We are thrilled to announce that our project to redevelop the historic Sandstone Education building into a luxurious 6-star hotel has reached practical completion, and it is now open to the public as Capella Sydney. This iconic building, which served as the headquarters for the NSW Department of Education since 1912, has been beautifully preserved and transformed into a world-class hotel, offering guests a unique and unforgettable experience. By honouring its rich heritage, we hope to continue to showcase this cherished landmark and contribute to the history and culture of Sydney.
The development involves the gutting out of the structure internally while maintaining the permitter structure and heritage sandstone facade. The design and construct (D&C) contract for Equilibrium was to provide a central water-cooled chiller plant to provide the central cooling system to serve the 192 hotel rooms and provisions for the expansion of the future Lands building being developed adjacent the education project. The system highlights were heat recovery system providing energy efficiency to the building’s gas provisions as there is a heated swimming pool and spa providing all year round.
Despite facing numerous challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project team persevered and remained committed to delivering a world-class result. The project program was impacted by multiple shutdowns and lockdowns, which caused significant delays and setbacks. Additionally, Equilibrium Air Conditioning lost the project management team responsible for the first half of the project. However, with a strong team mentality and a positive attitude, we collaborated with Built to overcome these challenges and successfully deliver the project.
Featured in many travel and tourism publications and highly anticipated by visitors, you can read more about Capella Sydney in the following article from the Financial Times – Sydney’s historic Department of Education building reopens as a landmark hotel | Financial Times (ft.com)