Urbanest Darling Square construction begins with public art unveiling

SEPTEMBER 2015: Buildcorp and Urbanest have begun construction on the 634 bed student accommodation development located in the Sydney’s new Darling Square precinct. Due for completion in early 2017, the construction site this month unveiled a 60m long public artwork inspired by student life in Sydney titled “This is where it all begins”. The above 1-minute film shows the impressive installation of the art wall taken in time-lapse images.

The 60m x 13m art wall is located on a temporary safety screen bordering Urbanest’s construction site and the light rail line behind the Powerhouse Museum. The screen will remain up for at least eight months and provide a safety protection guard for the light rail and the initial site works.

Sydney artist Sindy Sinn was commissioned to create the illustration using his spirited graphic style which conveys vibrant movement with bold use of colour. Sinn has previously designed for Mambo, Harley Davidson and The Ramones, to name a few. The art wall is also a good example of the City of Sydney’s new construction signage guidelines (Dec 2014) that encourages the use of creative art on highly visible sites to add visual interest to the streetscape.

The striking nature of the 60m safety guard is due to a unique production and graphic rip process which involved printing direct to the plywood, using state of the art technology of the highest resolution; a first for that process worldwide, and for printers ScrimWorks.

The Urbanest student accommodation project is part of Darling Square, Sydney’s newest, most walkable and connected inner city neighbourhood, being delivered by Lendlease as part of the NSW Government’s 20-hectare transformation of Darling Harbour.

Urbanest partnered with Buildcorp on this project in early 2015 after they successfully completed the recently opened Urbanest student accommodation at City Road, Darlington.

Urbanest’s CEO, Bub Nickel said: “At Urbanest, we believe that we have a responsibility to contribute to the culture of the neighbourhoods we are a part of.  We believe that one of the reasons that Sydney is such a special place to live is our city’s tremendous dedication to weaving culture and art into its real estate.  Our hope is our investment in the fantastic work of local artist Sindy Sinn will inspire our residents to continue this tradition as they transform into future community leaders.”

Buildcorp’s Managing Director Tony Sukkar said: “Buildcorp is delighted to be collaborating with Urbanest again to create quality student accommodation in central Sydney. Our investment in the artwork “This is where it all begins” is an eye catching and vibrant local talking point for commuters and pedestrians to enjoy. We’re proud to have the artwork on the site as it offers a creative solution to an important construction safety initiative, which we take very seriously.”