While working as an architect at the architecture firm Johnson Pilton Walker, I joined the team responsible for the construction of a 26-storey hotel adjacent to the iconic Australia Square, in Sydney’s central business district. The tower is divided into three main sections in response to its immediate surroundings. The first two levels are dedicated to high-quality retail, while a 20-storey structure houses 194 hotel rooms. Finally, a four-storey golden crown accommodates the hotel lobby as well as a pool, bar, and restaurant, overlooking the city’s skyscrapers.

This unique positioning of the lobby, a true urban belvedere, represents one of the key architectural decisions of the Adina Sydney Hotel. With a fully glazed 15-metre-high volume, this emblematic space offers exceptional panoramic views over the Central Business District and asserts the project’s identity within Sydney’s skyline. Here, architecture does more than fulfil a hotel programme: it creates a spatial experience.

The street-facing façades adopt a contemporary language, in dialogue with the surrounding built heritage. Concrete, sandstone, and folded aluminium form an architectural envelope that is both elegant and durable. The careful balance between glazed surfaces and sculpted façades optimises the building’s energy performance while ensuring comfort and privacy for hotel guests (a central concern in hotel architecture within dense urban settings).

The interior architecture of the Adina Sydney Hotel extends this approach. The arrival sequence is conceived as a gradual sensory transition: from the bustling activity of George Street, visitors pass through a sandstone colonnade accompanied by a calming water feature. This architectural threshold deliberately contrasts with the urban bustle, preparing guests for a calmer, more contemplative experience.

The ascent to the top of the tower reinforces this theatrical progression. The lobby becomes the heart of the project, a naturally lit gathering space where noble materials, spectacular views, and a serene atmosphere define a new vision of the contemporary urban hotel. Adina Sydney thus contributes fully to the revitalisation of George Street Island, offering Sydney a strong architectural landmark that is functional, welcoming, and emblematic.