Woods Bagot and New York firm Shop Architects have won a design competition for a $1.5 billion office tower in central Sydney, at 55 Pitt Street.
The competition jury, which included NSW Government Architect Abbie Galvin, SJB director Adam Haddow and immediate past national president of the Australian Institute of Architects Helen Lochhead, was impressed by the “soaring yet seductive” tower design.
The site of the tower, on the land of the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, was part of the Sydney Harbour foreshore landscape prior to colonization. Woods Bagot and Shop Architects’ scheme seeks to weave this history into their design for the lobby and entry hall, “using cascading water features, lush landscaping and Indigenous narratives.”
“Our proposal brings to the forefront a next generation building centred around a sense of belonging and place dictated by guiding principles of Country, an activated sense of community connections, a workplace environment focusing on new return to work principles,” said Woods Bagot CEO Nik Karalis and Shop NYC partner William Sharples in a statement. “It will be a performative, expressive and breathable tower.”
Brett Draffen, Chief Investment Officer for the developer, Mirvac, said the design team had responded carefully and creatively to the brief.
“55 Pitt Street is an exciting opportunity to create a sustainable and future-focused premium grade workplace that respects and celebrates its place within the context of the Sydney CBD,” he said. “The winning entry was outstanding and exceeded the jurors’ requirements, with the podium’s seamless integration into the urban landscape at ground level, as well as its ability to redefine the Sydney skyline.”
The tower will front Pitt, Underwood and Dalley streets and will include around 60,000 square metres of office and retail space. The proponents say it will contribute towards the revitalization of the Circular Quay precinct.
