The beauty of timber in Tzannes' design for the International House Sydney
18/07/2018.
[Barangaroo - New South Wales] Australia
metalocus, ANTONIO G DE JUAN
metalocus, ANTONIO G DE JUAN
The building won the Sir Arthur G. Stephenson Award for Commercial Architecture and the Milo Dunphy Award for Sustainable Architecture in the 2018 NSW Architecture Awards.
International House Sydney by Tzannes. Photograph by Ben Guthrie
International House Sydney by Tzannes. Photograph by Ben Guthrie
International House Sydney by Tzannes. Photograph by Ben Guthrie
International House Sydney by Tzannes. Photograph by Ben Guthrie
International House Sydney by Tzannes. Photograph by Ben Guthrie
International House Sydney by Tzannes. Photograph by Ben Guthrie
International House Sydney by Tzannes. Photograph by Ben Guthrie
International House Sydney by Tzannes. Photograph by Ben Guthrie
Night view. International House Sydney by Tzannes. Photograph by Ben Guthrie
Night view. International House Sydney by Tzannes. Photograph by Ben Guthrie
Sketch. International House Sydney by Tzannes
Sketch. International House Sydney by Tzannes
Site plan. International House Sydney by Tzannes
Ground floor plan. International House Sydney by Tzannes
First floor plan. International House Sydney by Tzannes
Roof floor plan. International House Sydney by Tzannes
Elevations. International House Sydney by Tzannes
Elevations. International House Sydney by Tzannes
Sections. International House Sydney by Tzannes
International House Sydney by Tzannes. Photograph by Ben Guthrie
A striking timber structure is what makes the International House Sydney stand out in the city's Barangaroo precinct. Designed by local based practice Tzannes, founded by Alec Tzannes. The building won the Australian Institute of Architects' Gold Medal last month, the project is the tallest timber commercial building in the world.
"The 6 above ground floors, columns, walls, roof, lift shafts, egress stairs and bracing bays are constructed entirely from engineered and cross laminated timber, and this has been expressed by leaving the timber finishes exposed and highly visible from the inside and externally looking inwards.
The use of approximately 60 cubic metres of reclaimed ironbark and turpentine hardwoods to form internal cladding in the lobby, lift and to form the colonnade structure further adds to the sustainability credentials whilst lending a sense of a soul to the building through the known chain of custody on materials.
The building is cooled by passive chilled beams and a de-coupled outside air supply system offering best practise energy efficiency and reduced noise levels. A substantial 120kW rooftop solar PV array provides peak energy demand reduction and contributes towards the predicted 5 Star +30% NABERS Energy Rating.
The building is also rated at 6 stars under the Green Star Office v3 rating tool, demonstrative of its world leadership in sustainable design," the NSW Architecture Awards jury commented.
Description of project by Tzannes
International House Sydney, a seven-storey commercial building designed by Tzannes for Lendlease, is now complete at Barangaroo South in Sydney. The timber structure building will be the first modern commercial engineered timber building of its size and type in Australia.
The building makes extensive use of structural engineered timber and recycled hardwood timber. We have turned the structural limitations imposed by the use of timber to advantage and celebrated them, forming a unique colonnade form evocative of a forest of trees which gives the building its distinctive character.
The result is a poetic and dynamic celebration of the building’s structural resolution, forming the street edge and undercover pedestrian network.
More information
Architects
TZANNES. Architects in Charge.- Alec Tzannes, Jonathan Evans
Venue
Barangaroo NSW 2000, Australia
Measures
Area.- 7920.0 m². Retail.- 635.0 m². Commercial.- 7285.0 m²
Dates
Project Year.- 2017
Alec Tzannes Tzannes
Tzannes is an Australian studio for architecture, urban and integrated design based in Sydney. Alec Tzannes is the founding director of Tzannes. He established the firm’s distinctive design philosophy and collaborative work practices with a record of design excellence across a wide range of projects. Alec has also served the community in a number of other roles including as National President of the Australian Institute of Architects (2006-7) and as Professor of Practice and Dean of UNSW Built Environment (2008-15). He retains an ongoing relationship with UNSW as an Emeritus Professor undertaking research and occasional teaching roles, contributing to the firm’s commitment to thought leadership in design and architecture practice.
