12 Hassall Street

PTW has won the Design Excellence Competition for a new 60 storey tower at 12 Hassall Street in the Parramatta CBD, Burramatta-gal Country (a clan of the Darug people). The decision of the jury was unanimous.

In contrast to many neighbouring developments, this building is intended to be both tall and narrow, contributing an elegant vertical tower to the city precinct.

Green Star and Indigenous Design Principles

The proposed scheme is designed to achieve 5 Star Green Star. Based on PTW’s Reconciliation Action Plan, the design included an Indigenous Site Analysis in the early design stage and with the proposed provision of First Nation Public Art.

As a result, its form and materiality reflects the natural tones of Parramatta’s rich indigenous history and flora. It is intended to contrast with predominantly glazed/white buildings in the Parramatta CBD.

The facades present a different expression to the north and south. The northern expression, which features the “scar” articulation, responds to the curved horizontal dynamism of the river to the north. The southern streetscape facade, seen from the train when arriving into Parramatta CBD, presents a more textured urban expression. This consists of a strong masonry weave, having a vertical emphasis and ochre colours.

The expression of the northern half consists of a strong horizontal emphasis and more uniform colour palette to emphasise subtle formal changes from base to apex.

Form

The proposed building is characterised by a podium and tower typology, with a four storey street wall podium and a setback residential tower above. It is particularly visible from many key locations around the city and while its dramatic form at street level is analogous to the activity expected on the ground plane, this is in contrast with the tower, which rises with calm and serenity.

Communal open space has been provided on the podium and roof top levels. The roof top is the principal communal open space with an abundance of solar access and a diverse number of leisure and recreational spaces for different groups of people to use simultaneously. This includes lawns, BBQ areas, decking and seating areas.

Urban Heat Island Effect

The proposed scheme also aims to reduce and remove heat from the urban environment through solid facade surfaces, and where there is reflective fenestration, slabs have been projected 450mm outwards to north and west orientations.

This is enhanced by the integration of climate-resilient indigenous vegetation in the deep soil area and additional street trees in the public domain.