Bates Smart ™

Site 3, Sydney Olympic Park
Homebush, Sydney,

The built environment at Sydney Olympic Park is characterised by a tension between traditional urban planning imperatives and the construction and celebration of monumental sporting structures.

This competition winning design for two new residential towers with associated streetscape podium provides a sense of connection between the massive scale of sporting infrastructure and the human scale of life on the street.

The towers’ striking elliptical forms recall the iconic shapes of the nearby stadia but have been designed to sit alongside an existing rectangular high-rise building in a harmonious composition. The towers are linked by a low podium, comprising commercial office and retail tenancies that create a lively street frontage for residents and passers-by.

The floor plans’ elliptical geometry maximises views and access to sunlight for residents, while horizontal sun-shading bands that circle each tower vary in depth, providing greater protection to the north.

Vertical slots in the facades encourage natural airflow through the apartments and communal spaces, and the towers have been positioned to ensure that privacy and overshadowing requirements have been satisfied.