Wollongong Central

Wollongong Central

Wollongong Central

Inspired by the desire to achieve more than just create a building, the GPT Group’s Wollongong Central is the tale of an urban transformation – the creation of a series of new spaces and activities that integrate the surrounding streets and the city center. The Illawarra region is characterised by a unique dichotomy – the perception of a tough and gritty town defined solely by its history as a steel town, and a rich, almost achingly beautiful landscape held tightly between the rainforest clad escarpment and the Pacific Ocean. This friction defined the architecture of the building: a heroic, engineered and precise outer shell reflecting the man-made, which unfolds to an interior space that is warm, organic and sensual, reflecting the natural. 

Fundamentally, this development is about connection to place, to light, and to the city. The building connects the northern and southern parts of the city via a soaring five storey timber public street, knitting together existing and future parts of the city. The street’s undulating forms evokes an escarpment; the curve appears to open and close, permitting light and shadow to fall. This connection of the built-form out (rather than the typical inward-looking model) was vital in establishing a cohesive response to the life of the street and then of the city. 

    Wollongong Central
    Client
    The GPT Group
    Location

    Wollongong, NSW
    Australia

    Services

    Awards

    A+ Awards Winner (2015)
    People's Choice Category
    Architizer
    Awards for Excellence, Commendation (2015)
    Retail Development Category
    Urban Design Institute of Australia
    A+ Awards Winner (2015)
    Jury Award, Shopping Centre Category
    Architizer
    New South Wales Architecture Award Commendation (2015)
    Colorbond® Award for Steel Architecture
    Australian Institute of Architects, New South Wales Chapter
    Excellence in Construction Awards, Winner (2015)
    Retail Buildings - New Buildings ($50,000,001 & Over)
    Master Builders Association of New South Wales
    National Award for Architecture (2015)
    Commercial Category
    Australian Institute of Architects
    Awards for Excellence, Winner (2015)
    NSW Regions & ACT Development Category
    Urban Development Institute of Australia
    New South Wales Architecture Award (2015)
    Commercial Architecture Category
    Australian Institute of Architects, New South Wales Chapter
    Excellence in Construction Awards, Winner (2015)
    Best Use of Timber
    Master Builders Association of New South Wales
    Timber Vision Awards, Shortlisted (2015)
    Commercial Exterior Category
    Intergrain
    New South Wales Architecture Award (2015)
    International Association of Lighting Design Award
    Australian Institute of Architects, New South Wales Chapter
    World Architecture Awards, Shortlisted (2015)
    Shopping - Completed Buildings
    World Architecture Festival
    New South Wales Architecture Award (2015)
    Urban Design Category
    Australian Institute of Architects, New South Wales Chapter
    Excellence in Construction Awards, Winner (2015)
    Best Use of Concrete
    Master Builders Association of New South Wales