Sydney’s landmark Quay Quarter Tower has been awarded the prestigious International High-Rise Award overnight in Frankfurt, Germany from a field of 34 projects representing 13 countries. Designed by 3XN and developed in partnership with Australian architectural practice BVN, it’s been almost a decade in the making. Now it’s the world’s biggest ever upcycled building. A new standard for sustainable skyscrapers.
“It’s a great privilege to have been the Executive Architects for such a city-defining building as Quay Quarter Tower, and for this to have won the International High-Rise Award today. It’s been an incredible journey and the ultimate collaboration on what has been described as a ‘once in a generation’ project. We congratulate AMP on a grand vision, 3XN on a beautiful competition winning design, Multiplex on their construction excellence and all our partners on working together to turn this remarkable vision into a reality. Dan Cruddace, Project Director for QQT, at BVN.
The International High-Rise Award was initiated in 2003 and is awarded every two years. It recognises development excellence in aesthetics, design, integration into its urban context, sustainability, innovative technology and cost-effectiveness.
Quay Quarter Tower will now feature in the Best High-Rise exhibition at Deutsches Architekturmuseum from November 10, 2022 until January 22, 2023.
About Quay Quarter Tower
Quay Quarter Tower is the anchor of the new Quay Quarter Sydney precinct, at Circular Quay. It features a striking design comprising five shifting glass “vertical villages” stacked on each other with vast atrium spaces and stunning staircases. It offers expansive views of Sydney Harbour and brings natural light into every corner of the building.
Quay Quarter Tower began with an inspiring brief. The client’s vision from the outset was to retain the original building and adapt it for contemporary Sydney. The team had high ambitions from the outset and QQT is a blueprint for environmentally responsible architecture: 6-star Green Star, 5.5 Star NABERS energy rating and WELL Gold certified.
90% of the original, aging building was retained. The new addition – made to be flexible and sustainable – transformed the entire tower for the 21st century. The upcycling approach represents an embodied carbon saving of 7.3million kg compared to a conventional construction project of this scale: the equivalent to 35,000 flights between Sydney and Melbourne.
BVN worked on this extraordinary project for almost a decade. First the team completed the masterplan for the entire Quay Quarter Sydney precinct, for AMP Capital and City of Sydney. In doing so they identified the tower as the centrepiece for the precinct. Next, the client ran an international design competition which was won by Danish architects, 3XN.
BVN was invited to stay on the project as Executive Architect and the two firms developed the project in detail, resolving the many complex challenges of transforming the original building. When Multiplex was appointed to build QQT in 2018, BVN was novated as builder’s Lead Consultant. coordinating the delivery and construction through to conclusion in 2022.
BVN is now working on a major carbon neutral Interior Design fit-out for one of the first business tenants, spanning three floors.
Quay Quarter Tower is jointly owned by Dexus Wholesale Property Fund, Mirvac Wholesale Property Fund and Rest Super. The project client was AMP Capital.
Dan Cruddace (BVN’s Project Director for QQT) is
