InterContinental Sydney
Trevor Mein

Revitalised Destination: InterContinental Hotel Sydney

Woods Bagot as Architects

Woods Bagot has transformed InterContinental Sydney in a top-to-bottom redesign of the five-star property across guest rooms, public areas, restaurant and bar venues. It was a project unlike any other undertaken by Woods Bagot due to the diverse scope of works, the 171-year heritage of the property and its iconic location next to the Royal Botanic Garden overlooking Sydney Harbour. Crucial to the stunning outcome was integrating and enhance the old and new elements of the property, which blends the three-level Treasury Building, built in 1851, and a 32-level tower completed in 1985.

photo_credit Trevor Mein
Trevor Mein
photo_credit Trevor Mein
Trevor Mein
photo_credit Trevor Mein
Trevor Mein

Woods Bagot took a bold approach, flooding rooms with the blues and greens of sub-tropical Sydney, while upscaling the hotel’s restaurant and bar venues to give visitors an elevated experience and attract more locals. “The heritage architecture gave us a beautiful palette of colours, textures and classic geometries – crafted in sandstone, brickwork, timber,” says Interior Design Leader Tracey Wiles. “In the guest rooms, embracing the tonal layering of a blue and green palette was a bold approach which works incredibly well in connecting with the amazing views. It’s a strong departure from the standard beige on beige you so often see in modern properties.” Her favourite space is the heart of the hotel and former Cortile – a light-filled atrium and gathering space where the two buildings meet.

photo_credit Trevor Mein
Trevor Mein
photo_credit Trevor Mein
Trevor Mein
photo_credit Trevor Mein
Trevor Mein
photo_credit Trevor Mein
Trevor Mein

Surrounded by the arched balconies of the Treasury Building over three-levels, it’s now home to The Treasury Bar, which anchors the space on a stunning chevron tiled floor arranged in contemporary pattern, flourishes of rich green plants, evoking the openness of the original courtyard and connecting back to the surrounding gardens. “There’s something about sitting in history but being in a contemporary environment – that is super, super special,” she says. Project Leader Tim Davies said he took great satisfaction in designing a striking new entrance to the property utilising the same marble which forms The Treasury Bar, acting as continuous thread of materiality as guests move through the hotel. “We designed a plisse (pleated) stone wall to invite guests from the porte-cochere through to The Treasury Bar,” Davies says. “The feature wall is highly dynamic – a mix of honed limestone with book-matched Verde Oceania marble that forms a unified image at a certain point within the reception.

photo_credit Trevor Mein
Trevor Mein
photo_credit Trevor Mein
Trevor Mein
photo_credit Trevor Mein
Trevor Mein

“Complementing the feature wall are bespoke Spotted Gum reception desks that are deliberately organic in nature and reference the naturalistic forms of Sydney’s coastal edge. They were fabricated locally using a mix of computer-controlled milling and hand finishing to achieve a unique outcome.” Jennifer Brown, General Manager for InterContinental Sydney, said the redesign took the property into a new era of luxury while also giving it greater local appeal. “A big part of our vision was to make sure we were creating not only something for hotel guests but for everyone else too, and a lot of direction comes from the restaurants and bars to sit as destinations in their own right,” says Brown. “Hotels now are really competing in the free-standing market when it comes to restaurants and bars, and we want to ensure they are completely relevant to what Sydneysiders want to have, and sit proudly and independently within Sydney’s sophisticated bar scene. “So that’s a big part of what we’re doing on the ground-floor in The Treasury. And it’s a huge component of what we’re doing on the rooftop at Aster Bar, really showcasing those views and opening it up to the public, which hadn’t been done before.”

photo_credit Trevor Mein
Trevor Mein
photo_credit Trevor Mein
Trevor Mein

Level 32 was previously the exclusive domain of Club InterContinental, which has been reimagined and now shares the rooftop space – and spectacular views – with the newly-created Aster Bar. The entire project took several years of planning and development. It is the result of close collaboration between Woods Bagot, operator InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, owner Mulpha Australia and Built, which managed construction. Work included extensive heritage restoration, removal and replacement of the hotel’s cooling towers, new windows in the 509 rooms and suites, which were completely renovated, the creation of a new entrance, and redesign of the existing reception area.

photo_credit Woods Bagot
Woods Bagot
photo_credit Woods Bagot
Woods Bagot
Products Behind Projects
Product Spotlight
News
Fernanda Canales designs tranquil “House for the Elderly” in Sonora, Mexico
12 Dec 2024 News
Fernanda Canales designs tranquil “House for the Elderly” in Sonora, Mexico

Mexican architecture studio Fernanda Canales has designed a semi-open, circular community center for... More

Australia’s first solar-powered façade completed in Melbourne
12 Dec 2024 News
Australia’s first solar-powered façade completed in Melbourne

Located in Melbourne, 550 Spencer is the first building in Australia to generate its own electricity... More

SPPARC completes restoration of former Victorian-era Army & Navy Cooperative Society warehouse
11 Dec 2024 News
SPPARC completes restoration of former Victorian-era Army & Navy Cooperative Society warehouse

In the heart of Westminster, London, the London-based architectural studio SPPARC has restored and r... More

Green patination on Kyoto coffee stand is brought about using soy sauce and chemicals
10 Dec 2024 News
Green patination on Kyoto coffee stand is brought about using soy sauce and chemicals

Ryohei Tanaka of Japanese architectural firm G Architects Studio designed a bijou coffee stand in Ky... More

New building in Montreal by MU Architecture tells a tale of two facades
10 Dec 2024 News
New building in Montreal by MU Architecture tells a tale of two facades

In Montreal, Quebec, Le Petit Laurent is a newly constructed residential and commercial building tha... More

RAMSA completes Georgetown University's McCourt School of Policy, featuring unique installations by Maya Lin
10 Dec 2024 News
RAMSA completes Georgetown University's McCourt School of Policy, featuring unique installations by Maya Lin

Located on Georgetown University's downtown Capital Campus, the McCourt School of Policy by Robert A... More

MVRDV-designed clubhouse in shipping container supports refugees through the power of sport
9 Dec 2024 News
MVRDV-designed clubhouse in shipping container supports refugees through the power of sport

MVRDV has designed a modular and multi-functional sports club in a shipping container for Amsterdam-... More

Archello Awards 2025 expands with 'Unbuilt' awards categories
9 Dec 2024 Archello Awards
Archello Awards 2025 expands with 'Unbuilt' project awards categories

Archello is excited to introduce a new set of twelve 'Unbuilt' project awards for the Archello Award... More