The Ribbon, Darling Harbour

GMU has been appointed to assess the visual impacts of the intended redevelopment at 31 Wheat Road, Darling Harbour for Grocon (Darling Harbour) Pty Ltd. The proposed development is a 20 storey commercial building consisting of 62,533m2 of office GFA, and a podium containing retail, function rooms, gym, cinema and government offices.The project has been identified by the State Government as a State Significant Site and a Development Application for this site was exhibited by the Department of Planning and Environment (DoP&E). As part of the original application GMU provided a Visual Impact Assessment that focussed on views from the public domain in response to Director General Requirements (DGR’s) issued by DoP&E. A second Visual Impact Assessment was prepared in response to issues raised in submissions received during the exhibition. As part of the additional information requirement, the DoP&I requested consideration of a view analysis comprising photomontages and perspectives of the development from residential buildings to the southeast of the site. The works included carrying out include detailed photographic documentation from the surrounding public domain where the proposed development is potentially visible from. Private views from adjacent residential apartments to the proposed development were then examined in the second report. The assessment utilises comparison between existing conditions and montages to identify the potential visual impact resulted from the proposed development. Mitigation measures have been suggested to assist in blending the form into the city’s western edge including material selection. These measures will enable the design to achieve design excellence and further enhance the existing views.