The architects of James Packer's proposed $1.3 billion hotel and casino resort at Barangaroo say they would not be overly concerned if NSW authorities require a reduction in height of the tower to below 270 metres.
Mr Packer's company, Crown Sydney, has yet to lodge a development application for the project, which at a proposed 270 metres would significantly breach the 170 metre height limit for a hotel at Barangaroo.
It would also exceed the 235 metre limit for residential and commercial skyscrapers in the Sydney central business district, although this does not apply to Barangaroo.
Paul Baker, a director of the architecture firm Wilkinson Eyre, said on Tuesday the state government's planning approval process "might modify the building and I think we [will] wait to see how that results".
But he added: "I think it's dealable [handleable]. It all depends where we end up.''
Company founder Chris Wilkinson said regardless of the eventual building height, the amount of accommodation inside would not change.
"If we go lower, we’ll probably end up with something a little fatter," Mr Wilkinson said.
"We're realists. All of our projects, we have to get planning consent. We never try to force it. We have to negotiate our way through."
The architects were speaking at an event organised by developer lobby group Urban Taskforce, which has been strongly supportive of Crown's plans.
Outlining the genesis of the building design, Mr Wilkinson said the firm felt what was needed at the Barangaroo site was "a sculptural form".
"We had the idea of trying to create an inhabited artwork," he said.
Mr Wilkinson said the idea began with a sculpture on which the company had been working that featured three petals joined at the centre and twisting through 90 degrees as they rose towards the sky.
"It struck me that you could inhabit this space by joining up the petals," he said.
Early discussions gave Wilkinson Eyre confidence that the "twist in the building" could be achieved with "a vertical core with helical columns around the perimeter".
"I still don't know whether anyone's done the helical columns before," Mr Wilkinson told the audience. But he added that the engineers for the project "seem pretty confident that it's going to work".
Pressed about this, Mr Wilkinson said he was "absolutely confident it's going to work".
The firm initially envisioned a white tower but this was "technically not possible". Instead it plans a "light silvery reflective colour".
The podium will be clad in a "veil of stonework" inspired by a central London church designed by 17th century architect Sir Christopher Wren.
The planned building includes luxury hotel suites on the top three floors, apartments below and then hotel rooms, a casino and cafes and restaurants at the podium level.
Mr Wilkinson said the "big advantage" of having mixed uses was that "you spread the use over 24 hours so it isn't dead at night, it's alive. And you get a vitality. I think the hotel is going to bring a huge amount of life to that area."
