Sydney Rag Traders Plan Four-Storey Office Block

Sydney rag traders Wassim and Ziad Gazal have lodged plans for a four-storey office block 5km south of the city centre.

The fashion financiers, who co-founded clothing maker and supplier Hotsprings in 1993, want to demolish four light industrial buildings at 37 Doody Street, Alexandria before re-building.

Hotsprings’ current headquarters is at that same address.

Plans by fledgling Sydney architectural firm EMBECE Design, now before Sydney City Council, include a single basement level of parking for 48 vehicles. 

Town planners Gyde Consulting, who prepared application documents on behalf of Juzcorp Pty Ltd, said the parent lot is about 1.45ha with frontages to both Doody and O’Riordan Streets.  The proposed development will rise to 17.4m and result in a gross floor area of 5791.21 square metres.

Both Wassim and Ziad Gazal are listed as directors of Juzcorp.

▲ An artist's impression of the proposed office development in Alexandria.

The estimated cost of the development is about $30.5 million.

“The development is consistent with the height controls but also provides a diversity in built form that reduces the monotony of the current business precinct design,” Gyde Consulting said.

“Although the development extends higher than the surrounding development it is not an unreasonable height as it allows the promotion of positive urban design on the site that supports the visual conditions of the surrounding built environment.”

The property, which is also known as 70-74 O’Riordan Street, was originally bought by the founder of software company Wisetech Global, Richard White, in 2016.

It is understood White paid $12 million for the site before spending more than $14 million converting the space into modern offices to house Wisetech.