499 Kent Street

The proposed hotel at 499 Kent St is an environmentally conscious proposal in the heart of the city. It considers sustainability in all of its forms, striving for a best practice approach with an aim for net carbon zero in both construction and operation.

The form, materiality and construction methodology respond to these objectives with a hybrid Cross Laminated Timber, concrete and steel structure, which also repurposes as much as possible of the existing building. Low-carbon, local and recycled materials are integrated in a way that leads with sustainability yet maintains expressions of comfort and strong urban character.

The existing three-storey brick building is retained and respected, with café, bar and restaurant activating its edges. Within the laneway, a new shareway is proposed with distinctive patterned paving, as well as the installation of suspended lighting that facilitates a connection between Town Hall and the lower levels of the city. Projectors installed within the existing window openings allow for a curated seasonal public art offering that is visible from both the public domain and within the hotel, inviting people to linger and engage.

At the rear, a new triple-height glass brick enclosed atrium is open to the sky. A large banksia at the centre of this space recalls the original landscape of the area, while a long lap pool is carved from the sandstone platform, evoking the white stone quarry which followed the Kent Street ridge. The pool is an extension of the public living room that animates the ground floor; it is experienced both in the literal sense (the activity of bathing) and as a symbol of relaxation, leisure and fun.