New Sydney towers will have the world’s first AI-driven facade system
By David Malone, Associate Editor
Central Place Sydney, a $2.5 billion commercial development that will contribute to Tech Central in Sydney’s Central Business District, will comprise new commercial buildings and public realm improvements that will enhance the southern gateway to the CBD.
The project will comprise approximately 1.6 million sf of office and retail space and be one of the most sustainable commercial developments in Australia, powered by 100% renewable energy, with workplace environments that integrate nature and a range of amenities.
“Central Place Sydney’s focal point is a major new civic space wrapped with activated retail edges, enriched by two commercial towers and a landmark central building. It will redefine the precinct, completing Sydney’s vision for a ‘third square’,” Fender Katsalidis Design Director Mark Curzon said in a release.
The design features two commercial towers, rising 37 and 39 stories, woven together by a low-rise building that anchors the development and enlivens the precinct at street level. The two towers are expressed as three individual forms in order to reduce their visual density. The building podiums are distinguished from the towers above, each with a height, massing, and material palette that complements adjacent heritage buildings. Landscaped public spaces surround the buildings meant to enhance connections between neighboring communities and the city’s most prominent commercial axis.
The central building ascends in a series of tiers that are staggered to open up garden terraces and views at each level. The ground floor is highly permeable and accommodates a retail experience that flows into the plaza, while the upper commercial levels will be linked to the new towers to create campus-style floorplates.
Each floor is conceived as a unique “neighborhood,” connected by winter gardens, mixed-mode environments, light-filled atria, and outdoor terraces. Workspaces will be highly flexible, with the possibility to be combined and expanded both within and between floors. The adaptable spaces will be able to accommodate technology companies as they evolve in scale and cultural.
The buildings will be naturally ventilated via operable windows and an automated, AI-controlled facade system. The facade system, which the architects claim is the first of its kind in the world, will use AI technology to shade the interiors from direct sunlight and reduce heat gain throughout the day.
Central Place Sydney will be the focal point for the burgeoning Tech Central precinct and civic space, which will also include the new HQ for Atlassian, a building that is set to become the world’s tallest hybrid timber tower.
