Barangaroo critics were Star architects

Source: The Daily Telegraph

TWO architects who openly savaged designs released for James Packer's Barangaroo casino worked on construction and redesign of competitor The Star casino.

Joe Agius, the NSW president of the Australian Institute of Architects, who said the design could have belonged in "Dubai" and described Mr Packer's comparison to the Opera House as "ludicrous and offensive" in The Sydney Morning Herald admitted he was employed on "alterations and additions" worth $140 million in construction costs on The Star's $750 million design. Phillip Cox, Mr Agius's partner at Cox Richardson Architects, who also criticised the Crown proposals as "a bit Macau", helped build the original Star building.

Last Friday The Daily Telegraph revealed designs by three leading overseas architects for the building. Mr Agius was forced to admit yesterday that he had done work for The Star, as had his company Cox Richardson, but said it was no longer a client: "This is irrelevant to my comments. Those comments were made in my (position) as NSW chapter president of the Australian Institute of Architects."A spokeswoman for Cox Richardson referred all inquiries about comments made by Mr Cox, who is overseas, to Mr Agius.

Executive vice-president of Mr Packer's company Crown, Todd Nisbet, said last week's unveiling of the three designs was the culmination of months of work by some of the world's best architects to give Sydney a building it could be proud of.

A government panel is to decide whether to give approval to Mr Packer's Barangaroo high-rollers casino as part of the government's "unsolicited proposals" process this month.

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Barangaroo critics were Star architects