InterContinental Hotel Sydney

Situated in the heart of Sydney CBD, InterContinental Hotel Sydney is a 5-star hotel that offers its guests uninterrupted views to the Royal Botanic Gardens and Sydney Harbour. Within the hotel complex are the State Heritage Listed former Treasury buildings which are commended for being an outstanding example of Sydney’s colonial architecture. Preserving the historic fabric of the building and unifying this with contemporary materials and details, simultaneously delineating and unifying the old and new. The new Intercontinental Sydney draws from the grandeur of the past whilst introducing materials, details and furnishings synonymous with the relaxed Australian lifestyle. Inspired by the rich red brick, warm sandstone and black and white courtyard tiles. Reinterpreted by utilising timber wall linings and joinery emanating residential warmth, sandstone and black and white tiles with contemporary scale and proportion and patternation. The overarching refurbishment consist of the ground and first floor, including porte cochere, reception, bar, dining and pantry, 509 rooms and suites and the re-invention of the rooftop bar. The ground floor planning was reimagined to enhance guest arrival experience, from both the porte cochere and the pedestrian entrance from Bridge and Phillip streets. The heart of the hotel, the Cortile, bathed in natural sunlight, is immersed in greenery referencing both the original outdoor space and its proximity to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Here a contemporary bar is situated with furniture nestled amongst the botanics and historic arches, forming a welcome retreat to both locals and international guests to enjoy. The success of the project lies in the layering of the integrated conceptual threads, the immersive nature of carefully curated botanics, the use of indigenous artwork in the heritage areas and local artists interpreting the original concept and palette. The collaboration with the client and the builder has seen the successful delivery of this project despite the market uncertainty and economic challenges caused by Covid-19. Working as a team, the design scheme was revised to meet the reduced budget without compromising the final design outcome. The approach was to reuse as much as possible and minimise demolition. Through intelligent reuse of existing structure and careful recladding of elements, the hotel was transformed with an illusion of a new built. Where new material is being added, high quality materials that would stand the test of time and locally sourced materials, like the Spotted Gum, were being prioritised. Additionally, the building energy consumption was significantly reduced by replacing windows with high performance double glazed system to reduce the solar gain into the guestrooms. This is then further supported by the upgrade of all mechanical system and the installation of new cooling towers. This refurbishment has successfully repositioned the hotel to take the centre stage as a luxury premium hotel in Sydney. The introduction of three F&B outlets has allowed the hotel to be accessible to not only guests, but also the wider public, allowing Sydneysiders to appreciate the beautiful heritage building and enjoy the uninterrupted view to the Sydney Harbour and the Royal Botanic Gardens.