DARLING HARBOUR - #PROPOSED: Sydney International Convention, Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct

[upwards]

Thats an awesome list Cul.
Lets hope that we get it all with no height reductions

[Westonian]

THat whole area between George St and Haymarket/Sussex is the pitts. I can't wait for it to be fixed up properly.

I'm a firm believer that the block that is bound by George/Sussex/Goulburn streets could be 235m. It is all crumbling low-rise at the moment and is screaming for a new development that could completely open up the area. Maybe have a few towers with opened up avenues and melbourne-style alleyways that connect George St to Sussex/Chinatown

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

Originally Posted by CULWULLA

all the new highrise look short?

lets get a list going for new skyscrapers-
12 new skyscrapers!!!!!
green resi tower 40fl/140m?
smaller green resi-20fl/70m
2 x15fl resi (near power house) 50m
2x 30fl resi (site of ent cent) 100m?
2x 15fl resi (site of ent cent) 50m?
35fl/130m ICC hotel
25fl/90m ICC hotel
not included in proposal-
20fl/94m Ribbon complex
25fl/93m Four seasons hotel ext

So we have potentially 4 x new 100m+ towers.

[upwards]

The precinct will have three key areas:

 Bayside – including the new International Convention
Centre Sydney (ICC) and a hotel complex

 Darling Central – featuring the ICC Exhibition Centre
and multi-function entertainment centre (or Theatre)

 The Haymarket – a vibrant and edgy new
neighbourhood with a mix of shops, cafes and
restaurants, plus a focus on the high-tech industry and
start-up businesses.

I was surprised that the new theater is now in Darling central and not The Haymarket area as it was before.

But it is a great decision.

The 8000 seats of the theater will also be part of the convention center plenary space. So much closer to hotel etc.

Chinatown and Market city etc will benefit greatly with all of the new residential in The Haymarket. It is right on top of them so a great incentive to change.


I m reposting this view so we dont have to skip back a couple of pages.


image hosted on flickr

[Mornnb]

Originally Posted by Westonian

THat whole area between George St and Haymarket/Sussex is the pitts. I can't wait for it to be fixed up properly.

I'm a firm believer that the block that is bound by George/Sussex/Goulburn streets could be 235m. It is all crumbling low-rise at the moment and is screaming for a new development that could completely open up the area. Maybe have a few towers with opened up avenues and melbourne-style alleyways that connect George St to Sussex/Chinatown

True but this area is Chinatown. And everything west of Sussex Street can't really be high rise if the Dixon Street area of Chinatown is to be retained.

[Mornnb]

Originally Posted by shabangabang

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/1-billion-...211-2b6t0.html

Originally Posted by CULWULLA

all the new highrise look short?

lets get a list going for new skyscrapers-
12 new skyscrapers!!!!!
green resi tower 40fl/140m?
smaller green resi-20fl/70m
2 x15fl resi (near power house) 50m
2x 30fl resi (site of ent cent) 100m?
2x 15fl resi (site of ent cent) 50m?
35fl/130m ICC hotel
25fl/90m ICC hotel
not included in proposal-
20fl/94m Ribbon complex
25fl/93m Four seasons hotel ext

The green one looks nearly as tall as the 153m Peak Apartments, so about 140m is probably right. At least the Peak will no longer be the lone tower in Chinatown!

[upwards]

Here are larger views from south and west. The green one is actually yellow color coded!!
Probably not quite as tall as the peak


image hosted on flickr




image hosted on flickr

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

Great work upwards love both views, and particularly like the fact that LL slotted in Barangaroo as is currently planned in that first render. Wonder if the state sees King Street Wharf as a lost opportunity? Anyway, love to see them update this view when the Crown envelope is locked in.

I wonder how much negativity about process, public land and ''excessive development'' will be in the SMH tomorrow? And I wonder how much of this concept (including current heights and renders) will be watered down?

[Brizer]

Is it time to spare a thought for Clover & the CofS planning dept height & creative design averse nervous nellies who must be having serial apoplexy at these plans & as it's a state govt initiative, they won't be able to do anything about it?

