Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

“The idea was to create a sculptural form that rises up on the skyline like an inhabited artwork with different levels of transparency,” states Chris Wilkinson of London-based WilkinsonEyre.

“An elegant structural form, the building takes full advantage of the panoramic views of Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and the relationship with its special Darling Harbour site.” 

“The way a tower reaches the sky is important to me—in the past, you would find the plant on the upper levels but, with this building, the petals twist and turn as the building rises up to the sky. Equally important is how the building meets the ground–one petal extends to the ground providing a continuous line down the west elevation of the building, which is pretty unique.”

Led by Chris Wilkinson and Bates Smart and their team at WilkinsonEyre following an international design competition in 2013, Crown Sydney at One Barangaroo is located on the waterfront in a newly regenerated site on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour. 

Exotic landscaping is by St Legere Design International with interiors by Meyer Davis. 

The 275-meter tower and podium which marks the northwest corner of the city’s main Central Business District comprise a luxury resort hotel with 349 hotel rooms and suites, waterfront restaurants, cafés, bars, and high-end shops, together with 76 luxury residential apartments above.

Conceived as an inhabited sculpture, the tower form draws inspiration from nature, with three petals that twist as they rise up from the ground and podium. 

One peels off at mid-level to create the main hotel accommodation while the other two continue up to form the residential accommodation in the tower.

A four-story podium with perimeter terraces is overlaid with a veil of marble sections that arch informally and are reminiscent of Gothic stone tracery, providing some shade to the terraces beneath and a touch of visual lightness to the podium.

At the lower levels, the podium responds to its spectacular waterfront location and adjacent newly regenerated public spaces, with four entrances making strong connections and encouraging permeability. 

Guests arrive through a dramatic, triple-height porte-cochère enclosed by glass blades and verdant planting that frames the main entrances to the hotel and residences. 

The monolithic, undulating soffit guides the eye in towards the reception as it transitions seamlessly to the lobby ceiling. 

Feature lighting on the planting, sculptures, and water bounce shadows and shimmering caustics onto the soffit creating a changing environment throughout the day. 

Upon entering the lobby, a dramatic staircase curves up to the fourth floor creating a spherical void. 

Continuing the idea of an inhabited artwork, the geometry of the stair is tuned to allow light to filter down from the top, physically and visually connecting all four levels.

On top of the podium are two sky terraces each with infinity pools overlooking the harbor together with tennis courts, gyms, an outdoor wedding pavilion, ballroom, cafés, bars, and restaurants which include Nobu by internationally renowned chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa and Michelin Star restauranteur Clare Smyth’s first Australian restaurant. 

Crown Spa inspired by the Sydney Harbour is designed by interior design studio Blainey North.

The waterfront cafés, bars, and restaurants sit in exotic landscaping under glazed Voronoi canopies, taking advantage of the harbor views. 

The interiors for all public spaces, hotel rooms and suites, residences, and the majority of amenity spaces are designed by international design studio Meyer Davis. 

Featuring an array of high-end materials and custom lighting fixtures, furniture, millwork, and carpets all designed by Meyer Davis, the interiors are wholly unique yet symbiotic with the architecture and natural surroundings of Sydney Harbour. 

The concentric nature of the building means that no two rooms are the same, which required a bespoke approach to each interior space. 

With an emphasis on impeccable attention to detail and natural materials, such as rare stones and marble, the interiors are inviting, refined, and provide each guest with a heightened luxury experience.

The tower which connects to the ground and podium is supported by a vertical core with outriggers that connect to concrete helical perimeter columns which follow the changing form of the building. 

The continuous curving highly insulated façade is made up of three different systems. 

This includes a triangulated system to deal with the tighter curves, while the main tower glazing consists of floor-to-floor rectangular panels of different widths that were cold-pressed into shape using the latest technology. 

The third glazing system enclosing the hotel room accommodation takes on a more traditional curtain walling system with projecting mullions. 

“The interiors of Crown Sydney were directly influenced by the majestic qualities of Sydney Harbour and the coastal lifestyle it represents, as well as Wilkinson Eyre’s intricate, twisting design for the scheme,” states Will Meyers of Meyer Davis.

“Our design philosophy for this building is rooted in an inspired sense of luxury and refined integration of interiors with the surrounding environment. We hope the end result is an incredible reflection of this distinct city and a world-class experience for Sydney locals as well as travelers from across the globe.”

Project: One Barangaroo
Architects: WilkinsonEyre
Lead Architects: Chris Wilkinson and Bates Smart 
Design Team: Conor Worth and Alex Kyriakidies
Interior Architects: Meyer Davis 
Landscape Architects: St Legere Design International
General Contractor: Lendlease Building
Client: Crown Resorts Limited
Photographers: Tom Roe and Lynton Crabb