Project Overview

8 Chifley Square is a speculative commercial office development which arose out of a City of Sydney Design Excellence Competition for a premium grade tower on a significant and highly visible site in the financial district of Sydney’s central business district.

The design of the new tower came about as a result of collaboration between architects Lippmann Partnership and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners with the engineering disciplines carried out by ARUP. A major public artwork was created by American artist Jenny Holzer.

In satisfying the project’s commercial objectives, the development makes a unique contribution to contemporary commercial workplace culture and a significant innovation to Sydney’s public realm. The development also achieves the highest contemporary standards of environmental sustainability with the potential to further enhance its performance in the future.

Project Commissioner

Mirvac Projects

Project Creator

Lippmann Partnership/Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners

Team

Lippmann Partnership
Ed Lippmann
Tim O'Sullivan
Peter Garaty
Warren Iles
Rodney Hector
Sandra Furtado
Matthias Irger
Elizabeth Gango

Rgers Stirk Harbour & Partners
Ivan Harbour
Andrew Partridge
Kate Humphreys

ARUP
Tristram Carfrae
Andrew Johnstom
Kerryn Coker
Erik Moore
Cameron Dymond
Tim Carr
Xavier Nuttall
Peter Romeos

Project Brief

The client brief required the commercial potential of the development to be achieved by maximising the available floor space on the site in a series of extremely desirable tenancies. These tenancies had to be usable, flexible and of a size well suited to the legal and financial institutions who were the likely tenants.

It was considered important to take advantage of the available harbour views and aspect particularly from the upper floors of the tower. The new development had to achieve the project budget whilst being buildable within a tight time program.

Apart from the requirement to achieve commercial viability, the brief required a design which would make a significant contribution to the city’s public domain whilst being a highly innovative architectural statement. Because the site is accessed by 3 streets with access from the north, east and west, the ground plane of the tower required careful consideration maximising the potential for pedestrian use and activation.

The development was, from the outset, intended to achieve a minimum rating of 5 star green star AGBR and to set a benchmark in environmental sustainability by significantly reducing carbon emissions as compared with other office buildings of this type.

Project Innovation/Need

8 Chifley Square makes a significant contribution to the city’s public domain whilst being an innovative premium grade office tower.
The first office floor plate is elevated 6 levels above the ground level plaza, providing public access to 70% of the site. In summer, this plaza is shaded while in winter it’s bathed in sunshine.

Internally, 3 level stacked volumes or “commercial villages” are unique. They provide tenancies of over 2,000 sq. m, tailored for corporate tenants. The villages consists of full floors every 3 levels, with two interstitial mezzanines around internal atria between. These villages encourage social connectivity in a democratic workplace environment. The hollowing out of the tower also allows floor space to be redistributed higher up in the air where better views and higher rents are achieved.

The village concept maximises natural daylight in the office space. External sun louvres outside the glass façade prevent undesirable heat gain while internal blinds control glare. The vibrant architectural expression is created by the articulation of external unadorned elements.

The building achieves 6 Star Green Star – Office Design v2 certified rating representing ‘World Leadership’ in environmentally sustainable design and is committed to achieving a NABERS 5*+60% Energy Rating.

Design Challenge

The materials used in the construction of 8 Chifley Square were largely prefabricated and in many cases manufactured in other parts of the world for delivery and eventual erection on site. Precadt concrete, structural steel and prefabricated off shore glazing units were used throughout the project and are a significant aspect of the architectural language.

The structural steel design was developed to create vibrancy to the building when seen from close up and afar. Concrete filled steel box section transfer internal column loads to the external megacolumns at the ground level plaza and mid rise sky garden creating a column free space.

Expressed steel floor framing above these spaces supports prefabricated concrete floor panels. At roof level a series of bowstring trusses stabilised by post tensioned stainless steel cables support the lightweight steel grillage which serve as both a sunshade and support gantry for a future photovoltaic panel array.

The instability of the tower due to the side core tower design is resolved via the bright red externally exposed steel sway frame with stainless steel pin joint connections to permit thermal movement and construction tolerances.

Sustainability

8 Chifley Square achieves the highest standards of sustainability, user comfort and amenity. World Class Sustainability Standard of 6 Star Greenstar, is achieved via a number of strategies including:

Gas fired roof mounted tri-generation plant re-using waste heat from electricity generation and significantly reducing grid power from conventional coal fired electricity supply.

Blackwater treatment plant treating sewerage for re-use in cooling towers controlling the chilled beam ceiling system, landscape irrigation and toilets which reduces demand on potable water supply and sewer discharge. This plant also mines sewerage from off site sources.

Active chilled beam system, cooling and heating the office areas via fresh air with supplementary cooling from the chilled water system.
Highly efficient lighting utilising T-5 system in the office interiors and LED lighting to external building perimeter.

High recycled content cement and aggregate, high recycled content steel with offsite fabrication minimising waste, leading to a 40% reduction in embodied energy.

Provision for rooftop photovoltaic array structure.

Externally shaded, sealed glass façade.

Parking for only 32 car spaces with an emphasis on 130 bicycle bays with associated storage and amenities.

Achievement of NABERS 5*+60% (approaching carbon neutral) with energy export making the development a Net energy producer.

Architecture - Commercial - Constructed

This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow. 
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