Construction has begun on Ace Hotel Sydney, a 19-storey tower on top of a heritage federation warehouse known as ‘Tyne House’.
Construction firm Hickory was appointed to deliver the project, which aims to maintain the early 20th-century warehouse façade and salvage certain elements for use within the hotel.
The oldest known kiln in Australia was previously found on the heritage site, and prior to demolition, archaeologist works took place to carefully remove any artefacts.
Designed in partnership with Australian architecture firm Bates Smart, the hotel will feature 264 hotel rooms, with a cocktail bar and dining areas on level 18. The ground floor lobby will also incorporate an adjacent bar and café.
Hickory, in collaboration with Mann Group, has undertaken a complex demolition of the existing structure, which involved adding 100 tonnes of additional structural steel to retain the 9-storey heritage façade.
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Hickory also performed replacement works for one of Sydney Water’s oldest oviform drain assets. The historic brickwork stormwater channel was built in the 1860s, with the stormwater line entirely below ground and preceding through the foundations of Ace Hotel.
Hickory Managing Director George Abraham said the installation process was quite logistically complicated as construction crews had to work around the structural steel bracing system to retain the heritage façade.
“We have now successfully installed a new drain channel which is constructed from glass-reinforced plastic to maintain the obscure oviform shape, and then encased in reinforced concrete,” he said.
Podium transfer slabs have also been completed, with structure works progressing through the heritage floors.
The façade and finishes will be beginning soon, with Hickory working to preserve additional heritage elements such as the original oriel bay timber window, and pressed metal cladding and cornices
Ace Hotel Sydney is expected to be completed in late 2021.