Australia's Ivy in a League of Its Own

A venue unlike any other, Sydney's Ivy is not only a hit with the city's socialites (such as Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman for example) but is garnering design awards in the southern hemisphere as an urban playground.

Designed by Woods Bagot and interior designers Hecker Phelan Guthrie, Ivy includes 18 bars, nine restaurants and a rooftop pool but the scale of the complex is "deftly understated" according to the awards jury of the Architects Institute of Australia (AIA).

Located in the tight urban fabric of Sydney's central business district, the 20,000 m2 building offers a dazzling constellation of bars, dining facilities, shops, lounge areas and lifestyle indulgences.

It functions as a night out, a meeting place, function venue, and an escape from reality.

The venue has drawn widespread recognition with awards from Interior Design magazine and most recently the AIA's awards for Urban Design and Commercial Architecture Award.

Most tellingly, Sydney-siders have given their seal of approval, with crowds of 4,000 locals descending on it every weekend.

"A reprieve for the public within a predominantly commercial domain, Ivy has been conceived as a house for the people of Sydney which redefines Palm Spring glamour and nostalgia," said Nik Karalis, Principal at Woods Bagot and lead designer on Ivy.

"As green oasis in the city centre, it draws inspiration from the modern houses of California and Florida created by architects such as Paul Rudolph, Richard Neutra and John Lautner."