Will they?

5 mins later: just checked the comments to the article in the SMH: you guessed it, Dubai & Shanghai are cited. Those making negative comments clearly have ideas about architecture that could most kindly be called 'quaintly ignorant' and have no idea of who the architects are, their achievements & reputation.
Seems like a couple of 'forumers' got in early, but more need to do so.
One dill was supporting the rights of the owners of that appalling '90s Meriton complex on Bathurst & Sussex (?) to protest about having their views blocked, but it's a bit late as the Commonwealth Bank/Darling Quarter complex is there already, not this project. What should happen is that Meriton monster be demolished instead.

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

They didn't exactly fight tooth and nail against Barangaroo. Sure they were vocal critics and all, but it didn't really get them anywhere. Changes to the hotel location were due to a change in State Government, and other than that the height and shape of the other buildings didn't really change.

This redevelopment goes against what council wants (i.e. relocate the convention and exhibition facilities to the Central Station airspace) and it goes against the ''traditional'' of lowrise buildings in Darling Harbour. So no doubt CloMo will have a whinge.

If the government is breaking down traditional planning measures for Barangaroo, Darling Harbour (and Central Park), imagine what we could get at Central Station!

[Brizer]

You've forgotten, Sky, how fiercely Clover and almost the entire CofS council fought against Barangaroo. They organised protests, lobbied the govt., provided funds for the protest campaigns despite the small numbers actually involved. Clover removed herself from the Barangaroo advisory board under huge pressure from the other councillors. Once she'd done that she became very vocal against the project.
Remember the carryon about Darling Harbour east side cafés, etc., being cast into eternal shadow campaign?
Even the Liberal councillor campaigned against it (for shoddy political reasons). I think only 1 councillor didn't join the baying for blood, lead us to the past campaign.

[Dimethyltryptamine]

Love the white hotels

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

As expected, didn't take the Sydney Misery Herald long. Rather than running with the factual story, they go with this lead on their website.

Do check the link though, it has an interesting interactive diagram that breaks down the development (objectively).

Demolishing exhibition centre 'an act of vandalism'
December 12, 2012
Nicole Hasham, Leesha McKenny

THE architects behind the award-winning exhibition centre at Darling Harbour say the building could be retained, describing its planned demolition as ''a great tragedy for architecture''.

The building, opened in 1988 for the bicentenary, won the coveted Sulman Medal for public architecture. Under the proposal, the exhibition centre will be demolished, along with the bayside convention centre. The parkside convention centre will be upgraded and built into the new design, as will the car park of the existing exhibition halls.

The firm behind the exhibition centre, Cox Richardson, prepared a report into the building's significance earlier this year. It described the centre as ''an excellent example of 1980s steel architecture'' which played a key social role in the city, such as hosting events during the Sydney Olympics.

The architect Philip Cox, the building's key designer, described the demolition as unnecessary and ''an act of vandalism'', adding ''early examination of the proposal suggests the building can be retained''.

John Richardson, the project director for Cox Richardson, said its demolition was ''a serious blow'' for 20th century architecture. ''From our point of view, it's a disaster, because it's one of the best buildings we've done,'' he said.

Other buildings from the same period were also being knocked down, he said, citing Ken Woolley's State Office Block, which was demolished to make way for Aurora Place in Phillip Street.

A spokesman for the Premier, Barry O'Farrrell, said the exhibition centre had ''served Sydney well, but it's now time to give the industry what it needs for the future''. He said the original plan was to retain the existing buildings and build a multifunction building but that idea was rejected because it would not have delivered ''the world-class facilities that Sydney deserves as a global city''.

The national president-elect for the Australian Institute of Architects, Paul Berkemeier, said it was a pity that some of the area's great buildings would be lost, and ironic that the one in most need of reinvention - the Harbourside Festival Marketplace - was being retained.

But the project's architects, Hassell with OMA, were ''top notch'' he said, describing the proposal as ''encouraging''.

''[It's] too early to say, but the team has the potential to do something very good,'' he said.

