Haymarket set for new mixed-use apartment tower
Well-know China-town restauranteur, Stanley Yee, has taken to the development world, lodging plans to construct a 14-storey mixed-use building on the amalgamated site of his Emperor's Garden Restaurant at 96-100 Hay Street, Haymarket.
The ownership families have a long history of operating restaurants and supplying to the community from the site.
The Lai family are the other owners of the site, who were original contributors to the construction of the Chinatown gates, with Lai’s father honoured with his name inscribed on the gate.
To celebrate these connections, a graphic display will feature across a double-storey wall across the ground and first floor retail space, showcasing the history of the building, of Chinatown and of the families involvement in the community.
Sydney-based architects, PTI, have been engaged to handle the design of the development, with a focus on creating a Chinese-style architectural form, to not only complement the surrounding area, but to further celebrate and bring to life the Chinese community.
“We have sought to design a building which expresses the history and culture of the Chinese community, so it can be a further image of Sydney’s Chinatown and that it adds to deepens the experience of seeing and coming to the area,” PTI noted in their submission to the City of Sydney council.
In doing this, the design takes inspiration from the traditional curved roof forms commonly found in traditional Chinese architecture, which is also expressed in the form of the gateway to Chinatown that sits adjacent to the site.
The eccentric shape will be created through horizontal façade spandrels, while a curved roof crowns the building, gently curving upward to further reference the junction of Hay Street and Dixon Street, which marks the entrance to Chinatown.
Yee’s Emperor’s Garden Restaurant will continue to operate at the site, along with other retailers on the ground and first floor. The second level will be dedicated commercial space, adding further support for the business and organisations that operate for and within the Chinatown community.
The third floor of the development will serve as a communal indoor and outdoor open space, with the residences beginning on level four. Two one-bedroom apartments and two studio apartments occupy the floorspace to level 12, with the arrangement created so either four apartments can be sold separately or combined to create a larger residence. The result of providing this flexibility is that the property can meet the many and varied needs of the community, from down sizers, to couples and families.
Level 13 features one, full-floor three-bedroom apartment.
Haymarket is positioned at the southern end of the Sydney CBD and with close proximity to a range of modes of public transport making it a highly accessibly area.
The area comprises a major tourism destinations, bustling retail and entertainment uses and a cluster of hotels and backpacker hostels, making this a diverse and vibrant village.
