PTW Architects will lead the design of a large-scale, mixed-use development in the Sydney suburb of St Leonards on the city’s lower north shore.
The project, to be named “Eighty Eight,” includes two residential towers of 47 and 26 storeys respectively, a 30,000-square-metre commercial building, a three-storey retail building, a new public library and public open space including a new civic square. The architects will also make provision for a possible underground pedestrian connection to the existing St Leonards railway station.
The 5,820-square-metre site sits to the south of the Pacific Highway. It is close to the station and proposed metro stations, as well as a bus interchange.
Simon Parsons, PTW executive director and practice leader, said, “The key challenge we faced in designing the concept for this project was changing St Leonards from a very highway-oriented suburb to a people-centred, pedestrian-friendly hub providing enhanced connectivity and easy access to the train station.”
“Precincts such as Eighty Eight reflect the state government’s planning policy for future-proofing Sydney to ensure population growth pockets of the city such as St Leonards are designed in a way that will best meet the needs of the existing and future residents, workers and visitors,” Parsons said.
The design intends to create improved connections between the development and transit nodes and a “fine-grained” network of pedestrian routes through the precinct itself.
Parsons said the precinct would be “highly permeable and rich in urban experience.”
A planned Sydney Metro station will be operational in the adjacent Crows Nest suburb in 2024, “creating more frequent services and greater rail connectivity to all corners of the city,” according to PTW director Alex Lim.
“The St Leonards of the future is going to be dramatically different, virtually unrecognizable to how it is today which is enormously exciting for Sydney’s lower north shore.”