Crown Sydney

Crown Sydney (also referred to by its street address of One Barangaroo and informally known as Packer’s Pecker) is a skyscraper in Barangaroo, New South Wales, Australia. Designed by WilkinsonEyre, it stands at a height of 271.3 m (890 ft) with 75 floors, making it the tallest building in Sydney and 6th tallest in Australia. It was developed by Crown Resorts, primarily comprising a hotel and residential apartments, while a casino and other hospitality venues make up the rest of its floorspace. Construction began in October 2016, and the building was topped out in March 2020. It was inaugurated to the public in December 2020.

Crown Sydney is a major component of the urban redevelopment of the Barangaroo area of central Sydney, forming part of a cluster of skyscrapers comprising the adjacent One Sydney Harbour and International Towers. The tower sits on the site of former industrial wharves, which were progressively paved over through land reclamation in the 1960s and 70s after falling into disuse, forming the unoccupied concrete site on which the tower was constructed.

Initial concepts for a hotel development in Barangaroo as part of its urban redevelopment plan first circulated in 2010. These concepts mostly centred around a 213 metres (699 feet) tall hotel tower built on a pier extended 150 metres (490 feet) into the harbour. Following public backlash, the height of the tower was lowered to 159 metres (522 feet) and the length of the pier was reduced to 85 metres (279 feet). These proposals failed to gain traction.

In February 2012, James Packer's casino group, Crown Resorts, presented an A$1 billion+ proposal to Premier Barry O'Farrell to build a hotel, casino and entertainment complex at the site on land that was set aside for open space at Barangaroo Central, a departure from previous concepts of building a tower on an extended pier in the harbour. O'Farrell initially welcomed the proposal, yet cautioned it would need to gain regulatory approval before going ahead.

The proposal drew widespread criticism from the Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Paul Keating, and former government architect, Chris Johnson. In October 2012, Premier O'Farrell announced that the NSW Cabinet had reviewed the proposal and decided that the government would enter into detailed negotiations with Crown Resorts for the establishment of a casino and hotel complex at Barangaroo. Tony Harris, a former Auditor-General of New South Wales was critical of the decision−making process, claiming the public could miss out on millions of dollars. Packer wrote a defence of his proposal for the press.

In July 2013 after a recommendation from an independent steering committee, O'Farrell announced the Crown proposal would be moved to Stage 3 of the unsolicited proposals process, the final stage where the parties will negotiate a binding contract. The government received a $100 million upfront fee for the licence, despite being offered $250 million with alternative tax arrangements which the steering committee's economic advisor Deloitte calculated was a superior offer. Crown's intention was to lure Chinese high-rollers to its Sydney casino, leveraging off its interests in its Macau casinos and taking advantage of a new streamlined visa process introduced by the Australian government for Chinese citizens wanting to gamble at Australian casinos. In November 2013, it was announced that Crown Sydney had received approval for the casino licence and place at Barangaroo.

In November 2015, Packer expressed his frustrations over the delaying of the project from strenuous government planning laws. Following this in March 2016, a series of proposals to change aspects of the building were recommended by the State Government in order for the project to receive final approval. This included the introduction of a new recess in the interior as well as new cladding on the south side of the building. An observation deck on the 66th floor from a height of 250 metres (820 feet) above ground, as well as public access to the upper floors, was also proposed. In June 2016, the casino received final approval from the Planning Assessment Commission on condition that the casino met needs proposed by the commission, including adequate public spaces and access.

Despite the development's approval, the Millers Point Fund lodged legal action against the project in early August 2016 challenging the validity of the casino and aiming to have construction on the project halted. Crown Resorts responded, stating they would "vigorously defend" their actions. The dispute was held in the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales in late August, with a decisive dismissal of the Millers Point Fund's claims.