Case Study – Quay Quarter Tower.

Project

Quay Quarter Tower

Industry

Office

Project Details

Quay Quarter Tower (QQT) has been transformed from an existing 45-year-old 45,000 square metre office building into an 89,000 square metre world-class, highly sustainable commercial tower.

The 50-storey commercial building is a landmark site at Circular Quay and is a vibrant destination supporting workers, residents and visitors in Sydney. 

The revitalised tower pierces the skyline with a striking design, comprising a series of shifting, cantilevered glass volumes stacked upon each other. This unique design provides an atrium that cuts through the core of the building, offering expansive views of Sydney Harbour. 

In a world-first, one side of the tower was demolished and reconstructed, whilst simultaneously retaining and refurbishing the other side. This adaptive reuse retained 68% of the building’s core and enabled significant environmental and operational efficiencies.

Spanning two city blocks, Quay Quarter Sydney comprises the stunning Quay Quarter Tower at 50 Bridge Street – an enabler of corporate change for the visionary, ambitious, and those who want to declare the forward-facing nature of their business. The Quay Quarter development also includes the boutique laneway precinct Quay Quarter Lanes, located between Young and Loftus streets, a vibrant cultural hub of fine grain retail, and world-class restaurants, cafes and pocket bars, as well as Loftus Lane’s 104 luxury apartments. Residents have occupied the completed apartments and the retail precinct is open, welcoming visitors.

CAG Key Deliverables

Classic Architectural Group supplied and installed tactiles and stair nosings at the venue.

Key Stats

While the tower’s excellence is evident to the naked eye, many hidden engineering gems are inside and outside the building, setting a new standard for sustainable building design. The adaptive, retrofit design involved;

• Retaining 65% of the original building’s existing floorplates and structure and 98% of the original structural walls and core. This equates to a saving of approximately 12,000 tonnes of embodied carbon, equivalent to nearly 70,000 flights from Sydney to Melbourne.
• 120 square meters of space saved per floor and improved floorplate amenity with larger contiguous spaces.
• Double-deck lifts were retrofitted into the commercial tower. Straying away from traditional lift design, a double deck lift system was designed with two lifts locked together, allowing passengers on two consecutive floors to use the elevator simultaneously. 
• Quay Quarter Tower’s unique façade design shades the building offering optimised solar protection. The design includes high-performance glazing and sunshades that reduce heat and glare, improving occupants’ thermal comfort whilst lowering air conditioning energy consumption.

Supplied and Installed

Stair Nosings

• Classic Tredfx IKB140

Tactiles

• Classic Tredfx SH10N-B