32 Smith Street

Architecture, Interior Design, Urban Design

Commercial

Parramatta

Photographer: Sydney Site Photography

32 Smith Street, Parramatta is a commercial office tower, which draws its design inspiration from the nearby Parramatta River.

The Fender Katsalidis design was chosen as the winning scheme by the Parramatta City Council Design Competition Jury.

Location

Sydney, Australia

CLIENT

GPT Group

COST

$230 Million

GFA

30,700sqm

COMPLETION

2020

TRADITIONAL CUSTODIANS

Dharug people

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Awards:

Property Council of Australia Innovation & Excellence Awards, Finalist - Best Office Development, 2023
Property Council of Australia Innovation & Excellence Awards, Finalist - Best Public Art Project (Subtractive Wall Art), 2023
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Awards, Award of Excellence - Best Tall Building by Height, 2023
INDE Awards, Finalist - The Building, 2022

The Urban Developer Awards, Finalist - Development of the Year - Commercial, 2021

Australian Institute of Architects NSW Awards, Finalist - Commercial Architecture, 2021

Sydney Design Awards, Silver Award for Architecture - Proposed - Large Site, 2019

See all

Photographer: Anthony Fretwell

The design approach for 32 Smith St can be distilled down to several key elements. These elements strive to deliver a compelling urban response to the surrounding context, recognising the sites gateway responsibilities, connecting the City to the River and uniting the existing street wall into one cohesive, dynamic public realm and commercial environment.

The lower podium consists of two pebble forms which are highly activated and warm in materiality extending into the laneways. The pebbles extend out from the tower to reduce down draft effect at the ground plane.

Photographer: Sydney Site Photography

The upper podium adopts the same form as the tower, but is broken to respond to the street wall.

Photographer: Sydney Site Photography

The ventilated car park facade also acts as a wind dampener.

The tower is simple in form and has been shaped as a “building in the round” and its curved pebble form reduces glare and wind creating a friendly sculptural tower.

Interiors

Photographer: Sydney Site Photography

The design for 32 Smith Street delivers a world-class, leading-edge, workplace environment and civic space. Drawing inspiration from the nearby Parramatta River, the glazed, permeable design with its timber louvres and tree-lined terraces make it a beautiful place to work.

Floating beneath the tower are ‘the pavilions’ – two organic pebble forms shaped by the pedestrian flow which establish the commercial lobby and restaurant and café spaces with full-height glazed windows. These elements provide a layer of activation to the ‘urban room’, seamlessly connecting the interior and exterior.

Part of the floor plane strategy was to open up the entire space to act as an extension of the interior. Uplift doors open vertically to allow for light penetration to flow in past mullions, while flooring materiality between the indoors and outdoors is without delineation or threshold lines.

Lifts have been positioned at the southern permitter, further articulating the building through the dynamic movement of boldly coloured lift cars and their counterweights.

Photographer: Sydney Site Photography

The glass façade and glass lift atrium allow natural light deep into the floor plate and offer panoramic views for an unparalleled arrival experience.