Wilkinson Eyre design wins Packer's Crown Sydney Barangaroo tower competition

James Packer has chosen a winning design for his $1 billion Barangaroo tower, Crown Sydney.

British architecture firm Wilkinson Eyre took the podium with a unanimous decision from the judging panel, which included representatives from Crown, Lend Lease, NSW Department of Planning and Barangaroo Delivery Authority.

Urban Taskforce chief executive Chris Johnson described the Wilkinson Eyre design (pictured below) as a series of interwoven curves that emphasise the vertical form.

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The winner is due to be formally announced today, but Packer let the news slip yesterday.

“This city deserves a building that is truly special and the Wilkinson Eyre’s design delivers it. It’s a wonderful moment for Crown,” Packer told The Australian Financial Review.

It was the design which polled the highest in our reader survey taking in 60% of the votes. When released it was described as a series of interwoven curves that emphasise the vertical form.

Former Prime Minister and former chairman of the Barangaroo Design Excellence Review Panel Paul Keating had said that all the designs were "heading in the direction of being a significant building for Sydney".

But earlier this month he announced his preferred design options were either the Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture's sea shell-inspired tower or the Wilkinson Eyre design over the Kohn Pedersen Fox design.

The 60-storey six-star resort hotel and casino still needs approval from the planning department before it can reach Packer’s desired height of 235 metres. The site is currently approved for 170 metres.

Packer wants the tower to be the next Sydney icon, up there with the Sydney Opera House.

I want this building to be instantly recognizable around the world and feature on postcards and memorabilia promoting Sydney,” Packer said.