From the architect:

CHROFI's design for two significant buildings on the Parramatta riverfront is a celebration of place and modern living. The design excellence competition winning design comprises a 52-storey mixed-use tower and an eight storey commercial building.

To be located along the banks of the Parramatta River, the project will form part of the high density northern edge of towers in Sydney's second CBD.

The winning design proposes a five-storey podium which will accommodate 4,000 square metres of commercial and retail space, with an additional 4,500 square metres of bespoke commercial offering located in an 8 storey mass engineered timber building to the southern end of the site.

The 48 storey tower above will contain a range of apartments, offer sweeping views across Parramatta to the North, East and West.

"The proposal delivers a high quality and premium product. With the commercial proposition strongly supported with the singularity design element and materiality,” a statement from the Competition Jury reads.

"The design was commended by the Jury as the standout scheme being classic, timeless, on both the macro and micro levels. The proposal has a strong urban response that optimises the building form on the site.

Underpinning the design response was establishing an understanding of what high density developments in Sydney's Second CBD currently looks like and set forth how we might alter those preconceptions to create a better residential, commercial, retail and public outcome.

On ground a grand arcade flanks the eastern edge of a new urban piazza, to form an activated edge of a greater precinct masterplan. Working collaboratively with Indigenous consultancy group Bangawarra and artist Otis Hope Carey, a series of integrated public artworks will reflect local indigenous stories of water, sky and mountains.

Two elevated gardens on top of the tower podium and tower rooftop will provide residents with a communal area with quiet and shared zones, while a green space on the roof of the commercial building will provide tenants views over the adjacent park towards Parramatta river.

The southern building is proposed to be made of sustainably sourced timber, the only renewable resource for structures. Where the mass timber structure reads as the defining architectural statement of the building, bringing a warmth and natural tactility to the proposal.

The scale and strategic location of the site means that it will transform the context as much as it responds to it, and it will define how the precinct emerges around it.