SHARPE PENTHOUSE Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia | 1998 - 2000

Located on the western half of the top floor of Altair in Sydney’s Kings Cross this penthouse apartment has dramatic views over Sydney harbour, the central business district and the inner city suburbs of Paddington and Darlinghurst to the south.

The apartment is surrounded on 3 sides by extremely large outdoor terraces with a significant portion undercover of a cantilevered concrete roof providing both weather protection and sunshading to the banks of sliding glass doors which open to allow almost seamless integration of the internal and external spaces.  There are motorised retractable aluminium louvres over the west facing glazing for both sun control and for privacy from the adjacent high rise residential tower.  The plan of the apartment is divided into 2 distinct halves, living areas to the west and bedrooms to the east.  Both sections contain a central service pod clad in bronze polycarbonate panels.  The pod in the bedroom half contains bathrooms, laundry and walk in wardrobe, while the pod in the living half contains the kitchen, lifts and lift lobby.  As this is the only apartment on this floor accessed from these lifts the lift lobby has been treated as part of the apartment and furnished with 2 Jean Nouvel ‘Less’ tables to display small artworks and sculptural floral arrangements.

The flooring throughout both the interior and exterior terraces is grey terrazzo tile with a 12 metre long overlaid carpet strip to the living and dining areas.  The interior furniture comprises a number of large scale elements from Maarten van Severen, Jean Nouvel’s ‘Less’ system and a leather upholstered L-shaped ‘Cuba’ modular sofa from Capellini.

Photographer: Ross Honeysett