Kensington Street

On the eastern side of the street are working class terraces from 1842 to 1910 that were procured by John Tooth for brewery expansion. These heritage facades have been retained and restored; a significant initiative in retaining heritage value in the street. The Old Clare Hotel has undergone a major overhaul and through careful adaptive reuse, has joined with the former Carlton United Administration Building to transform into a 5-star hotel by Unlisted Collection. In the public domain, original trachyte kerbing has been uplifted and reinstated flush alongside the brick paving, serving as a historical line. Old world charm exudes through its brick and granite features, tying in with its surrounding architecture.

Kensington Street is a shared pedestrian zone that provides a new a place to meet, interact & stay in downtown Sydney, & contributes to the evolving street typology of the city. Permeability & flow through the various spaces along the street promotes the merging of landscape, infrastructure & history of the site, & invites a mix of pedestrian, cycle & vehicle access.Historical kerb lines marry flush into the new ground plane; unifying the street. A formal avenue of trees define the central carriageway & separate vehicular movements from active building frontages. Cafe break out spaces have been marked by a change in brick pattern & seating placed rhythmically between plantings provides a place of respite.

The materials palette across Kensington Street is kept as simple as possible, with the hero bespoke Bowral Blue Brick paying homage to its local architectural heritage. The pattern of the brick changes across the public domain to add visual interest and delineate between building edges, City of Sydney boundary and through-site links.Timber benches are placed rhythmically along the street to encourage pedestrian amenity & activate the street life. Pot plants and traditional bollards act as a traffic calming measure to ensure a safe pedestrian environment.Resurrected building frontages spill out onto the street and provide a streetscape that is activated day and night by conversation, creative hustle & culture.