How SJB created a new haven in Surry Hills with Surry Hills Village precinct

SJB Director Adam Haddow has lived and worked in the area for 20 years, saying Surry Hills is his village. 
How SJB created a new haven in Surry Hills with Surry Hills Village precinct
Alison Warters August 21, 2023ARCHITECTURE

Aligning with the City of Sydney’s strategy of transforming inner-city urban precincts, Surry Hills Village will deliver the regeneration of a 1.2-hectare site to meet the needs of locals and visitors.

SJB Director Adam Haddow, one of the architects involved in designing TOGA's Surry Hills Village, has lived and worked in the area for 20 years, saying Surry Hills is his village. 

Haddow thinks the project will add to the local landscape a sense of renewal and reinvigoration.

"One of the things we love about Surry Hills is walking through small laneways and down and finding new spaces and this will become a part of that experience of finding new things and experience of kind of tripping over a new space, or finding your most favourite restaurant or bar without even knowing it's there," Haddow said. 

 

Surry Hills Village will comprise a mix of one, two and three-bedroom residence, designed with rare vision and clarity, offering space, amenity and upmarket finishes customary only in the finest private homes.

"I think one of the most important things about mixed use projects is you get a diversity of offering so you'll have commercial office space, you have retail space, you have residential space, getting that mix of residents and visitors is incredibly important to ensuring that they feed off each other and they give each other energy."

The vibrant market-style address will extend a new story to a whole new part of the city, with a range of green spaces, retail spaces and dining spaces also incorporated, including a Coles Supermarket and Vintage Cellars.

"From fashion boutiques to homewares, the retail offering within the Village is designed to nourish and complement the lives of residents, bringing together specialist producers, sellers and curators," Haddow said.

"So our opportunity with doing this this project is that we can start to get people coming across the site together, so we weave it back in so the activity that you get from around the streets actually starts to inject itself on the site again, and vice versa, the activity of the site helps to reinvigorate the streets of Surry Hill," he added. 

Haddow noted the challenge in designing Surry Hills Village was about finding a balance between the activity of the streets scape and a sense of quietness and reprieve in the green spaces that existed above.

"So that you can you can immerse yourself in that green space and you can feel a thousand kilometres away from anywhere, we wanted to give you that opportunity of having the activity of the ground and the quietness and sanctuary of above."

Featuring the heritage brickwork of the former Bank of NSW’s façade, Surry Hills Village draws on and weaves within the aspects of its surroundings.

Nestled in the heart of Surry Hills, the development aims to capture and celebrate the suburb’s vibrancy and variety, referring to its local terrace house architecture, many and varied eateries and bars, colourful people and unique city fringe location located between Centennial Park and the CBD.

Alison Warters

Alison Warters is a property journalist for Urban, based in Sydney. Alison is especially interested in the evolution of the New Build/Development space, when it comes to design innovation and sustainability.

Editor's Picks

First home buyers jump at Victoriana apartments on Melbourne's Albert Park
Sekisui House Australia approved for Dawn, the latest stage at $5 billion Melrose Park masterplan
Safari Group’s Mountain Oak Apartments brings new investment potential to Queenstown
Aurora On Depper, St Lucia: Construction Update
R.Iconic: A Lifestyle-First Masterpiece in Melbourne