Lisa-Maree Carrigan Director
Lisa-Maree is Director of Architecture & Urban Design globally at GroupGSA. She leads engagement of teams and clients through design collaboration and strategic direction
Sometime nature brings the greatest ideas to the table.
Unleashing the power of collective strength, we won this international design competition in collaboration with Rafael de la Hoz, delivering a bold, futuristic design. The edifice presents a powerful, iconic marker in the cityscape—but one with a complexion uniquely imagined from biophilic origins, emerging out of a treasured heritage skin at the heart of Parramatta’s city centre.
The Team:
A fine conceptual mix inspired by nature and history, we took our inspiration in the natural element of a tree, a natural symbol of the verticality of the tower. The tree is wrapped at the tower’s feet by a plaza space surrounded by the existing heritage-listed Murray Bros. store façade.
The new elements of the façade and floorplan geometry are inspired by the bark pattern of the Eucalyptus trees found throughout Australia. Sun shading blades incorporated into the large openings on the eastern and western facades similarly emulate the cellular structure of the Eucalyptus bark.
The internal orthogonal arrangement allows for regular unit distribution layouts—easy to furnish and pleasant to use. The curvilinear external perimeter walls both emphasise and celebrate the quality of views available from the apartments. Structural elements are located in the perimeter of the residential unit, allowing for complete flexibility of the floorplate.
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We acknowledge First Nations peoples and their continuing connection to land, waters and culture, because we strongly believe in reconciliation and collaborative engagement for a better future. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, whose knowledge, traditions and stories guide custodianship on what will always be their ancestral lands.
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