MacPark marks the north-eastern gateway to the new Midtown MacPark precinct
Mediating the natural landscape to the north and civic presence to the south, the stepped architecture captures the light and views and fosters neighbourhood connections.
Our design emerged from focusing on the human experience. The stepped plans provide all dwellings with a dual aspect for light, views and outdoor connections. Staggering these plans to chase the sun optimised the number of north-facing apartments, while south-facing apartments have small corners and cut-outs in the façade to catch the eastern or western sun.
Embedding the tower in the landscape
The stepped, interlocked plans created a jagged north edge that fractured the building into a series of fine, tall towers that relate to the natural environment. Precast concrete elements are adorned with floral patterns, and deep soil planting around the building edge embeds the tower in the landscape and the façade length is the same as a more conventional building.
Pedestrian access through the lobby to the parkland blurs the lines between public and private space, forging a stronger sense of neighbourhood for all inhabitants of Macquarie Park. We worked with indigenous practice Cola Studio to connect with Country and embed the tower with a story of place that unfolds in subtle and overt ways.
