While the Sydney Opera House may be the city’s most famous buildings (and rightly so), behind it are a number of incredible local and international projects that speak to the Australian city’s under stated culture of building and architectural tradition. From Utzon to Gehry, there is much to see and discover in Oceania’s largest city.
Below is our list of the MUST-SEE Architecture in Sydney. We hope you find it useful as you walk its sun-soaked streets (there’s a map at the bottom to guide you around). If you want to see your photo featured, hashtag #AVONTUURA or #mustseearchitecture on Instagram.
Onwards!
Contemporary Architecture
Dr Chau Chak Wing Building by Gehry Partners, LLP
This business school for the University of Technology Sydney was Frank Gehry’s first project in Australia. The building is often characterized as a squashed brown paper bag but its design was intended to provide flexible teaching and learning spaces on the inside.
Visiting Information
Architect: Frank Gehry
Built: 2015
Type: Institutional
Address: 14-28 Ultimo Rd, Ultimo NSW 2007, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: www.uts.edu.au/about/uts-business-school
The Exchange
Architect: Kengo Kuma
Built: 2020
Type: Civic Center
Address: 1 Little Pier St, Haymarket NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: www.darlingsq.com/discover/the-exchange/
One Central Park by Foster + Partners, Ateliers Jean Nouvel, PTW Architects
Located in the Sydney suburb of Chippendale, One Central Park is a stunning 2-tower building that features a number of key architectural features. Most notably are the vertical hanging gardens designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel and French botanist Patrick Blanc, and a 28th-floor cantilevered heliostat that reflects light into the gardens and atrium below.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Foster + Partners, Ateliers Jean Nouvel, PTW Architects
Built: 2013
Type: Housing, Shopping Center
Address: 28 Broadway, Chippendale, Sydney
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: www.centralparksydney.com/live/sold-out/one-central-park
Phoenix Central Park
Architect: Durbach Block Jaggers, John Wardle Architects
Built: 2020
Type: Performing Arts Center
Address: 37-49 O’Connor St, Chippendale NSW 2008, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: https://phoenixcentralpark.com.au/
Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology by Denton Corker Marshall
This competition-winning entry by Australian firm Denton Corker Marshall is characterized by sculptural quality that references the creative and technological ambitions of the University. It features four tilted metal planes with perforations in them giving the building the ability to control the amount of sunlight that enters the building.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Denton Corker Marshall
Built: 2014
Type: Institutional
Address: University of Technology Sydney, 11/81 Broadway, Ultimo NSW 2007, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: feit.uts.edu.au
International Convention Center Precinct by Hassell + Populous
Designed by HASSELL and Populous, the International Convention Centre is an integrated convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct consisting of 3 striking buildings at Sydney’s Darling Harbour. Each building features dramatic angular planes with a unique material identity and spatial quality.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Hassell + Populous
Built: 2013
Type: Conference Center
Address: 14 Darling Dr, Sydney NSW 2009, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: www.iccsydney.com.au/
8 Chifley by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, 8 Chifley is a pair of stacked glass volumes that features crisscrossing red braces on either end of the building. The braces allow for the emergence of an outdoor terrace in the middle of the building with views overlooking the Sydney skyline.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
Built: 2015
Type: Office
Address: 8 Chifley Square, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: www.8chifley.com.au/an-icon
International Towers by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
The International Towers is a group of 3 commercial skyscrapers in Sydney’s Barangaroo suburb. Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the buildings are positioned radially to maximize views over the harbour. Vertical solar shading, rainwater capture, and solar panels are just some of the features that make it a 6-star Green Star rated building.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
Built: 2016
Type: Office
Address: 200 Barangaroo Avenue, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Weekdays: 9:00am – 6:00pm, Weekends: 10:00am – 4:00pm
Website: www.barangaroosouth.com.au/commercial
Aurora Place by Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Aurora Place is a skyscraper in the historical district of Sydney and is designed like a vertical village. While it seems quite ordinary in form, the building is actually two separate residential and commercial buildings that are wrapped together and linked by a glass-covered square. A double-skin wall and the inclusion of winter gardens throughout the building make it a highly sustainable and liveable design.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Built: 2000
Type: Office, Residential
Address: 88 Phillip St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Weekdays, 7:00am – 7:00pm
Cost: Free
Website: www.auroraplace.com.au/
Punchbowl Mosque by Candalepas Associates
Punchbowl Mosque is a community mosque in Sydney’s south-west neighbourhood of Punchbowl. The building features a striking prayer space with a timber-lined dome and oculus at its roof, as well as a series of surreal concrete ‘muqarnas’ complete with pin-hole daylighting along its walls.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Candalepas Associates
