The King & Phillip site is situated within the highly significant heritage precinct that includes King Street Courts Building, St James’ Church, Macquarie Street Precinct and the UNESCO listed Hyde Park Barracks. Designed by fjcstudio formerly fjmtstudio, the design concept draws from the rich idiom of colonial stone masonry, lofty geometric forms, and layered tapestry of handcrafted materials. New, but respectfully so, the design re-interprets this heritage into a contemporary form and mindfully alters the narrative of colonization reinstating a First Nations presence.
Nestled within Sydney’s heritage listed legal precinct, King & Phillip Residences benchmark a new typology for residential city living. The client’s brief was to capture the empty nest purchaser with epicurean design tastes within a distinct architectural expression that matches a unique location nestled in between the CBD’s heritage, business, cultural and retail sectors. The project has been carefully and deftly designed to respond to a site of great significance within the city of Sydney acknowledging both its civic and cultural responsibility, and simultaneously delivering high quality residences.
The project respectfully references the city’s great colonial heritage with a new modern application of form, shape and materiality. Values of environmental amenity, public accessibility and sustainability are exhibited, as well as an important public art punctuation point for Reconciliation. The result is a new type of high quality residential building that reflects an integration of life, work, art and culture for city dwellers. Each of the building’s inhabitants and visitors enjoys intimate views of their special surrounds, reinforcing their perception of place.
The building consists of three main elements: the ‘Loggia’, podium and tower. The 2-storey street front Loggia is a sandstone colonnade facing King, Elizabeth and Phillip Streets and housing retail, residential lobby and common areas overlooking Queen’s Square. It is composed of sandstone columns that frame timber vaulted ceilings. The form of the vaults depart from colonial geometry, to celebrating organic leaf forms in a celebration of Country. ’Eora’, a work by First Nations artist Jake Nash, occupies the eastern elevation facing Queens Square, providing an essential narrative representing ‘unity and acknowledgement’. The generous ‘public’ street corner plaza and colonnade – all within the boundary line – engage with the street.
The foyer for the King & Philip building is inspired by the classical geometry, proportions and warm material of the Supreme Courts and St James Church, creating a contrast to the Colonial Heritage Precinct and connect in an abstract way with the natural landscape and a sense of Country. A series of curvilinear leaf-life timber panels extends from deep within the foyer out to line the ceilings of the loggia. These timber panels are jointed and ribbed in a radial form like the vein patterns in Eucalyptus leaves.
Within the compact floorplan a sense of generosity and dramatic special extension is created through careful use of reflections. The leaf vaults seem to extend into an endless forest hall above the datum of the wall paneling. The interlocking leaf panels are alternated and offset as they weave between the loggia, foyer and lift lobby. Affordable, sustainable materials are used such as timber and lightweight glass fiber reinforced concrete with an emphasis placed on detail and quality of craft.
These spaces are not large and as the lift lobby inevitably narrow a sense of generosity and dramatic special extension is created through careful use of reflections. The leaf vaults seem to extend into an endless forest hall above the datum of the wall paneling. To create a unique space in a small footprint, and to provide a welcoming entry experience, it was necessary to be economical and precise in the planning of all the elements, required in a foyer space, providing the greatest amenity for the residents.
The expression of the interiors is one of warmth, calm and refinement of detail. A simple recessed brass inlay of the King and Philip signage in the floor reflects the subtly and simplicity of the lobby design. The mailboxes and concierge desk are positioned within a metal framed box below the vaults separated by a green marble clad wall. A leather upholstered seat splayed out of the wall paneling takes up a minimal amount of floor space and doubles as a sculptural element.
The internal timber paneling creates a datum line for the vaults above and two horizontal brass inlays strips create a horizontal rhythm in addition to the vertical joints of the timber paneling. A gently curved wall softens the change of direction when moving through the foyer into the lift lobby. The interior of the lift car is a seamless extension of the foyer concept with a leaf motif ceiling, wall timber paneling and mirrors creating an illusion of space extending beyond.
Affordable, sustainable materials have been used such as stained Hoop pine for the ceiling and Tasmanian oak for wall paneling, and light weight glass fiber reinforced concrete. An emphasis is placed on the detail and the quality of craft, with concentrated and limited use of natural stone. It was essential to create a considered lighting scheme in collaboration with Electrolight that could illuminate the vaults without any visible light fittings to support the illusion of extended space. Concealed lighting at floor level enhance the appearance of the timber wall paneling as if floating above the floor.
“The lobby at King and Phillip is a beautiful revelation! It draws the visitors in through the warmth and precision of the detail and materials, and just when you are expecting it to close down into a restricted lift lobby, it opens out into a magical vast hall of wooden vaults. Everyone, including visitors and residents, comments on the beauty and surprise of this lobby, and how they have seen nothing like it! It complements the apartments so well, and we are so very pleased with the outcome!” concluded Neil Werrett, CEO, Galileo Group.
