tony owen partners warps facade of eliza apartments in sydney

tony owen partners warps façade of eliza apartments in sydney
all images courtesy of tony owen partners

 
the ‘eliza apartments’ by australian firm tony owen partners is designed to fit into its surrounding historic context on hyde park in sydney’s CBD. the project utilized parametric design tools to create a sustainable landmark, combining traditional materials such as sandstone and steel with digital technology to mould the façade to the changing conditions on the skin. the profile of every level is different, as the outside responds to the differing unit plans, with views and sun maximized for each level. the tapering shape of the penthouse maximizes solar access and views to the park and terminates the fluid geometry.

(left) the penthouse
(right) view from hyde park

the exterior structure is made from hundreds of individually shaped metal panels, producing a mass that has a degree of repetition, but varying across the layers. the warping pieces also have double curvatures, with diagonal cuts used to ensure a single curve across them. these components and also the sandstone were laser cut by robots, while the supporting steel structure consists of multi-curved frames that are used to fit everything together. the shop drawings were prepared by frank gehry digital studio.

view of the entry

ground level – street view

interior view of the lobby

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.