‘Brutal, Iconic, Difficult’: Sirius Building’s Next Chapter

Once a public housing complex, the Sirius building is now home to 75 apartments, including a two-storey penthouse with a pool and a $50-million price tag. The process of developing one of Sydney’s most beloved and dilapidated Brutalist buildings was not one for the faint-hearted—it is described as unique, overwhelming, iconic and difficult. The Habourside property at Cumberland St, The Rocks, was controversially sold by the NSW Government for $150 million to a private entity in 2019 to fund social housing for 630 people. The buyer, a former Macquarie banker, Jean-Dominique Huynh, has an obvious eye for older buildings in Sydney and getting a higher rate per square metre through adaptive reuse. ▲ The BVN redesign for Sirius uses copper-clad pods that echo the original modular design of the building by Tao Gofers while clearly distinguishing the new from old. Huynh’s next project will be the Sir Stamford Circular Quay, one of the most expensive single asset properties in the country, which he will likely move ahead with the same team. JDH Capital, BVN architects, project managers Dedico and builder Richard Crookes Constructions are getting ready to move on from the Sirius build this year as the new owners move in. This includes Dedico director John Green who spoke with The Urban Developer en route to his new company headquarters at Sirius, in one of the commercial pods on the ground floor. “I’m actually moving to Sirius because I bought one of those commercial blocks on Gloucester Walk,” Green says. “I was living with the project for six years and I just couldn’t let it go.” The space was not always so inviting, Green describes inspecting the property for the first time. “When you look at the old Gloucester Walk it was shocking you—wouldn’t walk through there,” Green says. “Sirius was extremely rundown. You had to look at it through cloudy glasses to visualise. “When we looked at the building and the shape of it, a lot of the apartments already had terraces and the view. All apartments could either have a balcony which we added or a terrace. “Not many sites like this come up very often or are able to be built. “The uniqueness of the project, it was a freehold site and obviously the location was the main thing. ▲ There was a public outcry to save Sirius at 2-60 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, when the building was expected to be demolished for 250 apartments. “Following the inspections of the building and thinking of what we would do, I thought, ‘OK we’ve got to get a really good bid together to win this ’ so I approached BVN.” The adaptive reuse of the building and use of copper to differentiate old and new, a through-site link and the public domain are what Green thinks secured the deal but there were challenges to come. “It was a difficult project, we were dealing with so many authorities,” Green says. “To do an adaptive reuse is a difficult process and it throws up a lot of uniqueness and individuality which, at the end of the day, is a good thing but to deliver and build is a lot more demanding. “Obviously we had Covid thrown in amongst all of it so there were quite a lot of challenges in the market at that time as well. “It looks great now, to have all those terraces, seven apartments have their own pool and the rooftop looking at the Harbour is spectacular.” Selling Sydney’s Star-namesake Sirius So far, 90 per cent of the project had been sold off the market with the remaining 10 per cent represented by three-bedroom apartments and the $50-million penthouse. The 450sq m apartment across two levels has a pool, three carparking spaces and a hefty price tag. ▲ The Sirius apartments are as close as it gets to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House with the penthouse expected to fetch a super-prime price. CBRE/Stewart Residential director Ben Stewart says a lot has happened since first hitting the market. “I’ve been involved since day one and we first started selling in May 2020, first release off-the-plan,” Stewart says. “We’re just selling the remaining 10 per cent at the moment. “The penthouse is an absolute trophy property; it feels like you’re touching the bridge and the Opera House. “The penthouse, super-prime market is very strong, supported by these luxury homes that are selling. “The volume’s not high but there’s definitely buyers for these A-grade properties and the stuff that can ’ t be repeated again.” The nitty-gritty of building on history Richard Crookes Construction senior project engineer Morgan Shanks says when she stepped onsite for the first time there was a mix of emotions. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn ’ t a little overwhelmed by what I could see would be a complex construction journey ahead,” Shanks says. “I was also very excited to be a part of such a significant project that I knew would require innovative design solutions during construction that I hadn ’ t yet had the opportunity to see up close and personal. “The site resembled a concrete jungle amidst a major transformation, as if caught in a battle between old and new but poised for a revitalising facelift.” Richard Crookes Construction also had to bring the old building up to code and use lightweight construction on the higher floors where the copper cladding is now. “Due to the constraints of the existing structure below we adopted a steel skeleton structure as opposed to concrete to go higher,” Shanks says. “This option added additional layers of complexity, including fire rating the entire skeleton in fire-rated plasterboard and then waterproofing to protect the external walls and roof prior to facade elements being installed.” ▲ The Brutalist stacked boxes were built in 1979 and designed by Tao Gofers and are reincarnated so The Rocks icon can live on. However, seeing Sirius “take shape and a beautiful one at that, in its own Brutalist way” was humbling and satisfying for the senior project engineer. “During the design process at times it seemed as though it was a neverending, evolving beast,” Shanks says. “Once the steel skeletons were installed, sheeted with fire rating and the copper facade under way—this was when I personally felt like our hours in design had paid off.” The senior project engineer sums it up for the team who were working on this project. “It wasn ’ t until we were in the commissioning phase of the project, and I was working back at night, that I really took the time to take a step back and marvel at what everyone had achieved,” Shanks says. “It’s a beauty born not just from its bold lines but from the complexities that demanded creativity at every turn.” You are currently experiencing The Urban Developer Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. Click here to learn more.

‘Brutal, Iconic, Difficult’: Sirius Building’s Next Chapter

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