New bronze age: Sydney apartment tower King & Phillip to rise among city's colonial buildings

In the blocks north of Hyde Park stand some of Sydney’s most admired colonial buildings.

King & Phillip will house 104 luxury apartments with 34 different configurations. Artist’s impression

Hyde Park Barracks at the top of Macquarie Street opened in 1819 to house convict men and boys. St James’ Church on King Street is the inner city’s oldest surviving church, built with convict labour and consecrated in 1824. Next door is the old Supreme Court building, where the first case was heard in 1827.

All three buildings were designed – at least in part, in the case of the courthouse – by Francis Greenway, who had been transported to Australia after pleading guilty to forgery.

In the midst of this colonial heritage splendour, a new residential tower is on the way. King & Phillip from developer Galileo Group will deliver 104 new apartments in a 25-storey building on the site of the former University of Sydney law school campus.

The development director for Galileo Group, Paul Marshall, says that while harbour views are regularly touted on the Sydney real estate scene, it’s more rare to find residences with sweeping views of Hyde Park.

“This will be the only residential offering that sits on the north side of the park and takes in the full vista of St Mary’s Cathedral on the east side, the park itself with the beautiful canopy of trees and the view down Elizabeth Street to the west,” Marshall says. “It does have a very Manhattan feel to it.”

The building which will be demolished to make way for the new tower at 148-160 King Street was “almost decrepit”, according to the developer, when the company bought it for about $45 million in 2015.

“The facade had deteriorated to the point that bits of it were falling off,” Marshall says. “For the past four or five years, a platform has been erected around the base to protect people walking below.”

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Constructed in the 1960s in the brutalist style, the 14-storey tower has heavy concrete panels and small windows, by today’s standards. Marshall says this means from the inside, views and natural light are severely limited.

Apartments will offer expansive CBD views. Artist’s impression

Galileo launched a design excellence competition for the new residential building, following the council’s guidelines.

The winning design came from Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (fjmt), a Sydney-based multi-disciplinary design studio that has collected a swag of awards for previous works, including – in association with Archimedia – building of the year at the 2013 World Architecture Festival for Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki.

The firm is also developing the masterplan of the area around the new Sydney Fish Market.

“Richard Francis-Jones [fjmt director] is really putting himself on the map not only as one of the best designers in our country, but he’s also making a name for himself on the world scene,” Marshall says.

King & Phillip apartments will be within the heritage heart of Sydney’s legal precinct. Artist’s impression

For King & Phillip, the judging panel was impressed by the way design married old and new elements. At the streetscape level, there will be extensive use of sandstone and timber – finishes and colours sympathetic to the heritage neighbourhood.

“It incorporates a beautiful colonnade with arches that speak to the Francis Greenway arches of St James’ Church opposite,” Marshall says.

“The colonnade and archways are in direct proportion to those heritage buildings.”

A spacious lobby is intended to be a more private extension of the colonnade, a warm and quiet space embellished with a series of timber ceiling vaults in geometric patterns.

The King & Phillip building will stand on the corner of Elizabeth, King and Phillip streets. Artist’s impression

From the first floor up, the facade is a vision in bronze. Perforated bronze screens are integrated with earthy terracotta finishes and extensive glazing. The top of the building has a slanted form designed to minimise overshadowing of Hyde Park.

Five penthouses occupy the top four levels. Many of these homes have generous terrace areas. The interior design, also by fjmt, continues the use of bronze tones.

Richard Francis-Jones says the material palette draws inspiration from the colonial heritage of buildings surrounding the site.

“These beautiful materials are used in the very contemporary architecture of King & Phillip; the sandstone, brick, copper and bronze,” Francis-Jones says.

“We want to create a warmth, depth and timeless quality to the new architecture that can complement the beautiful richness of our heritage neighbours.”

The material palette draws inspiration from the colonial heritage of buildings near the site. Artist’s impression

Bronze is having something of a moment, not just in architecture but in the wider design world, cropping up in interior accents, jewellery, fashion and beyond. Hong Kong Tatler this month declared the hue “the new gold”. It’s even rumoured to be on the way as a new iPhone colour.

“Bronze has long been used by architects for its durability, quality and warmth. Perhaps we are now seeing it used more in contemporary design as we rediscover these wonderful, enduring characteristics,” Francis-Jones says.

Owners can choose from three colour schemes inspired by the surrounding buildings and Hyde Park’s famous Moreton Bay figs. Natural stone and a variety of Australian timber species lend an earthy, organic feel to the interiors.

CBRE’s chairman of residential projects, Justin Brown, says he expects buyers to be predominantly empty-nesters, legal practitioners and purchasers looking for a second residence or “crash pad”.

The Sydney CBD market, he says, is the most undersupplied in Australia.

“Currently if you are looking for an off-the-plan premium apartment in the CBD, there are fewer than 50 apartments available,” Brown says.

Recent inner-city launches include AMP Capital’s Loftus Lane at Circular Quay, which recorded close to $400 million of sales on the launch day.

Shanghai United’s 60 Bathurst, near Chinatown, and Castle Residences, near the south-west corner of Hyde Park, are both about 80 per cent sold.

Brown says the “village” of Hyde Park has become one of the inner-city’s most popular locations over the past 10 to 20 years, close to shops, businesses, heritage areas and parklands, and with easy access to Surry Hills and Chinatown.

“It is a true urban living environment, set on the lungs of Sydney, which is so rare,” he says.

“In the past decade, there … has not been a building set within the heritage heart of the legal precinct with virtual park frontage like King & Phillip.”

At a glance

King & Phillip

Number of apartments: 104; 16 studio; 12 one-bed; 48 two-bed; 23 three-bed; four three-bed penthouse; one four-bed penthouse

Internal sizes (sqm): Studio, 35-38; one-bed, 50-64; two-bed, 77-125; three-bed, 122-166; three-bed penthouse, 140-157; four-bed penthouse, 175

External sizes (sqm): Studio, four; one-bed, eight-10; two-bed, seven-51; three-bed, 12-53; three-bed penthouse, 26-66; four-bed penthouse, 20

Prices: Studios, from $950,000; one-bed, from $1.5 million; two-bed, from $2.35 million; three-bed, from $3 million; penthouses, POA

Completion: Mid to late 2020

Agent: Justin Brown, CBRE, 1800 200 877

Open for inspection: A sales gallery is open by appointment. The VIP sales launch is scheduled for September 16.

Find out more about the King & Phillip project at Domain