The Quay Quarter Tower is an identity-generating part of the redevelopment of Sydney’s central business district, the Circular Quay Area. It adjoins Sydney Cove, the bay behind the famous opera house.
The site was previously occupied by a classic office tower that no longer met today’s requirements. Instead of demolishing the building, as was usually the case in the past, it was decided to integrate large parts of the existing supporting structure into a new high-rise building. In this way, two thirds of the beams, columns and floor slabs as well as almost the entire core built in the 1970s could be retained. These main aspects of the radical sustainability concept helped save almost 7500 tons of carbon dioxide compared to a complete demolition and conventional new construction.
The cantilevered modules on the façade, which wrap around the tower’s five sections, reduce direct sunlight entering the Quay Quarter Tower by up to 30%. Among other things, this has eliminated the need for internal blinds while ensuring unparalleled views of the harbor. Moreover, the addition of new stories, the expansion of existing floors, and the new podium add 45,000 square meters of floor space, thus making much more efficient use of the site at this prominent location.
The formal silhouette of the high-rise building was derived from the surrounding context, taking into account lighting conditions, sightlines, and building code requirements. The building is divided into five volumes stacked on top of each other, thereby adapting the overall volume to the human scale. Towards the harbor, the floors within these five units are connected by multi-story atria.
