Koichi Takada Architects’ Sydney-based design ‘Arc by Crown Group’ has just won the ‘Award of Excellence ’ for the CTBUH 2020 Best Tall Building - under 100m category.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) announced the Award of Excellence Winners for the CTBUH 2020 Awards Program in Chicago last night Sydney time. The winning projects represent the very best tall buildings, urban contributions, technologies, and innovations emerging recently in cities around the world.
According to the brief for Arc, Koichi Takada Architects combined old and new styles to create a robust, arched brick podium surrounding a 26-storey glass and steel tower. Inspired by the curvilinear nature of Sydney Harbour and the brickwork in neighbouring buildings, the materials and details have a level of intricacy and authenticity that relates to Sydney’s past.
The development contains 135 apartments and 86 boutique serviced apartments, with eight shops at street level.
Arc’s ribcage rooftop was designed to provide residents with an opportunity to celebrate the great outdoor lifestyle that Sydney is famous for with a corresponding “challenges the business district’s surround flat-topped buildings,” say the architects.
The recognition caps off a wining year for the firm who recently won other accolades such as the Mixed Use Architecture category at the 2019 Architecture Masterprize, the Horbury Hunt Commercial Award at Think Brick Awards 2019 while also receiving the Special Honoree/Project of the Year at the 7th Annual Architizer A+Awards in New York.
"During the initial stages of the design competition, we were struck by the sites delicate heritage neighbourhood with heavy masonry characters. We carefully studied the proportions and materials of the arches used in Sydney and developed a design characterised by the presence of texture on the base, whilst the tower has a lighter, finer appearance," says Takada.
"We've been overwhelmed by the positive response to the traditional materials and methods used to contrast its surrounding contemporary city centre. Arc seems to resonate with people on an emotional level, the appreciation of hand-laid brick arches inviting the city in, people immediately connecting to the honest and natural use of materials and traditional construction processes," he adds.
Image: Koichi Takada Architects Arc by Crown Group. Photo by Martin Siegner.
