The Urban Developer
AdvertiseEventsWebinarsUrbanity
Industry Excellence
Urban Leader
Sign In
Membership
Latest
Menu
Location
Sector
Category
Content
Type
Newsletters
Urban Leader Awards Logos RGB White
NOMINATIONS CLOSE SEPTEMBER 12 RECOGNISING THE INDIVIDUALS BEHIND THE PROJECTS
NOMINATIONS CLOSING SEPTEMBER 12 URBAN LEADER AWARDS
LEARN MOREDETAILS
TheUrbanDeveloper
Follow
About
About Us
Membership
Awards
Events
Webinars
Listings
Resources
Terms & Conditions
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Republishing Guidelines
Editorial Charter
Complaints Handling Policy
Contact
General Enquiries
Advertise
Contribution Enquiry
Project Submission
Membership Enquiry
Newsletter
Stay up to date and with the latest news, projects, deals and features.
Subscribe
RetailStaff WriterFri 20 Oct 17

Architect Lodges Development Application for Micro Hotel in Surry Hills

TUD+ MEMBER CONTENT
Screen-Shot-2017-10-12-at-3
SHARE
1
print
Print

Acting as both architect and developer, Aplus Design Group have lodged a development application to the City of Sydney for a "micro" hotel on a 97 square metre site in Surry Hills.

The current building at 109 Foveaux Street had been used primarily for commercial purposes, but Aplus plan to replace it with a seven-storey micro-hotel, which will feature 12 rooms, an internal public courtyard and rooftop lounge area.

Aplus chief executive Tony Leung said that there's a real opportunity within Sydney for a flourishing micro-hotel market following major upgrades to tourist infrastructure and the attraction of new business to the city.

"There has been a major lack of supply in terms of boutique hotels around the 3.5 to 4 star range. This is partly because a lot of focus has traditionally been on those higher end products." he said. 

According to Leung, due to an increasing focus on tourism in Sydney there is now a much greater appeal towards attracting a wider range of travellers, resulting in a push from the Sydney Council to promote more 3-4 star boutique hotel development.  

Yet he believes this drive to create better and more diverse long term accommodation that supports Sydney's growing tourism market must be driven by the architect and developer first.  

"Each of us within our cities have a responsibility to make them better places, particularly as architects and developers we need to think forward with a longer vision. We should be thinking less about the short term gain and more about what we can provide the city and, in doing so provide assets that actually create a better urban environment." he said. 

Whilst Leung admits the scale of the site and approximate five metre street frontage are extremely challenging, he believes the opportunity that arises from being in close proximity to Australia's largest train station more than balances out the equation.

With access to Central Railway Station within less than 300 metres and the site surrounded by Surry Hills’ main retail and commercial services, Aplus saw potential in redeveloping 109 Foveaux Street into a modern hotel.

“The site is currently underdeveloped and has potential to achieve a greater use and capacity."

Where the hotel is located is on the fringe of the city in Surry Hills which typically has a lot of terrace style housing and AirBnb options yet there is a growing market for boutique hotels. This has informed the long term view towards the Surry Hills site.

existing-site.jpg


Leung said it would be difficult to find someone to commit to operating an 11 or 12-room hotel.

"We took on the aspiration that as owners of the asset it was a way to share our personal passion and love that we share for the city." 

We see [the hotel] as an investment for long term growth and not entirely driven by short term financial success. It's more about overlaying the right mix and the right product in the right location." he said.

With a much simpler building mix a larger emphasis can be placed on the efficiency and design of the product, which is the approach Aplus have taken towards the development.

It's about creating a product that melds into the surrounding context which, by their admission, is much easier to do with boutique hotel development.

"We see a hotel as part of the placemaking strategy of the city, as opposed to the individual experience you may gain by utilising a service like AirBnb. It's about using the site as part of the city and making friends with the neighbouring business, so effectively our hotel is a part of Surry Hills rather than just being located there."

HotelAustraliaConstructionArchitectureConstructionSector
AUTHOR
Staff Writer
"TheUrbanDeveloper.com is committed to delivering the latest news, reviews, opinions and insights into the best of urban development from Australia and around the world. "
More articles by this author
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORIES
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
4 Min
Woolloongabba Precinct Vulture St
Exclusive

Brisbane Developer in Cross River Rail Compensation Tussle

Clare Burnett
4 Min
The Mondrian Gold Coast hotel's food and beverage is driving profits
Exclusive

Touch, Taste, Theatre: What’s Driving Mondrian’s Success

Renee McKeown
6 Min
Fortis’ display suites are designed as brand environments first, with tactile details and curated design to build buyer confidence before project specifics.
Exclusive

Relevant or Redundant: Will Tech Kill Display Suites?

Vanessa Croll
7 Min
Exclusive

Missing Heart: Why The Gold Coast Needs a CBD

Phil Bartsch
7 Min
View All >
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
Aerial view of Caboolture and Bruce highway to Brisbane with Bribie Island Road crossing, Queensland, Australia
Policy

Queensland’s $2bn Push Opens New Housing Front

Vanessa Croll
The Adelaide purpose built student accommodation market is about to increase by 1058 beds with the State Commission Assessment Panel supporting two towers in the making.
Student Housing

Highrise Approvals Add 1000-Plus PBSA Beds in Adelaide

Renee McKeown
The two towers, of 35 and 34 storeys, help cement the SA capital’s growing status as the best place in Australia for the…
LATEST
Stockland bumps up its apartment pipeline in melbourne and sydney
Exclusive

Stockland Re-Enters Density in $5bn Apartment Play

Renee McKeown
4 Min
Aerial view of Caboolture and Bruce highway to Brisbane with Bribie Island Road crossing, Queensland, Australia
Policy

Queensland’s $2bn Push Opens New Housing Front

Vanessa Croll
2 Min
The Adelaide purpose built student accommodation market is about to increase by 1058 beds with the State Commission Assessment Panel supporting two towers in the making.
Student Housing

Highrise Approvals Add 1000-Plus PBSA Beds in Adelaide

Renee McKeown
3 Min
South Melbourne social housing precinct
Affordable & Social Housing

South Melbourne Housing Precinct Revamp Takes Next Step

Leon Della Bosca
2 Min
View All >
ADVERTISEMENT
Article originally posted at: https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/aplus-design-group-plans-slender-hotel-surry-hills