Sydney’s celebrated skyline is now redefined with a pair of 26-story towers, known as the ARC. The two slimming towers rise from an 8-story masonry podium inspired by the heritage in the area. This gold award winning BIA masterpiece was designed by Koichi Takada. The ARC is located in the city of Sydney within the historic area creating a public through-site connection between Clarence and Kent Street. This public walk through is reenacting the historic “Skittle Lane”. This lane dates back to the 1980s and acquired its name from its past life as the bowling alley for sailors and soldiers.

Building upon Sydney, Australia’s rich masonry tradition, ARC represents an architectural statement that combines craftsmanship and texture to create a contemporary tower that respects the rich historical context of its surrounding urban fabric. The distinguishing Arc is supported by the 59 fins that travel up the length of the building culminating in an organic crown feature, making its presence in Sydney’s skyline. The curved roof celebrates how the tower meets the sky.

The inspiration of the masonry component came from the well-known Red Cross Building and Andrew Brothers Warehouse with their significant heritage. As they boarder the Arc with their appealing characteristic arches, a duality is introduced to the façade and the varied aesthetics of the podium and tower.

With the knowledgeable curved nature of Sydney Harbor and the masonry in the nearby structures, the materials and details have a level of sophistication and authenticity that relates to Sydney’s past.

“Everything you see in Sydney is very feminine, very curvilinear. So beautiful. We should be connecting to that. It became a conscious decision to crown the building with an architectural feature that relates to how people perceive Sydney. We have taken a risk and hope others will read this as a message to take one too.” Says Koichi Takada.

The arc contains 135 apartments, 86 Skye suite boutique hotel rooms, 8 retail and F&B outlets. This building focuses on a design that enhances both public and residential amenity. On the ground level in the retail area there is a public walk through connecting two streets.