Located on Sydney Harbour at the western edge of the city centre, Pier Pavilion is public space with a strong civic ethos and connection to place. Surrounded by the high-rise glamour of Barangaroo, this project is a peaceful and refreshingly modest, understated work of architecture in the context of Sydney’s CBD. It was delivered by the NSW Government with funding provided through developer contributions.

Its openness – including a large oculus – references land, sea and sky, while the innovative use of recycled oyster shells is both materially intriguing and culturally site-specific. “We wanted the pavilion to have a distinctly civic feel; all are welcome here,” says Peter Besley.

Jessica Spresser explains that “we began the design process by focusing on the natural elements that compose the site. Sydney Harbour is an idiosyncratic landscape, and the building is uniquely positioned to respond to it. This is achieved through materiality as well as form.”

The architects subjected the raw material of oyster shells to extensive mix experimentation and testing to create an ‘oyster terrazzo’ that forms the envelope of the Pavilion. It’s a unique material solution that responds with great specificity, both in cultural and ecological terms.

“The Pavilion references human gathering by the sea through its use of recycled Sydney Rock Oyster shells,” says Spresser. “We wanted to pay respect to the long history of oyster feasting in the area, and to celebrate the use of a unique material in the public realm.”

The presence of the oyster terrazzo is muted and understated – it’s not until the visitor lingers and attunes themselves to the building that its qualities become fully apparent. The beauty and complexity of the material reveals itself in close proximity.

“The Pavilion is intended to remain for a long time, and to figure in people’s memories of Sydney,” adds Besley. “We think the shells will be particularly memorable for children.”

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Returning to the question of form, the Pavilion is designed to be in dialogue with the water, as Spresser explains: “The plan opens like a book toward the mouth of the Harbour. The building also contains a large oculus which is open to the sky, allowing light and the elements to enter.”

The oculus creates striking effects in terms of moving sunlight and shade, while slender columns are the other structural highlight of the project. There are 86 in total, and they house the building’s service routes, including drainage, electricity and communications in lieu of exposed downpipes and risers.

The overall impression of Pier Pavilion might even be said to approach something of a Classical feel, in the sense that it is experienced as a genuinely civic space.

Client, Infrastructure NSW, comments: “[Besley & Spresser’s] dedication to balancing creativity with functionality was central to the project’s success. This is evident in key design features such as the rooftop garden, which integrates native species to attract wildlife, the custom terrazzo cladding […] and the impressive seven-metre-diameter oculus that allows natural light into the space.”

Besley & Spresser
besleyspresser.com

Photography
Rory Gardiner