Built: 2018
Type: Mosque
Address: 29 Arthur St, Punchbowl NSW 2196, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Unkown
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (Mordant Wing) by Sam Marshall
Completed in 2012, the Mordant Wing of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia features a series of stacked asymmetrical boxes that overlook Sydney Harbour. The boxes reveal the museums artwork for the public to see and are a counterpoint to the principal building’s 1950’s mono-form government aesthetic.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Sam Marshall
Built: 2012
Type: Art Museum
Address: 140 George St, The Rocks NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Tours: Daily, 10:00am – 5:00pm (9:00pm on Wednesdays)
Cost: Free
Website: https://www.mca.com.au/
Wynyard Walk by Woods Bagot
Designed by Woods Bagot in 2016, Wynyard Walk is a 180-metre-long (590 ft) sub-surface pedestrian link between Wynyard station and Barangaroo in Sydney’s central business district, The design of the walk is centred around the concept of ‘flow’ and features clean, flowing lines along the walls, ceiling, and lighting.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Woods Bagot
Built: 2016
Type: Pedestrian link and tunnel
Address: Wynward Station, Bangaroo
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Weekdays, 7:00am – 7:00pm
Cost: Free
Arc by Koichi Takada Architects
Arc is a tale of two [complementary] styles; a stunning handcrafted brick podium with decorative arches, and a contemporary tower with a flowing and organic roof. An 8-story public link reactivates the historic Skittle Lane and ties the building in with its traditional context.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Koichi Takada Architects
Built: 2019
Type: Residential, Retail, Hotel
Address: 49 King St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Roslyn Street Bar and Restaurant by Durbach Block Jaggers Architects
This four-storey wedge-shaped building by Durbach Block Jaggers Architects features a glossy mosaic tile on its exterior. The top floor is particularly interesting with a rooftop garden that offers views to the street through the irregular windows that dot the building’s exterior.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Durbach Block Jaggers Architects
Built: 2009
Type: Restaurant
Address: 9 Roslyn St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Short Lane by Woods Bagot
This spectacular 22-storey residential building by Woods Bagot features board-formed concrete terraces that cantilevers out from the building. The terraces are quite spacious and offers space for trees, planter beds, and outdoor furniture.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Woods Bagot
Built: 2018
Type: Apartment
Address: 352 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
Open to the Public: No
Related Article
20th Century Architecture
Sydney Opera House by Jørn Utzon
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre overlooking Sydney Harbour. This iconic building was designed by Jørn Utzon and was one of the first projects that showcased the benefits of computer-aided design. The opera house is visited by over 8 million people annually and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Jørn Utzon
Built: 1973
Type: Opera House
Address: Bennelong Point, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes, Pre-booked
Tours: Daily: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Cost: $37
Website: www.sydneyoperahouse.com/
Sydney Tower Eye by Donald Crone
Sydney Tower is the tallest structure in Sydney and the second tallest tower in the southern hemisphere. In 2009 it underwent significant renovations including connecting it with the shopping centre below.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Donald Crone
Built: 1981
Type: Observation and communications tower
Address: 100 Market St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Tours: Daily, 10:00am – 6:00pm
Cost: $23
Website: https://www.sydneytowereye.com.au/
Anzac Memorial by Bruce Dellit
The Anzac Memorial is a heritage-listed war memorial, museum and monument located in Hyde Park South in Sydney’s Central Business District. It was built as a memorial to the Australian Imperial Force of World War I and was opened by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester on November 24th, 1934.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Bruce Dellit
Built: 1934
Type: War memorial, museum and monument
Address: Liverpool Street, Hyde Park, South Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Daily, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Cost: Free
Website: www.anzacmemorial.nsw.gov.au/
Australia Square by Harry Seidler
Australia Square Tower is an office and retail complex in the central business district of Sydney. At the time of its construction, it was tallest lightweight concrete building in the world. A circular form was selected to minimize the shadow effect created by the building on the street.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Harry Seidler
Built: 1961
Type: Office, retail, revolving restaurant, observation deck
Address: 264 George St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Weekdays, 8:00am – 6:00pm
Cost: Free
Website: https://www.australiasquare.com.au/home
Rose Seidler House by Harry Seidler
The Rose Seidler House was designed by architect Harry Seidler for his two parents Max and Rose. It was built in the Bauhaus style and is an excellent example of modern architecture wherein it establishes a contrast between the man-made object and nature (order versus disorder).
