Packer picks Singapore Gardens architects for Australian casino

Wilkinson Eyre Architects, which also designed the 440- meter Guangzhou International Finance Center and the side- tilting Millennium Bridge in Gateshead, England, was chosen to work on the tower, the Melbourne-based company said in an e- mailed statement. Crown and Echo Entertainment Group have both applied to New South Wales state government with casino development plans, only one of which can go ahead.

Packer has promised to spend us$ 1.23 billion on the complex targeting high-rolling Asian gamblers at the Barangaroo development site just west of Sydney’s main business district. Echo is seeking to upgrade its Star casino on an adjacent stretch of harbor shore and has applied for the extension of an exclusive casino license due to expire in 2019 to support the work.

“This great city deserves a building that is truly special and Wilkinson Eyre’s design delivers it,” Packer, who owns 50% of Crown, said in the statement. “When completed, Crown Sydney will be instantly recognizable around the world.”

Crown last week won approval from the state’s gaming regulator to lift its stake in Echo beyond the current 10% level to as much as 23%. It’s still waiting for approval from authorities in Queensland state, where Echo has three casinos. Genting Hong Kong, the cruise ship company controlled by Lim Kok Thay, in October also applied to raise its stake in Echo to 25%.