New $560m proposed towers inject nature back into the heart of Parramatta CBD
Sydney architecture and design practice Turner has won a design competition for Deicorp’s new $560m mixed-use development in Parramatta.
The project is poised to cater to Parramatta’s growing population, which is forecast to increase by almost 70% in the next 20 years.
The project will see more than 600 apartments, shops and workplaces, spread across two towers up to 44 storeys high, grace the city’s skyline.
Turner Director Stephen Cox says the development, located at 34 Hassall Street, packages the best things about the city into one project.
“When you think of Parramatta, you think of a dense urban centre, surrounded by parks, a river and public transport. This site and mixed-use development is really a microcosm of Parramatta and everything it has to offer,” Stephen says.
Putting residents, both current and future, at its very heart
Deicorp’s Executive Manager of Corporate Communications Rob Furolo says the design was unanimously selected as the preferred scheme by the expert panel.
“The judges complemented the Turner design for the superior permeability of the ground floor plane, and the ‘lyrical’ nature of the podium design,” Rob says.
The design features a raised podium, which unites the two towers and hosts an elevated courtyard garden. Meanwhile, the ground floor is ‘carved’ to create ample retail and hospitality frontages for commercial tenants and to activate the precinct. In the levels above, flexible workplace tenancies are planned, with other spaces designed for a fitness centre and medical practice.
Stephen says the design puts residents, both current and future, at its very heart.“New buildings can have a big impact on the street and existing residents. We were conscious not to close off views from the streets to the adjoining parkland, and we wanted to inject greenery into the very urban streetscape,” he says.
The architects intentionally designed the building to feel like a garden, to be a visceral experience.
“We wanted to create a park-like experience through the building and give visitors and residents the sense of being surrounded by a garden – from the wonderful fragrance to the change in the air that happens when you’re surrounded by plants.”
The theme of connecting to nature continues through the apartments, which are designed to direct views to nearby points of interest like the river and parkland.
Deicorp says the development’s close proximity to the park and transport hubs will benefit residents and the public alike.
“Deicorp is thrilled to be delivering this project in the beating heart of Parramatta – Sydney’s second CBD. And with its location right on the doorstep of the new Parramatta Light Rail and just a stone’s throw from the upcoming Metro and existing Parramatta Station, this project continues Deicorp’s focus on delivering great transport-connected developments,” Rob says.
“We look forward to continuing our great working relationship with the talented team at Turner to deliver another outstanding Deicorp project.”
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Turner has won a design competition for Deicorp’s new $560m mixed-use development in Parramatta.
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