Visiting Information:
Architect: Harry Seidler
Built: 1961
Type: Private house
Address: 71 Clissold Rd, Wahroonga NSW 2076, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Sundays, 10:00am – 4:00pm
Cost: $12
Website: https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/rose-seidler-house
Sirius Apartment Building by Tao Gofers
The Sirius Apartment Building is one of Australia’s best-known examples of brutalist architecture. It’s located in Sydney’s The Rocks district and is the only high rise building in the neighbourhood. The building was notably rejected for heritage status in 2017 and was put up for sale the same year. Its future on the Sydney skyline remains uncertain.
Visiting Information:
Architect: Tao Gofers
Built: 1980
Type: Residential
Address: 38 to 70 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, Sydney
Open to the Public: Yes
Heritage Architecture
Sydney Town Hall by John H. Wilson
Sydney Town Hall is a heritage-listed building built from local sandstone in the grand Victorian Second Empire style. In 2008-2009, it was discovered that the building lies on top of Sydney’s first cemetery Old Sydney Burial Ground where much of the city’s wealthy and impoverished were buried. It still is in excellent condition and remains an important civic institution for the city.
Visting Information:
Architect: John H. Wilson
Built: 1889
Type: Town hall
Address: 483 George Street, Sydney CBD, New South Wales
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Weekdays, 8:00am – 6:00pm
Cost: Free (Tours are $5)
Website: https://www.sydneytownhall.com.au/
General Post Office by James Barnet, Walter Liberty Vernon
Also known as the Sydney GPO, the General Post office is a heritage-listed built in 1861 under the guidance of Colonial Architect James Barnet. It is built out of Sydney sandstone and generally regarded as the finest example of the Victorian Italian Renaissance Style in New South Wales.
Visiting Information:
Architect: James Barnet, Walter Liberty Vernon
Built: 1861
Type: Town hall
Address: No. 1 Martin Place, Sydney central business district, New South Wales
Open to the Public: Unknown
Strand Arcade by John B. Spencer, Charles E. Fairfax
The Strand Arcade is a Victorian-style retail arcade in the heart of Sydney’s central business district. The 3-storey structure features several decorative elements including a tinted glass rooftop, traditional-styled protruding galleries, cedar staircases, tiled floors, cast iron balusters, and timber-framed shop fronts.
Visiting Information:
Architect: John B. Spencer, Charles E. Fairfax
Built: 1898
Type: Retail arcade
Address: 195-197 Pitt Street, Sydney central business district, City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Weekdays, 9:00am – 5:30pm. Weekends, varies
Cost: Free
Website: https://www.strandarcade.com.au/
Queen Victoria Building by George McRae
The Queen Victoria Building was designed in the Romanesque Revival style and built between 1893 and 1898. It is 30 metres (98 ft) wide by 190 metres (620 ft) long and was designed as a marketplace which it remains today.
Visiting Information:
Architect: George McRae
Built: 1898
Type: Marketplace
Address: 455 George St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Weekdays, 9:00am – 6:00pm. Weekends, 10:00 am – 4:00pm
Cost: Free
Website: https://www.sydneytowereye.com.au/
Elizabeth Bay House by John Verge, John Bibb, Edward Deas Thomson
Built between 1835 and 1839, the Elizabeth Bay House is a heritage-listed Colonial Regency style house that functions as a museum and grotto today. Now situated within a dense suburban neighbourhood, at the time of its construction it was surrounded by a 22-hectare (54-acre) garden.
Visiting Information:
Architect: John Verge, John Bibb, Edward Deas Thomson
Built: 1839
Type: Private house
Address: 7 Onslow Ave, Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Friday to Sunday, 10:00am – 4:00pm.
