On our club outing on Sunday 8 July, there will be endless opportunities to hone the skills that we have acquired in Gavin Jowitt's presentation about architecture photography.
You can showcase photos taken on the day at a presentation night on 1 August.
Introduction
Sydney features a huge variety of buildings designed by acclaimed architects like Sir Norman Foster (Deutsche Bank Place), Renzo Piano (Aurora Place), Frank Gehry (Dr Chau Chak Wing Building), or Australia's very own Harry Seidler (Australia Place), to name only a few. Apart from these iconic buildings from the late 20th and early 21st century, there are showcases reflecting two centuries of European settlement: Cadmans Cottage in The Rocks from the early settlers stages, the Queen Victoria Building as an outstanding example of the grand retail buildings from the Victorian-Federation era, or the AMP Building at Circular Quay, Sydney’s first to break the city’s 150-foot height limit, imposed from 1912.
Overview
Our club outing will be a clockwise "circumnavigation" of Sydney's Central Business District: Starting at Circular Quay, we will meander through the streets of the northern CBD to visit the AMP Building and Australia Square before eventually making our way to the east. Here, opposite the Royal Botanic Garden, the late morning sun will bring out the curved glass and aluminium façade of Renzo Piano's Aurora Place. In sharp contrast to the distinctive stepped profile of Deutsche Bank Place designed by Sir Norman Foster.
Other architectural highlights along the way include the new EY Centre (200 George Street), 1 Bligh Street, which set a benchmark in environmental design, the Sir John Sulman medal-awarded MLC Centre (19-29 Martin Place), and countless others.
We will have lunch at 1PM at the Da Capo Courtyard Cafe in the courtyard of the old Sydney Hospital, 8 Macquarie Street. After our lunchbreak, you can either call it a day, return to Circular Quay and Manly, or you can complete the circumnavigation.
In the first case, you may want to visit The Rocks with Cadmans Cottage from 1816 (110 George Street), the redeveloped Museum of Contemporary Art (140 George Street), or one of the most controversial buildings in Sydney, the Sirius building (38–70 Cumberland Street), a prominent example of Brutalist architecture.
If you feel like continuing your photographic journey in the afternoon, join the group and take the T4 train from Martin Place to Central to make our way to the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building at the University of Technology (14-28 Ultimo Road). From here, we will stroll north to the Powerhouse Museum (500 Harris Street), winner of the coveted Sulman Award from the Australian Institute of Architects (NSW). Finally, we will make the most of the setting sun and head to the skyscrapers, walk bridges, and wharfs of Barangaroo, the newest additions to Sydney's architectural smorgasbord.
To return to Manly, we will hop on a train from Wynyard to Circular Quay and take a ferry from there.
Timetable
9.00am | Meet inside Manly Ferry Wharf It can be hard and expensive to find all-day parking in Manly on a Sunday, so public transport or a drop-off might be a good idea.
