Barangaroo, New South Wales, Australia
Architects: Tzannes
Design Team: Jonathan Evans and Alec Tzannes
Client: Lendlease
Photographers: Ben Guthrie and Brett Boardman
Daramu House is an evolution of its sister building, International House Sydney. Together, they complete the Barangaroo South precinct stage, establishing the unique and desirable character of mass timber construction in the competitive CBD office market.
Daramu House has been designed to present a cohesive and inviting public threshold to Barangaroo South, providing a transition in scale between the three towers and Sussex Street, establishing a 7-storey street wall and continuous colonnade edge to the precinct.
What distinguishes Daramu House is its position at the intersection of the commercial and residential Barangaroo precincts. The architecture responds to this condition at the northern boundary by taking on a sculptural, folding form. This form signals the end of the street wall on Sussex Street and the harbor's turning point. The fluid northern form provides generous amenity on the ground plane, enhancing Sussex Street and the harbor's connection. This part of Daramu House's distinctive architecture differentiates the commercial precinct of Barangaroo from the residential precinct to the north whilst reinforcing precinct and harbor vistas. The rounded corners of Daramu House encourage seamless pedestrian movement into the precinct, contributing to the public domain's connectivity and legibility.
On Sussex Street, the commercial entry is announced through a dramatic two storey space. An impressive 18m span in glulam members allows a column-free entry by utilising the bracing elements on the upper 5 storeys as a truss. On the vibrant laneway of Scotch Row, the façade intersects with the exposed CLT lift core providing views to its timber anatomy for the building's full height, both from the public domain and from within.
At the heart of the design is the warm, golden glow of the timber structure that is wrapped in a minimal glazed envelope, allowing the timber to be celebrated as the hero. The expanded structural grid of 9m x 9m is currently the largest in the world for mid-rise commercial projects, allowing for generous and flexible fit-out opportunities.
Daramu House celebrates the rich industrial history of Barangaroo by reinterpreting the timber building typology that dominated the site post-European settlement. The pragmatic and expressed use of solid timber as the building's structural component connects the history of this precinct to the present. External timber elements are made from Australian recycled hardwood selected for robustness, durability, and weathering. Internally, the timber is left unadorned and uncovered, providing warmth and a tactile beauty to the commercial floors and contributing to a healthier, biophilic workplace for all users.
