flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

The Starchitect of Oz: New Gehry building in Sydney celebrates topping out

The Starchitect of Oz: New Gehry building in Sydney celebrates topping out

Sustainabile facility combines a complex façade with a trunk-and-branches organizational plan.


By BD+C Staff | January 17, 2014
The Dr Chau Chak Wing Building is Frank Gehry's first project in Sydney. All ima
The Dr Chau Chak Wing Building is Frank Gehry's first project in Sydney. All images courtesy Gehry Partners LLP.

The Dr Chau Chak Wing Building at the University of Technology, Sydney, will mark Frank Gehry's debut project in the Australian metro. The 12-story, $150 million project will serve the university's Business School and is being built by Lend Lease.

Gehry says the design, which is a bit reminiscent of his Stata Center at MIT, was inspired the trunk-and-branches arrangement of a tree. The main structure has been completed and work has begun on the façade--as usual with Gehry, a complex proposition. About 320,000 bricks will be hand-laid to achieve a crinkled effect, guided by extensive BIM analysis. The UTS civil engineering labs collaborated with Chinese partners to create and test prototypes for the brick work. The building's west side will feature huge panes of reflective glass.

As with many new Australian facilites, this one incorporates a green focus. High-performance glazing will combine with energy- and water-efficient engineering, including a 20,000-L rainwater tank. The building is aiming for 5 Star status in the Green Star sustainability certification program.

Part of a 10-year master plan for the campus, the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building is scheduled to be completed this year. 

Related Stories

Architects | Jan 19, 2018

CTBUH announces global finalist projects for annual awards program

The Lotte World Tower, in Seoul, and 150 N. Riverside, in Chicago, are among the finalists. 

Architects | Jan 10, 2018

NELSON and FRCH Design Worldwide are merging

Their chief executives will manage the company jointly, by region.

Architects | Jan 10, 2018

7 steps to ending a low growth cycle

Here are the top 10 marketing techniques as rated by high-growth firms and how they compare to their no-growth counterparts.

Architects | Jan 8, 2018

ZGF Founding Partner Robert Frasca, 84, passes away

Frasca was a driving force in transforming the architectural firm from its early beginnings as a regional office into one of the nation’s largest practices, with 600 design professionals across six offices in the U.S. and Canada. 

Architects | Jan 8, 2018

Catherine Selby joins Dattner Architects’ partners group

Selby joins Principals Paul Bauer AIA; Richard Dattner FAIA; Jeff Dugan AIA; Beth Greenberg AIA; Daniel Heuberger AIA, LEED AP; Kirsten Sibilia Assoc. AIA; William Stein FAIA; and John Woelfling AIA, LEED AP in leading the 115-person firm.

Big Data | Jan 5, 2018

In the age of data-driven design, has POE’s time finally come?

At a time when research- and data-based methods are playing a larger role in architecture, there remains a surprisingly scant amount of post-occupancy research. But that’s starting to change.

Multifamily Housing | Jan 4, 2018

Shigeru Ban’s mass timber tower in Vancouver gets city approval

The 232-foot-tall Terrace House luxury condo development will be the tallest hybrid wood structure in North America.

Architects | Jan 4, 2018

Integrated design for children and housing

Homelessness is an issue affecting millions around the globe. 

Sponsored | | Jan 3, 2018

4 networking strategies to grow your business

Follow these networking strategies to grow your architectural business with the work that you want.

BD+C University Course | Jan 2, 2018

The art and science of rendering: Visualization that sells architecture [AIA course]

3D artist Ramy Hanna offers guidelines and tricks-of-the-trade to ensure that project artwork is a stunning depiction of the unbuilt space.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Urban Planning

The magic of L.A.’s Melrose Mile

Great streets are generally not initially curated or willed into being. Rather, they emerge organically from unintentional synergies of commercial, business, cultural and economic drivers. L.A.’s Melrose Avenue is a prime example. 


Curtain Wall

7 steps to investigating curtain wall leaks

It is common for significant curtain wall leakage to involve multiple variables. Therefore, a comprehensive multi-faceted investigation is required to determine the origin of leakage, according to building enclosure consultants Richard Aeck and John A. Rudisill with Rimkus. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021