ICD Property announces City Tattersalls Club design competition winner

Following a five-week international design competition, award-winning Australian practice BVN has emerged as the winner to design the redevelopment of Sydney’s iconic 125-year-old City Tattersalls Club, located at 194 – 204 Pitt Street.

BVN’s innovative design was selected as the unanimous winner by a panel of six jurors after several weeks of careful consideration for what would respectfully integrate with the building’s heritage components and further improve Sydney’s city centre.

The winning design was commended for its well-considered podium that creates a sophisticated connection between the ground-floor Club facilities and the new tower above, resulting in a considered, elegant, and holistic overall composition to the project.

The scheme’s superior internal planning resulted in a highly effective floorplan, maximising the views and amenity of the apartments and hotel rooms, whilst drawing natural light deep into the tower’s public and common spaces. The apartment layouts resolve the complex structural requirements for building over the heritage Club whilst making wonderful places to live.

BVN’s proposed 49-storey tower produces a contemporary and calm facade that would add an elegant, landmark structure to Sydney’s iconic city skyline.

“We focused on making great places to live and stay whilst adding to the architectural richness of both the Club and the City. Our scheme seeks to create an elegant and sophisticated tower that greatly enhances the Club’s presence and identity in the City, linking street to sky to Harbour to Place,” said Matthew Blair and Phillip Rossington, Principal Architects at BVN.

In their decision the jury noted the expressed intentions of BVN’s team to collaborate closely with FJMT, the nominated architect underseeing rejuvenation of the heritage components of the building, to ensure a rich integration of the tower with the existing structures below – an essential consideration of the site’s overall redevelopment.

When asked to comment on the winning BVN design, FJMT’s Design Director, Richard Francis-Jones, said, “This is a wonderful vision for the integration of city apartments, hotel, and the unique City Tattersalls Club in a sustainable and inspiring new urban complex. BVN’s insightful concept for a tower characterised by lightness, floating above a more solid hotel podium will form a gentle back drop and transition with the landmark heritage buildings of Pitt Street. It is a great concept and we are looking forward to working with BVN to realise a project both of sensitivity and landmark quality.”

The design competition’s full shortlist of competing architects included five of Australia’s most renowned firms; Hassell, Bates Smart, SJB, BVN, Candalepas Associates, as well as leading international architecture practice DP Architects.

The City Tattersalls Club redevelopment is a joint-venture project undertaken by a consortium led by Singapore-based First Sponsor Group Limited and ICD Property – in collaboration with the City Tattersalls Club.

“We are really pleased to be working with BVN on our first project together and look forward to working together to deliver a world-class tower to the heart of Sydney’s CBD,” said ICD Property’s Managing Director Matthew Khoo on behalf of the development group.

Considerate of the site’s prime location in the city centre, only a stone’s throw away from the major shopping, food, and entertainment precinct at Westfield Pitt Street – the development group’s vision is to deliver a state-of-the-art building that adds a landmark figure to Sydney’s famous city skyline and gives back to the community through generous amenities and streetscape activation.

“We understand the significance of this project to the wider Sydney community and in particular to the 19,000 members of the Club. This building has been part of the city for over 125-years to date and we want to safeguard its future for a further 125 years by upgrading its existing structure to provide even more benefit to the Club’s members and the overall neighbouring community,” said First Sponsor’s Group Chief Executive Officer Neo Teck Pheng.

Of central importance to City Tattersalls Club Chief Executive Officer Marcelo A. Veloz was how the redevelopment design would revolutionise the Club’s amenities for members with the addition of a circa 100-room boutique hotel and retail offerings that will underpin the Club’s ongoing success.

“The Club has been a longstanding location for our members over several generations. We have always strived to provide exemplary entertainment facilities and this redevelopment will allow us to significantly upgrade our existing Club offering and play a part in re-activating the economy. We are extremely excited to be working along the consortium led by First Sponsor and ICD Property, and the BVN team, to deliver the amazing transformation of our great Club,” said Veloz.

After a successful international design competition, the development group is now working towards finalising design details with BVN in preparation for submission of a Stage 2 DA later this year.