Crown Tower

Crown Tower, also known as One Barangaroo, is a towering presence on the western waterfront of Sydney’s CBD, and is part of the globally renowned Barangaroo urban renewal project.

The building, designed by Chris Wilkinson, features a unique and complex façade geometry that emulates three petals that twist and rise together, maximising views of Sydney harbour. However, this presented a challenge when it came to shading solutions for the building.

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.