Case study

Crown Tower

Crown Tower - Guthrie Douglas
Sydney Barangaroo district skyline with crown tower on left
Barangaroo harbour at night with crown tower and cranes
Sydeny Opera House in front of crown tower
Crown Tower - Guthrie Douglas
Crown Tower - Guthrie Douglas
Crown Tower - Guthrie Douglas
Crown Tower - Guthrie Douglas

Application

Internal façades

Building type

Hospitality

Architect

WilkinsonEyre

Delivery Partner

Horiso

Product

TESS™660

Location

Sydney, Australia

For the 75 floors of a highly complex façade – one that accommodates a 60 degree twist – architects WilkinsonEyre turned to Guthrie Douglas and Horiso to ensure privacy and effective solar shading whilst keeping in line with the aesthetic vision.

Crown Towers, stands impressively on the waterfront in Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD). Its dynamic façade, resembling intertwined petals, provides a unique focal point for those outside, and breath-taking panoramic views of Sydney Harbour for those inside the building.

THE CHALLENGE

The façade of Crown Towers contains an expanse of curved glass, with angled, curved and trapezoid windows with minimal frames, posing a challenge in terms of shading. Guthrie Douglas created a shading solution for this complex façade, using TESS™ tensioned zip blind technology.

Conor Worth, Project Architect at WilkinsonEyre:

“The requirements for shading evolved quite naturally. With Sydney being a natiurally bright, sunny, warm place we always knew we were going to need very high performance shading. In addition, the specification we were required to deliver for internal environments meant we had to work with quality shading products.”

THE SOLUTION

Over 500 blinds were delivered by us and Horiso, integrated at various angles to follow the contours of the façade. Managed by an AI-powered control system that adapts to external conditions and occupant’s preferences, this high quality shading solution stands as testament to engineering design and technology converging to elevate urban landscapes.

Michael Robinson, Project Manager at Turner Brothers:

“The systems we installed from Guthrie Douglas worked perfectly for the project and still continue to do so today. The team at Guthrie Douglas were so supportive and helpful throughout the whole process.”

Crown Towers – also known as One Barangaroo – is a high-end residential and hotel development that plays an important role in the transformation of Sydney’s waterfront. With a commitment to the Climate Positive Development Program, the design of the building exceeds current standards for energy performance with Guthrie Douglas’s shading system integrated into the window surrounds and playing a key role in helping to achieve objectives for occupier comfort and privacy.

The Challenge: Privacy, comfort, and exacting aesthetics with no straight lines.

A curved glass facade runs through the building, covering restaurants, a casino, hotel rooms, and luxury apartments. Meeting the diverse requirements of these spaces posed several challenges. The windows were angled, curved, and trapezoid-shaped, with few vertical or square frames. The project was completed during Covid-19 lockdowns, requiring social distancing during installation. Additionally, tension blind systems had to have an expansion gap tolerance on all sides to allow for the expansion and contraction of the building.

The Solution: Intelligent tensioned blinds.

To meet these challenges, Horiso, Guthrie Douglas’ exclusive distribution partner for Australia, was selected to deliver a comprehensive range of shading solutions for the building, including over 500 TESS™660 tensioned zip blinds throughout the casino, hospitality, and luxury residential areas. These systems were designed into the glazing surround at various angles and offsets to follow the direction of the façade.

The systems were also managed by a cutting-edge intelligent control system which responds to a combination of external climate conditions and internal user preferences, using artificial intelligence to learn and adapt over time.

Project Manager, Michael Robinson of Turner Brothers commented: “The systems we installed from Guthrie Douglas worked perfectly for the project and still continue to do so today. The team at Guthrie Douglas were so supportive and helpful throughout the whole process.”

Crown Tower’s shading solutions not only provide optimal comfort and privacy for all of its guests and residents, but also serve as a testament to the power of innovative design and technology.

The building is a true architectural masterpiece and a must-see destination for anyone visiting Sydney.

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