The Greenway Award is the Institute's most prestigious heritage conservation award - Group Managing Director of AHL (QT Hotels & Resorts), David Seargeant said 'the build of QT Sydney was sensitive to the historical significance of the sites, the construction embarked on a painstaking 3 year restoration project in an effort to retain the distinct heritage of each building. The gothic features of the Palazzo-style Gowings Building, originally designed by renowned architect Crawford H Mackellar, have been thoughtfully returned to their former glory.'
The planning process for the project started some 3 years ago and the hefty restoration work which commenced in 2011 resulted in the historic Gowings and State Theatre buildings in Sydney's CBD being artfully revamped and saw the introduction of arguably Sydney's most iconic designer hotels.
The project saw the melding of two iconic Sydney buildings of distinct early 20th century style: the State Theatre (1929) by architects Henry White and John Eberson is in an inter-war Gothic Skyscraper style and the Gowings building (1929) by Crawford H. Mackellar of inter-war Commercial Palazzo style, both buildings have now been converted from their originally intended usages.
An eagerly awaited development, the gothic façades and features of the buildings were carefully returned to their former glory; and represent a remarkable achievement in the conservation, refurbishment and adaptive reuse of two of the country's most recognised buildings. The buildings have been combined and significantly adapted to transform the formerly distinct buildings into one of the country's most exciting hotels. The inside of the hotel now showcases cutting edge art and design and features LED digital art, bespoke furniture and a strong use of bold colours, fusing clever design with beautifully restored heritage features.
The restoration project saw Woodhead manage issues of structural connectivity and heritage conservation. This included the careful integration of building systems, the curation of site specific art installations with the project team thoroughly considering each element of the heritage fabric for preservation, reuse or adaptation.
Associate Director of Graham Brooks and Associates, Jonathan Bryant said 'we believe that heritage conservation is actually about memory, place and orientation in a world of flux. Our work is about managing change to architectural signposts in our shared urban and rural landscapes'.
Joe Agius, the NSW Chapter President of the Australian Institute of Architects was congratulatory on the award commenting that the restoration and conversion was 'an exceptional gift for the city'.
Both the State Theatre and Gowings Building originally opened their doors to the public back in 1929 and QT Sydney was the first major redevelopment of the buildings in the six years since the iconic department store was shuttered.
The full jury citation reads:
"This project is a remarkable achievement in the conservation, refurbishment and adaptive reuse of two adjacent heritage listed buildings - the Gowings and State Theatre Buildings - that have been combined and significantly adapted to house a new city hotel. It knits together two buildings of distinctive early 20th century styles: the State Theatre (1929) by architects Henry White and John Eberson is in an inter-war Gothic Skyscraper style, originally designed as a theatre and vertical shopping complex. The Gowings building (1929) by Crawford H. Mackellar is in an inter-war Commercial Palazzo style and was originally designed for retail and commercial office use.
Although the two structures are combined into one, the unique spatial integrity and heritage character of each have been maintained. Presented with a set of highly technical challenges, such as differing floor heights and dissimilar construction systems, the design team handled issues of structural connectivity, interior design and heritage conservation with the highest degree of skill and thoughtfulness. From the careful integration of building systems, to the curation of site specific installation art, the project team thoroughly considered each element of the heritage fabric for preservation, reuse or adaptation.
The architects have navigated a complex design process in a manner that still recounts the vibrant past of the buildings, yet in an utterly contemporary manner. This conversion befits the original buildings' scale and form, while preserving the important internal spatial character and heritage spaces. The Gowings and State Theatre Buildings restoration and hotel conversion breathes new life into the site, enhancing the public domain by adding a vital new contemporary program to the city's heart'.
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