Curtain Raised on New Sydney Tower Concept

It won’t exactly lift the roof off Sydney’s State Theatre but a new concept proposal has been filed for a 33-storey, mixed-use tower rising above the heritage-listed building. 

The tower is earmarked for a 4160sq m holding owned by cinema giant Greater Union Organisation, a subsidiary of ASX-listed Event Hospitality and Entertainment. 

Four existing buildings occupy the prominent CBD corner site spanning 452-472 George Street and 49-51 Market Street. 

Demolition of two of the buildings—a part-two, part-three-storey building at 458-462 George Street dating from 1914 and the six-storey 1920s Dudley House at 468-472 George Street—already has been approved. 

The other buildings—both heritage-listed—will be retained. They include 49-51 Market Street, which is occupied by the State Theatre building dating back to 1929; and the 14-storey Gowings building, now occupied by QT Hotel, part of Event’s hospitality portfolio, at 452-456 George Street. 

“The tower is proposed to be located in the air space above all of the properties comprising the site,” the filed documents said. 

To be constructed at an estimated cost of more than $291 million, concept approval is being sought for the building envelope and land uses to facilitate a competitive design competition. 

The proposal has been lodged with the City of Sydney Council with a reference design by Candalepas Associates “to indicate what could potentially be achieved under a competitive design process”. 

It comprises 32,602sq m of commercial space (62 per cent), a 16,822sq m (32 per cent) hotel component and 3366sq m (6 per cent) back-of-house theatre area as well as four basement levels.

▲ Concept plans have been lodged for a 33-storey mixed-use tower rising above Sydney's heritage-listed State Theatre building on a 4160sq m holding owned by cinema giant Greater Union Organisation.

According to the plans, the tower will sit above a podium that will replace the two yet-to-be-demolished buildings at 458 to 472 George Street. 

“The proposed podium includes back-of-house facilities, upgrades of the State Theatre fire escapes to comply with the current BCA, a dedicated loading dock for the State Theatre at the basement level, retail at ground level, hotel and conference facilities integrated into the existing QT Hotel and commercial office uses in the tower,” the documents said. 

The application also highlighted that there were several heritage items in the immediate vicinity of the site including the Queen Victoria Building and the former Crystal Hotel at 432–450 George Street. 

“The proposed building envelope is noted to be visible above both the State Theatre and Gowings building when distantly viewed,” a submitted heritage impact statement said. 

But it indicated the impact was "effectively minimised" by the use of substantial setbacks to George and Market streets, the tower’s form being “vertically separated from the heritage items providing a buffer of airspace” and the fact that it was set against the area's existing high-rise character.

▲ Inside the heritage-listed State Theatre.

“The detailed development process will allow for an even greater potential for the ultimate design to respond to heritage items and the surrounding streetscape character,” it said. 

It also concluded there would be no material impact to the heritage value of the proposed tower site but rather “the holistic response to the properties under common ownership has considerable heritage benefit”. 

“The impacts of these modifications are, on balance, positive for the long-term heritage conservation of the State Theatre,” it said. 

“[And] the extension of the QT Hotel into the proposed podium will support the continued operation of the hotel. This has a heritage benefit to the Gowings building of facilitating its ongoing conservation. 

“Parlour Lane [a private through link bisecting the site] is also retained and provides the opportunity for increased public access and heritage interpretation.”