The chairman of Infrastructure NSW, Nick Greiner, who warned last year that Sydney should not expect the redevelopment to include a ''great'' building, said the proposed International Convention Centre Sydney was exciting and affordable.

''It's not a Guggenheim but it's not a four-square [block],'' he said. ''It's a sensible middle ground, it's what you expect.''

But architect Philip Thalis, of Hill Thalis - who won the initial design Barangaroo competition but failed to secure the design implementation - criticised the lack of detail. ''No holistic plan has been released, just a selective crop of perspective views,'' he said. ''Again in NSW, we get planning by press release, instead of by public policy or real planning.''

http://smh.domain.com.au/architects/...211-2b7ws.html

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

Here is a much more factual and objective article. Too bad its in the small print on the website

Darling Harbour born again
December 12, 2012
Leesha McKenny, Nicole Hasham

ALMOST 25 years after its reopening for the bicentennial, Darling Harbour will be dug up again to make way for Australia's largest convention and exhibition space as part of a billion-dollar facelift.

The overhaul will be bookended by a 900-room hotel on the northern end of the precinct, plus shops, offices and hundreds of apartments in a new urban neighbourhood dubbed ''The Haymarket'' to its south.

Under two separate agreements for these areas, covering more than a quarter of the 20-hectare site, Lend Lease will pay the government an undisclosed sum - with a final expected value of $1.5 billion.

Infrastructure NSW, which is running the entire process, will enter into detailed negotiations with the preferred bidder for the public facilities, the Destination Sydney consortium - comprising Lend Lease, AEG Ogden, Capella Capital and Spotless.

To be finalised by the middle of next year, the contract for the O'Farrell government's first public-private partnership will require Destination Sydney to build the convention, exhibition and entertainment facilities and maintain and operate the sites for 25 years.

The redevelopment of the venues, announced on Tuesday, including public domain upgrades, is expected to cost about $1 billion.

INSW's chief executive, Paul Broad, said the state government would make an annual payment of ''less than $100 million'' for each year of the 25-year concession once the facilities were completed.

The agreements with Lend Lease come despite a court battle between the company and the state government's Barangaroo Delivery Authority over the nearby Barangaroo South development, which could leave taxpayers millions of dollars out of pocket. (See story below).

Destination Sydney's bid beat the VeNuSW consortium of Plenary Group, Brookfield Multiplex and Sydney Place Management. The plans were assessed on price and criteria such as the development of a precinct master plan and business plan, design and delivery strategy.

The Premier, Barry O'Farrell, said the redevelopment, stretching from Cockle Bay to Haymarket and Ultimo, would deliver a $5 billion economic benefit to NSW over the life of the deal.

''Along with the development of Barangaroo, this project will transform the western fringe of Sydney's central business district and is the biggest and most exciting change to Darling Harbour in 25 years,'' he said.

"This plan fulfils a key election commitment and will create jobs for 1600 people during the three-year construction, which starts at the end of 2013, and provide ongoing employment for 4000 people across the precinct."

The new convention centre would have the capacity to accommodate more than 12,000 people across several dedicated spaces - including Sydney's largest ballroom, with room for 2000 people.

At 40,000 square metres, the site's total exhibition space would outstrip the 30,000 sqm available in Melbourne. The ''biggest total meeting room space in Australia'', at 8000 sqm across 42 rooms, would link the convention and exhibition areas.

An extra hectare of public space will be ''renewed and upgraded'' to deliver an expanded Tumbalong Park that could accommodate an outdoor event for up to 25,000 people.

All facilities will have free wireless connections, and there will be free wi-fi hotspots throughout the public open space.

Pedestrian links will be improved to connect Central, Chinatown and Cockle Bay Wharf, as well as Ultimo, Pyrmont and the city.

The Haymarket would contain up to 1400 apartments, plus accommodation for 1000 students, high-tech businesses, shops, cafes and restaurants.

''This development creates a cosmopolitan neighbourhood in the heart of the city at The Haymarket that is humming with life, seven days a week,'' Mr O'Farrell said.

To be opened in stages from the 2020s, the new neighbourhood would be built on land now occupied by the Sydney Entertainment Centre and its car park, which will be closed from December 2015.

