Colossus of Rhodes
A dramatic sculptural response to the Rhodes peninsula site.
Introduction
Drawing from the classical Greek island Rhodes, the statue of Colossus was enlisted to eponymize this project. We imagine him holding the corner of the upper tower, allowing the sun to shine through.
Project
Colossus of Rhodes
Date
2023
Site area
2,917 sqm
Location
Rhodes, NSW
Residential GFA
19,265 sqm
Non-residential GFA
3,780 sqm
Apartments
215
Indigenous Country
Wann-gal
Use
Residential, Retail, Commercial
Located in the urban centre of the Rhodes peninsula, Colossus is positioned between two shopping centres – Rhodes Central and Rhodes Waterside. Drawing from the classical Greek island Rhodes, the statue of Colossus was enlisted to eponymize the project.
Due to a solar access plane to a plaza southeast of the site, the conventional rectangular form of the tower is disrupted by a triangular middle. We imagined Colossus holding the corner of the upper tower, allowing the sun to shine through. An ingenious structural system supports the cantilever.
Boutique ground floor retail tenancies and outdoor dining areas link into the adjoining shopping centre, complemented by catenary lighting and public art pieces to enhance the public domain. The upper podium contains two commercial levels, with outdoor spaces for enhanced workplace amenity. In the residential towers, all apartments enjoy views over Parramatta River to the city skyline or to the distance mountains.
Materials were selected for their inherit textures, colours, and longevity. The earthy tones drew reference to the history of the area, long before Colossus, where the river flowed beside the Cumberland woodland.
