Three Petals: Barangaroo
ONE BARANGAROO
Pecking order
One Barangaroo is Sydney’s tallest skyscraper (275 metres).
The Sydney Eye Tower is in fact greater in height (310 metres) but is not a skyscraper.
Although One Barangaroo is Sydney’s largest skyscaper it is only the 4th tallest skyscaper in Australia. The largest is located on the Gold Coast, and positions 2 & 3 are held by buildings in Melbourne.
What’s in it
One Barangaroo is a 75 level mixed use venue containing a luxury resort with 349 hotel rooms and suites, 76 luxury residential apartments, retail shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and a casino.
Design concept
One Barangaroo was designed by a firm of Brittish architects, WilkinsonEyre, after winning an international design competition in 2013.
The brief was for a building that would create a landmark design of high quality, which would reflect Sydney’s vibrancy, relationship with water and its role as an international city.
Wilkinson Eyre’s design narrative is based on the concept of three petals. Two petals twist towards the sky whilst the third petal peeled off to the side and provides the bulk of the hotel accommodation.
When I look at One Barangaroo the concept of petals does not really hit me.
If the different sections are comparable to petals they are indeed very long petals. It is only after looking at early sketches that the idea begins to make more sense.
Features
What I do like about the building is as much as what it is not as what it is. It is not your standard rectangular skyscraper and the architect has gone to great lengths to avoid right angles.
Instead there are many turns, twists and curves.
If you walk around the building from street level it is not an easy shape to take in or describe.
One Barangaroo is an imposing building and by not being capable of simple definition it keeps you observing and guessing.
The provision of many discrete balconies for the apartments and the fact that the building narrows as it reaches its peak are both attractive features.
Who doesn’t like balcony access to fresh air in a high rise apartment.
When you look up from ground level it is noticeable that the balconies are aligned to compliment the buildings spiraling curves.
By narrowing the building as it approaches its pinnacle One Barangaroo does not overwhelm the surrounding environment.
The progressive drop in height of the completed next door buildings (One Sydney Harbour and International Towers) works well when you see One Barangaroo in the setting of other buildings in Barangaroo South.
This feature is particularly noticeable from a vehicle driving south on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The buildings drop in a relatively sequential line to the east.
If you look at the building from the north west side the shape of the podium resembles the bow of a ship, (see photograph 5 below ).
The external glass provides for different reflections throughout the day depending upon the time and weather.
It can certainly sparkle in the afternoon when you look at it from the west as you drive into the city.
A visit to One Barangaroo is one of many places that are available to visit on Sydney Nimble’s Custom itinerary tour.
under construction 2019
a sleek finished product - other nearby buildings include One Sydney Harbour, International Towers and Barangaroo House
looking up from the front
sculpture in front of the hotel foyer
the bow of a boat?
the building sits above an expansive four level podium
curves, turns and twists
One Barangaroo in the distance with the soon to open Barangaroo metro station in the foreground