Now take that site and reduce its frontage to an exceptionally narrow 6m, combine with a vertical volume that rises to meet its neighbouring towers, and you have the site that was the subject of the 410 Pitt Street Design Excellence Competition.

The concept contributes to the urban fabric of the precinct to connect to its history, play on the global cultural threshold it sits within and encourage respect of a changing cultural landscape. This concept is underpinned by four key design drivers: Culture, Context, Parameters and Brand. These informed the massing, planning and character of the proposal, particularly the connection to the sites history as part of the former Brickfield site.

The scale and proportion of the façade grid of established buildings along Pitt Street, and cues taken from local Art Deco examples are re-interpreted and applied to the proposed podium and tower façade grids. This forms a strong vertical architectural language, and a calmness to the varied expression of the existing street elevation.

Materiality and tonality are key to evoking an emotive response and adds to the overall user experience. Careful consideration to the existing palette and materiality of Pitt Street, as well as cues from the sites manufacturing history are combined to form a simple collection of finishes and details.