Cost: $12
Website: https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/elizabeth-bay-house
Vaucluse House by W. C. Wentworth
Built between 1803 and 1839 in the Gothic Revival style, the Vaucluse House is a 19th-century estate surrounded by 11 hectares (28 acres) of formal gardens and grounds. It is one of the only remaining houses of the period that has retaining a significant part of its original setting.
Visting Information:
Architect: W. C. Wentworth
Built: 1839
Type: Private house
Address: 69A Wentworth Rd, Vaucluse NSW 2030, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00am – 4:00pm.
Cost: $12
Website: https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/vaucluse-house
Architect: Donald Crone
Built: 1981
Type: Observation and communications tower
Address: 100 Market St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Tours: Daily, 10:00am - 6:00pm
Cost: $23
Website: https://www.sydneytowereye.com.au/
Architect: Bruce Dellit
Built: 1934
Type: War memorial, museum and monument
Address: Liverpool Street, Hyde Park, South Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Daily, 9:00am - 5:00pm
Cost: Free
Website: www.anzacmemorial.nsw.gov.au/
Architect: Harry Seidler
Built: 1961
Type: Private house
Address: 71 Clissold Rd, Wahroonga NSW 2076, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Sundays, 10:00am - 4:00pm
Cost: $12
Website: https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/rose-seidler-house
Architect: John H. Wilson
Built: 1889
Type: Town hall
Address: 483 George Street, Sydney CBD, New South Wales
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Weekdays, 8:00am - 6:00pm
Cost: Free (Tours are $5)
Website: https://www.sydneytownhall.com.au/
Architect: James Barnet, Walter Liberty Vernon
Built: 1861
Type: Town hall
Address: No. 1 Martin Place, Sydney central business district, New South Wales
Open to the Public: Unknown
Architect: John B. Spencer, Charles E. Fairfax
Built: 1898
Type: Retail arcade
Address: 195-197 Pitt Street, Sydney central business district, City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Weekdays, 9:00am - 5:30pm. Weekends, varies
Cost: Free
Website: https://www.strandarcade.com.au/
Architect: George McRae
Built: 1898
Type: Marketplace
Address: 455 George St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Weekdays, 9:00am - 6:00pm. Weekends, 10:00 am - 4:00pm
Cost: Free
Website: https://www.sydneytowereye.com.au/
Architect: W. C. Wentworth
Built: 1839
Type: Private house
Address: 69A Wentworth Rd, Vaucluse NSW 2030, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00am - 4:00pm.
Cost: $12
Website: https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/vaucluse-house
Architect: John Verge, John Bibb, Edward Deas Thomson
Built: 1839
Type: Private house
Address: 7 Onslow Ave, Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Friday to Sunday, 10:00am - 4:00pm.
Cost: $12
Website: https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/elizabeth-bay-house
Architect: Woods Bagot
Built: 2018
Type: Apartment
Address: 352 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
Open to the Public: No
Architect: Tao Gofers
Built: 1980
Type: Housing
Address: 38 to 70 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, Sydney
Open to the Public:Yes
Architect: Richard Rogers
Built: 2016
Type: Office
Address: 200 Barangaroo Avenue, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Weekdays: 9:00am - 6:00pm, Weekends: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Website: www.barangaroosouth.com.au/commercial
Architect: Richard Rogers
Built: 2015
Type: Office
Address: 8 Chifley Square, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: www.8chifley.com.au/an-icon
Architect: Hassell + Populous
Built: 2013
Type: Conference Center
Address: 14 Darling Dr, Sydney NSW 2009, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: www.iccsydney.com.au/
Architect: Denton Corker Marshall
Built: 2014
Type: Institutional
Address: University of Technology Sydney, 11/81 Broadway, Ultimo NSW 2007, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: feit.uts.edu.au
Architect: Jean Nouvel
Built: 2013
Type: Housing, Shopping Center
Address: 28 Broadway, Chippendale, Sydney
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: www.centralparksydney.com/live/sold-out/one-central-park
Architect: Frank Gehry
Built: 2015
Type: Institutional
Address: 14-28 Ultimo Rd, Ultimo NSW 2007, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: www.uts.edu.au/about/uts-business-school
Architect: Jørn Utzon
Built: 1973
Type: Opera House
Address: Bennelong Point, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Open to the Public: Yes, Pre-booked
Tours: Daily: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Cost: $37
Website: www.sydneyoperahouse.com/
