Sydney Open is a weekend long celebration of architecture and exploring Sydney’s most inspiring and significant buildings and spaces. This year it seemed to be quite quiet with less people than previous years. However, I managed to bump into several people I knew – mainly ex-colleagues.
Sydney Open Day 2019
Sydney Open Day 2019: George Place
The newly completed George Place, owned by ISPT, is a large shared space uniting three buildings – 363 George Street, 345 George Street and the heritage-listed 24 York Street. George Place was designed by architects Fender Katsalidis in 2018, to upgrade the 1999 Denton Corker Marshall design and connect the three buildings.
Sydney Open Day 2019: Property Council House
Built in 1848 by the renowned Sydney architect Henry Robertson, this sandstone building with its granite columns and marble balustrades was the site of the first Savings Bank of New South Wales, which later became the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. When the bank sold the property in 1995, the building had been in continuous use for almost 150 years.
Sydney Open Day 2019: Arup
Global design and engineering practice Arup opens its new offices to Sydney Open for the second year in a row, this time inviting the public in for a rare glimpse at the specialty spaces inspiring them to redefine what is possible in the built environment. The offices are located in the CBD heritage pocket of Barrack Place, in one of Sydney’s few commercial buildings to open this year.
Sydney Open Day 2019: 1 Shelley Street
This striking commercial building in the King Street Wharf district is the purpose-designed home of the building’s sole tenant, Macquarie Group. Completed in February 2009, Macquarie’s brief to the architects Fitzpatrick + Partners was to develop an innovative and iconic landmark that would distinguish itself from surrounding buildings and establish benchmarks in sustainable design, while maintaining an efficient and functional working environment.
Sydney Open Day 2019: Baker McKenzie at One International Towers Sydney
The tallest of the three International Towers at Barangaroo, by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Tower One stands at 217 metres, and its 48 floors house a growing business community of blue-chip tenants.
Sydney Open Day 2019: KPMG at Tower Three International Towers Sydney
Designed by globally renowned architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, International Towers Sydney at Barangaroo South were developed and are owned by Lendlease International Towers Sydney Trust. The circular design of these three landmark towers means there are literally no ‘corner offices’. Together with its egalitarian interior layouts by Davenport Campbell, all staff at the KPMG offices in Tower 3 share access to the abundant natural light and sweeping views of harbour and city that these buildings are designed to capture.
Sydney Open Day 2019: Lendlease at Tower Three International Towers Sydney
Lendlease’s international headquarters is located at Barangaroo South. The contemporary interior design by Hassel promotes team-based working to deliver both improved productivity and healthier, happier employees.
Sydney Open Day 2019: The Bushell’s Building
The Bushells Building was built in 1924 as a seven-storey factory for Bushells Tea and designed by the prominent Sydney architecture firm Ross and Rowe. The factory housed innovative new tea-blending, packing and dispatch methods under one roof. It has local historical associations as its location in The Rocks provides evidence of the working history of the area.