The Quay Quarter project comprised the redevelopment of two city blocks in the heart of Sydney. 18 Loftus Street, containing 36 apartments, is one of seven buildings to be either restored or rebuilt within the project. Given the relatively small scale of the building and the collection of diverse buildings planned and currently located around it, our approach has been to produce a building with a singular identity, yet one with a movement that enables each apartment to respond to it’s specific location.
Maximisation of view, sun, outlook, interaction and privacy takes place via subtle manipulation of the scale and orientation of openings, accordingly the result is a concept of incremental transition. The building will step gradually in and out, approximating the allowable building envelope, whilst opening sizes grow from the base upwards.
The outcome is a building that transforms horizontally and vertically from one typology to another through a series of incremental transitions in form, materiality, and aperture. At its base, the building appears as a solid form with subtracted openings, similar in language to its historical context. Rising vertically and to the north, the structure becomes finer, with larger openings oriented towards Macquarie Place Park and Sydney Harbour. The gradual nature of this transition preserves a singular, cohesive building identity while allowing each apartment to respond to and take full advantage of its position within the building and its relationship to the city.
