Sydney's Darling Harbour set to transform

Snøhetta+Hassell have won an international design excellence competition to “transform Harbourside in Darling Harbour into a new, iconic and inviting destination at the heart of Sydney.”

The Snøhetta+Hassell collaboration design stretches 240 metres along the Darling Harbour waterfront. A mixed-use redevelopment of the Harbourside Shopping Centre, it will be a shopping, hospitality and entertainment destination, including a residential tower, new public square connecting to Pyrmont Bridge, and upgrades to public spaces along the waterfront.

The Snøhetta+Hassell design for Sydney’s Darling Harbour.

Property developer Mirvac has the vision to create one of Australia’s most sustainable precincts. The concept is to create a network of welcoming open and public spaces that feature natural materials and vegetation.

Elements of the city’s natural landscape have been incorporated into the design, such as water features that flow through sandstone, gardens that grow produce and therefore create habitats and invite ecology, and expansive terraces.

Guardian Square sits at the heart of the development, becoming Pyrmont’s new neighbourhood park and community meeting place.

Consultant Dr Daniele Hromek from the Djinjama Indigenous Corporation has been involved throughout the design process, building Snøhetta+Hassell’s understanding of the Aboriginal people’s connection to country. The design responds to the site’s indigenous heritage, acknowledging that Tumbalong served as an important gathering place for thousands of years.

The design stretches 240 metres along the Darling Harbour waterfront.

Kaare Krokene, managing director of Snøhetta Australasia, says the team is, “extremely proud of a design that acknowledges the historic sandstone escarpment landscape of Tumbalong, now known as Darling Harbour. This continues the tradition of shared public space, honouring the first nations Gadigal and Wangal people who saw this as shared country.”

Mirvac is Australia’s first property company to achieve carbon-positive status, and it plans for Harbourside to become one of Australia’s most sustainable precincts, aiming for five and six star Green Star and WELL ratings.

Construction is expected to begin in 2023 once approvals are secured.