The existing convention centre will close in December next year, and the new facilities are due to open in December 2016.

A temporary exhibition space will be built on Glebe Island. Five groups have submitted tenders to design, build, operate and remove the interim facility, which will host events while the redevelopment is under way.

The government says Darling Harbour will stay ''open for business'' during the three-year construction period.

The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority will work with the developers and retailers to keep the tourist precinct ''active''.

It has formed a partnership with core Darling Harbour tenants, including IMAX, Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, the Harbourside shopping centre, Cockle Bay Wharf and Darling Quarter.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/darling-ha...#ixzz2EkVQyQBT

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

The Daily Telegraph has run a positive article, though they need to check some of their facts. They've put the taller hotel at 122m.

Sydney's new $1 billion shining light
Alicia Wood The Daily Telegraph December 12, 2012 12:00AM

IT will be the Harbour City's dazzling entertainment gateway: A $1 billion development to create the jewel in Sydney's crown.Yesterday the state government revealed its vision for revamping Darling Harbour, home to Australia's largest exhibition space, a 900-room hotel and an entertainment venue.

Over the next four years, the existing entertainment centre and convention centre will be replaced with a world-class, 40,000sq m convention centre - almost double its size.

There will be up to 1300 apartments by the hotel; the hotel will tower 122m, or 35 storeys, over the harbour.

Premier Barry O'Farrell pledged the makeover would be completed within four years. It is forecast to generate up to $200 million a year, or $5 billion over 25 years, for the NSW coffers.

The Sydney Entertainment Centre - which can fit 10,000 people in concert mode or 12,000 in sports mode - will be replaced by an 8000-seat venue.

Mr O'Farrell said the project was long overdue.

"The lack of convention and exhibition facilities in this city was costing us the equivalent of the benefits of a world cup every year," Mr O'Farrell said.
Plans released yesterday show the hotel complex would include "two hotels in one", sharing facilities but ranging in price from premium to "mid-range".

Mr O'Farrell reiterated his concern that Sydney was well short of hotel rooms, a fact used to spruik another major development: James Packer's proposed Crown complex at Barangaroo.

The last big hotel to open in Sydney was the Star, in 2000.

"This (hotel at Darling Harbour) will add more hotel rooms to an area that needs it," Mr O'Farrell said.

"The one hotel that has been built since 2000 is, in fact, at Star City, so they understand the need for more accommodation space, we understand the need for more accommodation space."He denied the plan was evidence of further bad blood between the government and Star's owners, Echo Entertainment.

Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner called the plan a "once in a generation redevelopment of the CBD of Sydney".

Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive John Lee said the redevelopment would markedly increase visitor numbers and boost the economy.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new...-1226534867182

[CULWULLA]

122m sounds good. I was close

[Fabian]

Originally Posted by PGBSYD

OMG expect a ferocious reaction from the NIMBY's over this.

I bet the Novotel is ecstatic as well. Looks like they will lose most of their views?

And the NIMBY's will come from neighbourhoods where the development will have no impact on their lives. They cannot do anything because Infrastructure NSW, not the council is responsible for this.

[Fabian]

Ten News Report (11/12/2012)

[CULWULLA]

the taller hotel will be 122m/400ft while smaller one ive estimated at 80m.
image hosted on flickr

[CULWULLA]

REVISED
lets get a list going for new skyscrapers-
12 new skyscrapers!!!!!
green resi tower 40fl/130m?
smaller green resi-20fl/70m
2 x15fl resi (near power house) 50m
2x 30fl resi (site of ent cent) 90m?
2x 15fl resi (site of ent cent) 50m?
35fl/122m ICC hotel
25fl/80m ICC hotel
not included in proposal-
20fl/94m Ribbon complex
25fl/93m Four seasons hotel ext
-----------------------
IN ORDER
green resi tower-130m
icc hotel-122m
ribbon compelx-94m
four seasons-93m
2xresi-90m
icc hotel2-80m
green resi-70m
2x15st res-50m
2x15st resi-50m