The Brewery Yard transformed Sydney’s historically significant 19th and early 20th-century Kent Brewery buildings into a single commercial, hospitality and retail complex. The design has created a vibrant central hub within a dynamic public precinct in Chippendale that harmoniously merges the contemporary needs of the site while honouring its industrial heritage.
The groundwork for the site’s transformation began over two decades ago with Tzannes and Cox Richardson’s winning masterplan design for the $2 billion Central Park precinct on the former site of the 6.7-hectare Carlton and United Brewery Yard in Chippendale. Tzannes was subsequently engaged to rejuvenate the central Brewery Yard buildings at the heart of the precinct.
Completed in 2014, Tzannes’ design for Stage One featured underground gas-powered tri-generation plant with an above-ground rooftop cooling tower, that powers the Central Park precinct and part of the adjoining UTS campus.
Stage One is Australia’s first and largest example of a precinct-wide tri-generation facility integrated into an adaptive reuse project. Tri-generation systems are a form of decentralised energy that simultaneously produces electricity, heating and cooling from a single fuel source – in this case, natural gas. The system captures and repurposes waste heat from the electricity generation process, which would otherwise be lost, using it for climate control. The visually striking cooling tower for the tri-generation plant sits atop the heritage structure, establishing a memorable landmark in the precinct.
One of the Brewery Yard’s distinct features is its historical expression showcased on its restored facades, revealing layers of time and celebrating the different palimpsests etched into its structure. The revitalised facades showcase contrasting contemporary glass and steel materials against a backdrop of aged brickwork and sandstone, enhancing the character of the historic brewery.
Stage Two of the Brewery Yard, undertaken for the client, IP Generation from 2021 to 2024, involved the vital task of restoring and reinterpreting the original facades and interior spaces of the historic buildings for contemporary commercial, office, retail, and hospitality uses. A through-site link to the park enables the public green spaces to integrate with the Brewery Yard square for the first time. The site’s activation as a lively public space complements Central Park’s vision as a high-density, vibrant inner-city neighbourhood with exceptional public amenity and accessibility.
