metres of retail at the base of the tower. Henning Larsen was selected as the design architect in 2020 through a competitive design process after a concept design by FJMT, Tony Caro Architecture and Aspect Studios was approved by the New South Wales Independent Planning Commission in 2019.
Henning Larsen’s design director Viggo Haremst said the design was focused on the eye-level view and the public realm.
“We see Cockle Bay Park as agreen village within the dense CBD of Sydney, a place of discovery, work, recreation, wellness and relaxation,” he said. “Architecture is fundamentally about staging human interaction, and we see Cockle Bay Park as an opportunity to emphasize the best of what Sydney can be.”
Cockle Bay Park Redevelopment by Henning Larsen with Architectus and McGregor Coxall.
Image: Doug and Wolf
The four-level podium, occupied by shops, restaurants, bars etc, will be “woven into” a surrounding public park, with the tower standing in the middle.The tower’s facade will be defined by a curtain wall system composed of triangular glazing and shading elements. A section of porous metal cladding on a triangulated steel frame will form the crown of the tower, serving as a “bridge between the tower and the sky.”
The development was decried by the City of Sydney when it was first proposed, particularly because of concerns that it would cause overshadowing of the council’s planned Town Hall Square.
Cockle Bay Park Redevelopment by Henning Larsen with Architectus and McGregor Coxall.
Image: Doug and Wolf
The state government, meanwhile, has consistently championed the development, which is being led by GPT and AMP Capital. Announcing the public exhibition of the proposal, planning minister Rob Stokes emphasized the new public space it would deliver, including two new public parks which would form a landbridge across the Western Distributor between Darling Harbour and Darling Park.
“The Western Distributor rips through the heart of Sydney, but this proposal seeks to resolve that with significant new public space to create new pedestrian connections between the city centre and one of Sydney’s most popular tourist destinations,” he said.
The proposal is on public exhibition until 12 December.
