Rich pickings: One Sydney Harbour's second tower hits market early

A year ahead of schedule, homes in one of Sydney’s most lavish new harbourside communities have hit the market, promising A-list architecture and interiors in a dynamic inner-city location.

One Sydney Harbour at Barangaroo South has already proved its prestige credentials, claiming the title of Australia’s most expensive home with the sale of a two-storey penthouse and accompanying sub-penthouse for more than $140 million in 2019. It’s the first time an apartment has held this record.

With more than 85 per cent of homes in the first stage sold, developer Lendlease has brought forward the launch of the 68-storey Residences Two – the second of three luxury apartment towers that will be built on the former shipbuilding and stevedoring site.

This week, Daniel Goldberg, founder and principal of State of Craft, was revealed as the interior designer for all three towers, teaming up with Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

One Sydney Harbour reunites German-born, Canada-based Goldberg with the acclaimed Italian architect Renzo Piano for the first time since their collaboration on another glittering high rise, The Shard and Shard Place in London.

New renders for the first two Barangaroo South buildings, including two sumptuous “Skyhomes”, portray light-filled spaces finished with a sophisticated palette of natural materials.

For all the beauty inside the new homes, the ultimate scene-stealer is the view.

Soaring floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the Harbour Bridge and Opera House to the north-east and, to the west, from Darling Harbour all the way to the Blue Mountains.

Goldberg says the interiors embrace natural beauty.

“For us, luxury is in the beauty of nature and displaying the grain in the timber, the veining of the marble or granite,” he says.

“I think a lot of it is about responding to the site, making it specific to the climate, the context, the architecture.”

Crowning the new tower, the two full-floor Skyhomes represent the most premium offerings.

These homes boast three-metre ceilings, private lift lobby access and rooftop terraces with entertaining spaces and pools.

“We wanted to create two unique, world-class homes in the sky that capture the essence of living high above Sydney Harbour,” Goldberg says.

“The experience of being inside the Skyhomes was inspired by life on board private yachts with their seamless transition from inside to outside spaces, and the feeling of freedom and elegant comfort.”

Piano, who designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris (with Richard Rogers) and The New York Times building in Manhattan, emphasises the exclusivity of the harbourside location.

“This place will be unique for the very simple reason that you live in the air, you live in the light, almost like in suspension, in between the water and the sky,” the architect says.

The launch of the 322-apartment Residences Two comes at a time when many commentators have noted a shift away from inner-city apartments, as working from home becomes more widespread.

But, Ben Christie, head of residential property at Lendlease, says One Sydney Harbour is attracting strong inquiry and demand, including from Australian expats.

“This comes as people adapt to online property engagement, coupled with improving conditions more broadly,” Christie says.

The developer reports more than eight in 10 purchasers in the first stage were local, many of them downsizers attracted to the convenience and centrality of Barangaroo.

Families were drawn to the larger residences.

“Our apartments are delivering generous and curated living spaces with state-of-the-art facilities, including a premium concierge service,” Christie says.

The mixed-use development includes two pools, a spa, gym with a studio for yoga and pilates along with an all-day treatment room.

“We also have a steam room, as well as private dining facilities with a commercial kitchen, an extensive lounge area, billiards room and wine-tasting room.”

Hickson Park is located near the entrance.

A few blocks north, the six-hectare Barangaroo Reserve headland park is a delightful medley of grassy areas, picnic spots, winding paths and native Australian plantings.

Paths link Barangaroo to Walsh Bay’s entertainment and dining venues. Circular Quay is less than 20 minutes by foot from the new homes.

As well as becoming the inner-city’s newest commercial hub, Barangaroo has been making a name for itself as a darling of Sydney’s social scene.

The precinct offers an eclectic array of small bars, casual cafes, high-end restaurants, boutiques and cultural spaces near the water’s edge.

Barangaroo is well connected by ferries, buses and extensive footpaths and cycleways linked to Wynyard, Pyrmont, Woolloomooloo and other parts of the city.

The new Barangaroo metro is due for completion in 2024 – the same year as Residences Two.

For 83-year-old Renzo Piano, who won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1998, One Sydney Harbour represents an opportunity to help define the city through its built form.

“All places have a story to tell,” he says. “You just have to listen to that story and I think Sydney has a great story to tell.”

One Sydney Harbour is open for inspection with a display suit open by appointment only.

Lendlease Customer Concierge are taking expressions of interest for Residences Two, with Residences Three not yet released.