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2 With the increasing globalisation of world cities comes a need to ensure each individual city retains its own character. Cities must be both Global and Local. Sydney has a very special natural environment with its flowing bays around the harbour sweeping beaches billowing sails and winding river valleys. But the historic European layout of Sydney is defined by a rectangular grid which is not really the character of the natural environment. A number of recent buildings however are reflecting the curvilinear spirit of Sydney and these are beginning to define a new Sydney Style. City Planning has often been a debate between the order of the city as a whole and the flair and excitement that a special building can deliver. Italian architect Aldo Rossi wrote about the city as a backdrop of ordered buildings offset by special oneoff cultural buildings. In the Sydney context our Opera House sums up Rossis approach where the cultural building accessible to all becomes a free form expression of its own use and setting. But apart from the Sydney Opera House and some of Harry Seidlers early towers the urban architecture of Sydney has followed the rules and is neatly lined up with the street edges. It is only in recent years that the development industry has challenged this planning orthodoxy to propose new architectural forms that create a counterpoint to the unity of the city. A NEW SYDNEY TREND TO SCULPTURAL BUILDINGS This issue of Urban Ideas explores these issues and presents a recent and current trend towards free form sculptural buildings that challenge the existing linear grids of the city. Melbourne has been seen as being more innovative in its architecture than Sydney for some decades but a new creative spirit is emerging in Sydney. Just as Jorn Utzon was an outsider from Denmark when he designed the Sydney Opera House there are now more international architects bringing innovation to Sydney. Frank Gehrys amazing paper bag building for the Business School at UTS is an example of a very sculptural building as is Chris Wilkinsons resort hotel at Barangaroo or Renzo Pianos apartment buildings. Japanese architects either local or from Japan are adding another layer with Koichi Takadas flowing buildings. A number of Sydney architects are exploring similar fluid geometries through the work of Richard Francis-Jones Tony Owen Collins and Turner Lava and Enter Projects. But these architects need the developers of the projects to want to innovate and this is where a few projects are now getting support from the industry to deliver even more sculptural buildings. SYDNEYS CHARACTER IS ONE OF FLOWING SCULPTURAL SHAPES Sydney is a city blessed by its location. The famous harbour with its bays and peninsulas is very different to the flat landscape of many cities. It seems very appropriate that the special buildings would reflect the local character of the harbour that is conveyed by the topography of a flowing series of bays and peninsulas the sails on the water or even the sandy beaches with the waves rolling in. Artists like Brett Whiteley have captured this sensuous flow of water and landscape. There is a new design spirit emerging in Sydney that reflects the flowing shapes of our famous harbour and beaches. DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRY IS DRIVING INNOVATION BUT COUNCIL PLANNERS CAN PREFER UNIFORMITY The projects outlined in this edition of Urban Ideas demonstrate that the development industry is keen to undertake innovative ideas. The risk in developers taking this path however is not a financial one but a planning risk. Many planning documents require development applications to relate to the existing character and the council planners who administer the rules often prefer projects that comfortably fit the rules. A one off exotic looking building can set off alarm bells in planning departments and this culture leads to more of the same. It is important that the development industry is able to innovate with building design with their talented architects but this needs a supportive planning system. A new Sydney style is evolving from recent sculptural buildings The Urban Taskforce is keen to have responses to the proposals illustrated in this issue of URBAN IDEAS and we welcome comments to adminurbantaskforce.com.au Chris Johnson AM Chief Executive Officer Urban Taskforce Australia Credits Cover image featuring The Cloud at Barangaroo a project by Lendlease There is a new design spirit emerging in Sydney that reflects the flowing shapes of our famous harbour and beaches.