9.20am | Catch the F1 ferry to Circular Quay 9.50am | Arrive at Circular Quay, Ferry Wharf 3 Anyone who prefers to take a bus or train into Circular Quay should meet up with the group at Wharf 3 no later than 10am. 10.00am | We will begin our morning journey We will tackle the first half of our planned circumnavigation of the CBD, along the northern and eastern edges of the city. 1.00pm | Lunch at the "Da Capo Courtyard Cafe" A table has been booked for the club in the courtyard of the old Sydney Hospital at 8 Macquarie Street. www.courtyarddacapo.com.au The following times are estimates only 2.26pm | Train T4 from Martin Place (platform 1) to Central Trains run every 10 minutes, so there is no rush to get precisely this one. 2.31pm | Arrive at Central (platform 25) 2.35pm – 5pm | Walk along western side of the CBD to Barangaroo 5.30am | Catch the F1 ferry from Circular Quay (Wharf 3) to Manly 6.00pm | Arrive at Manly
More information about select buildings
AMP Building, 33 Alfred Street Architects: Peddle Thorp & Walker Often regarded as Australia's first skyscraper, 33 Alfred Street was the first building to officially break the 1912 Sydney Height of Buildings Limit and became Australia's tallest building upon completion in 1962. The prominent location of the building on Circular Quay made the approval process highly controversial over not only the height, but also the unconventional modern design of the tower featuring a curved façade. 1 Bligh Street Architects: Ingenhoven Architects and Architectus www.1bligh.com.au The building was named the best tall building in Asia & Australasia for 2012 in the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's Skyscraper Awards and also won the International Highrise Award 2012. Aurora Place, 88 Philipp Street Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop (in association with Innovarchi Architects, Sydney and Lend Lease Design Group) www.auroraplace.com.au Winner of prestigious 2002 Property Council of Australia Rider Hunt Award, the building has an unusual geometric shape where not one panel is parallel to any grid. The east façade bulges out slightly from its base, reaching its maximum width at the top floors. The curved and twisted shape is aimed to correspond with Sydney Opera House and to represent the marine environment of the harbour. The exterior glass curtain-wall extends beyond the main frame, creating an illusion of its independence. Deutsche Bank Place, 126 Phillip Street Architect: Foster and Partners www.126phillipstreet.com.au The building has 39 floors, but was planned to be much larger, however it would have blocked sunlight from reaching the buildings on its east including the State Library and Parliament. The setback roof or step design allows sunlight to reach the south-eastern side of the building. The spires appear oversized for the building; this was caused by the height being reduced, the spires being proportionate to a taller building. It is the second-tallest building in the world with fewer than 40 floors. Australia Square, 264 George Street Architect: Harry Seidler www.australiasquare.com.au The building won the Sir John Sulman Medal for its innovative and appealing design in 1967. In 2012, the Australian Institute of Architects awarded the Enduring Architecture National Award to Australia Square. It has even been described as the most beautiful building in Australia. The outstanding feature of the Square is the Tower Building, which from its completion in 1967 until 1976 was the tallest building in Sydney. Cadmans Cottage, 110 George Street Architect: Francis Greenway (suspected) Cadmans Cottage is the oldest house in Sydney, having been built in 1816 for the use of the governmental coxswains and their crews. Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, 14–28 Ultimo Road, Ultimo Architect: Frank Gehry The tower is named after Dr. Chau Chak Wing, a Chinese Australian businessman and philanthropist who donated $20 million for its construction. The 13-storey tower is part of the business school of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and provides teaching, learning, research, and office accommodation. The building's design is based on the idea of a tree-house structure. Its façade, which was made of 320,000 custom designed bricks, is described as the "squashed brown paper bag". Sirius Building, 38–70 Cumberland Street Architect: Tao Gofers Sirius is among the few quality examples of the Brutalism style in Australia, demonstrating the style's objective of ethical design based on social concerns as well as its focus on the truthful expression of materials, function and structure. The architect's original plan was to finish the building in a white colour to match the nearby Sydney Opera House, but due to budget constraints, it was finished unpainted. Since 2015, the Sirius has been at the centre of controversy over plans to remove the residents, sell off the building and redevelop the site. Following the NSW Government's decision to refuse heritage listing in 2017, against the advice of the Heritage Council of New South Wales, the building was put up for sale.
Tips
Check the website the day before the event to find out if the outing needs to be cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions.
This outing involves a lot of walking, so don't overload with equipment.
Wear comfortable shoes. Depending on whether you join us "only" in the morning or also tackle the second half of the tour in the afternoon, the distance covered will be between approx. 4 and 8 km.
Bring a hat, sunscreen, water and perhaps some food (e.g. fruit, muesli bars etc.).
If you want to carry the camera plus only one lens, a wide-angle zoom lens in the range of 16-35mm will be best.
Many buildings feature some stunning artwork that complements the architecture. Be on the lookout for interesting perspectives.
There are many other interesting buildings along our way; some of them open on Sundays: The QVB, Customs House, ... If you would like to take some indoor shots, bring a tripod.