Walker Inn

Walker Inn is the conversion of an existing commercial building into a 10 storey business hotel with 108 rooms, located in the North Sydney CBD with a brief to retain as much of the existing building as possible. The concept for the hotel develops from a sister-hotel in Singapore with a focus on business travellers and relaxation within a green oasis. This complex project has its unique challenges including, navigation of services and penetrations around existing pre-stressed cabling within slabs, introduction of a light-well to provide additional perimeter to maximise rooms, upgrade of all building services + facades, extensive glazing along a common boundary, adjacency to the neighbouring heritage ‘Firehouse Hotel’, introduction of a fire egress pathway and services along the narrow frontage to Walker Street and additional built form on the upper level and podium. The design included an innovative multipurpose lobby space that is available to guests as well as the surrounding businesses who can rent out meeting rooms and purchase light meals.