Henning Larsen Architects has won an international competition to design a mixed-use tower on Sydney's waterfront, Australia. 

The new tower will include a 63,000-square-metre program atop a 10,000-square-metre public plinth, with traditional retail units, offices, and public program. 

The tower is described as "a new type of high-rise development" as it "mixes retail units, office, and public program into a unified, human centered environment".  

Image © MIR

The 73,000-square-metre project is designed for the redevelopment of Cockle Bay Park in central Sydney and rests at the heart of Sydney and is co-led by Australian real estate company The GPT Group and a global investment manager AMP Capital.

Offering "a shimmering" silhouette on the waterfront, the tower is composed of shifted volumes that create green public terraces on some levels. 

Image © MIR

Cockle Bay Park links Sydney’s CBD to the waterfront at Darling Harbour, covering an area over the Western Distributor freeway that currently acts as a barrier between the city center, the waterfront, and the thriving Pyrmont district. 

The "ground" level will comprise multiple uses; an expansive, state-of-the-art retail program sits alongside and is woven into an expansive public park that stretches from the elevated main level to the waterfront below. 

Image © MIR

Henning Larsen Architects integrates wide pedestrian paths to form a continuous public path through the development, and to serve as the link between the shops, restaurants, and bars on site. 

"We are incredibly proud to have won this important design competition in the heart of Sydney,” says Henning Larsen Partner Viggo Haremst. 

"And excited by the opportunity to design a destination that is distinctly human-scaled while also offering world-class retail, office, and public space. Sydney is unique in how it entwines a friendly, local community atmosphere within a cosmopolitan city – we see Cockle Bay Park as an opportunity to reflect this and to emphasize the best of what Sydney can be."

Cockle Bay Park focuses on the eye-level experience of the development’s two scales: the city scale, where the tower joins the skyline, and the village scale, where people move between the city center and the waterfront. 

Cockle Bay Park’s unbroken silhouette slips seamlessly among the towers of Sydney’s CBD, breaking down into more human-scaled pieces as it reaches the public and retail spaces at the ground level. 

This interplay of scales is respectful of both Sydney’s urban fabric and the diverse community of people it is designed for.

"We are constantly inspired by how buildings can facilitate the unexpected, fostering experiences that speak to the idea of a true urban destination," said Haremst. 

"I believe our design for Cockle Bay Park will set a new standard for high-rise development, one where the interface between public and commercial realm link to create a strong sense of community."

Henning Larsen worked with partners such as landscape architects McGregor Coxall, retail & mixed-use strategist company geoffreything in the concept design stage. 

Henning Larsen’s scheme was chosen from six shortlisted designs by UN Studio, Cox Architecture, Woods Bagot, Grimshaw, FJMT, and Wilkinson Eyre. 

Top image © MIR 

All images courtesy of Henning Larsen Architects unless otherwise stated. 

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