In one of the most important and most visited sites in the city, close to the Opera House and Botanic Gardens at the southeast corner of Circular Quay in Sydney, a 20-storey building containing 104 apartments and 5 retail spaces now stands basking in widespread acclaim.
Developers Macrolink and Landream Australia have set a new benchmark for the design of their Opera Residences project in this unique location.
It is no exaggeration to say that Opera Residences is one of Sydney’s most prestigious residential towers, offering an unparalleled level of quality and amenity for residents, visitors, and the general public too.
The design team comprised Tzannes as the Lead Architect, Crone as the Executive Architect, and Make as the Interior Architect.
With a palette of stone, concrete, and glass, the distinctive and complex sculptural form of the building induces varied emotional responses when viewed from the diverse surrounding urban contexts of Circular Quay, the Opera House, Cahill Expressway, and the Botanic Gardens.
At its base, Opera Residences includes a grand colonnade that completes the public walkway at East Circular Quay.
With its three levels of retail and hospitality, it also invigorates a previously underutilised waterfront area that has been significantly enhanced through an integrated landscaping strategy comprising shaded public seating and trees.
The Tzannes design incorporated a grand public stairway through the retail area, providing a new link between Circular Quay and the Botanic Gardens.
This opened up the view between the two zones delivering an engaging experience for pedestrians.
Above the retail base is a section of apartments that forms an extension to the wall of East Circular Quay and Macquarie Street, on top of which is a lantern-like element of larger apartments that take full advantage of their position on the Harbour.
Rather than creating a building of sharp edges, Tzannes conceived Opera Residences as a fluid form in stone, concrete, and glass, which generates different responses and views when experienced from varying points.
From Macquarie Street, its understated character reflects the dignified residential address while its more public side on Circular Quay appears playful and extroverted.
And when seen from the Cahill Expressway, its softly folded glass facade gives the perception of speed.
Part of the Tzannes design of Opera Residences includes an expressed structural soffit that reinterprets the Opera House architect Utzon’s remarkable contribution to the architecture of Sydney.
In essence, Opera Residences is a dynamic and enduring building that enriches the public domain through improved streetscape; a grand address that helps create a cohesive identity for East Circular Quay.
Project Details
Site Area – 890 m2
Project Size – 13,309 m2 GFA
Building Levels – 20 + 6 basements
Construction Cost – $140m
Completion Date – October 2021
Project Team
Architecture
Tzannes (Lead Architect)
Tzannes is a Sydney-based studio for architecture, urban, and integrated design led by “Alec” Tzannes AM, an Australian architect and academic. The firm is renowned for its creative thinking and innovative, sustainable, and enduring architecture.
The Tsannes team for this project was extensive and included: Alec Tzannes, Ben Green, Luke Novotny, Kate Nason, Kimberley Merlino, Juliana Conceicao, Isabella Moran, Julia Duerr, Carl Holder, Jessie Spencer, Derek Chin, Georgina Blix, Amanda Roberts, Katharine Turner, Kevin Mak, Lyndsey Fitz-Gerald, and Miguel Gilarte.
CRONE (Executive Architect)
CRONE believes buildings can stimulate our senses, encouraging us to look up, breathe in and absorb our surroundings.
The CRONE team works across projects in Australia, Asia Pacific, China, The Middle East and the Indian sub- Continent delivering award-winning architecture to the global community.
Make (Interior Architect)
Founded in 2004 by Ken Shuttleworth, Make seeks to design the best places, spaces, and buildings in the world. The firm is a team of 150 spread across London, Hong Kong, and Sydney and provides architecture, interiors, and urban design services from concept to completion.
At Opera Residences, Make designed the interior architecture for all 104 apartments, private amenities, and a marketing suite.
Construction
Richard Crookes Constructions
RCC is a long-standing family-owned and -managed construction company with 700 staff operating across New South Wales, ACT, and Queensland.
Photography
Martin Mischkulnig
A pervading theme in Martin Mischkulnig’s work is that of situating people in their environments reaffirming their place in the world, this comes from a deep belief that people are shaped by their surroundings.
Of late his passion for architectural photography has brought him numerous prestigious commissions.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2021 Tzannes, CRONE, Make. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2021 Martin Mischkulnig. All Rights Reserved.
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