Australia Square
Encyclopedia
Australia Square is an office and retail
complex in the central business district
of Sydney, Australia
. Its main address is 264 George Street
, and the Square is bounded on the northern side by Bond Street, eastern side by Pitt Street
and southern side by Curtin Place.
The building was designed by Harry Seidler
& Associates. Today, it remains a landmark
building in Sydney
and is regarded as iconic to Australian architecture
. It has even been described as the most beautiful building in Australia. The outstanding feature of the Square is the Tower Building which from its completion in 1967 until 1976 was the tallest building in Sydney.
Australia Square is owned by GPT Group. In 1967 the building won the Sir John Sulman Medal
for its innovative and appealing design. During the mid 1990s the building was completely refurbished. Another $11 million refurbishment program, which included replacing all paving in public areas with Italian porphyry
paving stone, new lighting and outdoor tables was conducted in 2003.
. It was the world's tallest light weight concrete
building at the time it was built. The Tower Building is approximately 170 metres tall and occupies only one quarter of the block The original proposal included 58 floors; however, this was reduced to 50. On the 47th floor is a revolving restaurant
called The Summit and the 48th floor houses an observation deck
. The building contains one of Sydney's largest basement car parks with spaces for 400 vehicles.
The project was instigated by Dick Dusseldorp
, the founder of Lend Lease
.
The city block which is now Australia Square is approximately 5,500m² in area, and formerly held some 30 properties and buildings. Australia Square was constructed by Civil and Civic
. Construction, starting with demolition of the old buildings, began in 1961. The finished tower is 50 storeys tall with most of these available for commercial tenants, a total of 40900 square metres.
The tower is constructed of lightweight concrete
, with 20 projecting vertical columns tapering to the summit and supporting a combination of interlocking rib-structured reinforcement and radial support beams. The tower is 42 metres in diameter, with a central core of 20 metres diameter. The core contains elevator shafts, emergency stairwells and service conduits. Each floor is donut shaped, with a clear span of 11 metres to the perimeter windows and a total area of 1032 sqm each. Construction time for each floor was five working days—a new standard in office tower construction.
is the 13-storey Plaza Building, a comparatively simple rectangular office building. Alongside the Tower Building sits a large abstract steel sculpture by Alexander Calder
. There is also a sculpture by Seward Johnson Jr, "Waiting". The reception area displays a sculpture by Norman Carlberg
and contains tapestries
by Joan Miró
and John Olsen
. Le Corbusier
and Victor Vasarely
also had tapestries on display however due to fading the pieces were removed and replaced with a mural
by Sol LeWitt
.
Extensive public open space
, including fountains, is a feature of the Square. This design feature is an early example of including a public open space on private land. There are numerous entrances to the retail precincts in the lower ground level of the Tower, which include a post office and food outlets. The retail target is the office worker on a lunch break, and the open-plan design and ease of access have been styled accordingly.
was opened at 188 metres, although having only 45 storeys and no public observation deck. The following year, the MLC Centre
came in at 228 metres and 60 storeys, and it remains the tallest office building in Sydney. Sydney Tower
, including its spire, is 305 metres tall (the observation decks are around 250 metres). Right across George Street
from Australia Square is the 186 metre Suncorp Building which opened in 1982 as the Qantas Building.
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
complex in the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Sydney, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Its main address is 264 George Street
George Street, Sydney
George Street is one of Sydney's most notable city streets. There are more high rise buildings and more ASX 100 companies located here than anywhere else in Australia, and is well known for being busy around-the-clock...
, and the Square is bounded on the northern side by Bond Street, eastern side by Pitt Street
Pitt Street, Sydney
Pitt Street is a major street in central Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sections after a substantial stretch of it was removed to make way for Sydney's...
and southern side by Curtin Place.
The building was designed by Harry Seidler
Harry Seidler
Harry Seidler, AC OBE was an Austrian-born Australian architect who is considered to be one of the leading exponents of Modernism's methodology in Australia and the first architect to fully express the principles of the Bauhaus in Australia.Harry Seidler designed more than 180 buildings and he...
& Associates. Today, it remains a landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
building in Sydney
Buildings and architecture of Sydney
The Architecture of Sydney is not characterised by any one architectural style, having accumulated and developed over its 200 year history.Under early nineteenth-century the tenure of Governor Lachlan Macquarie, the works of Francis Greenway were the first substantial buildings for the fledgling...
and is regarded as iconic to Australian architecture
Architecture of Australia
Architecture in Australia incorporates the architecture produced in the area of the Commonwealth of Australia...
. It has even been described as the most beautiful building in Australia. The outstanding feature of the Square is the Tower Building which from its completion in 1967 until 1976 was the tallest building in Sydney.
Australia Square is owned by GPT Group. In 1967 the building won the Sir John Sulman Medal
Sir John Sulman Medal
The Sir John Sulman Medal is a New South Wales architectural prize presented by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and was first awarded in 1932....
for its innovative and appealing design. During the mid 1990s the building was completely refurbished. Another $11 million refurbishment program, which included replacing all paving in public areas with Italian porphyry
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
paving stone, new lighting and outdoor tables was conducted in 2003.
The Tower
Officially named the Tower Building, the iconic circular tower of Australia Square was Australia's first true skyscraperSkyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
. It was the world's tallest light weight concrete
Aerated autoclaved concrete
Autoclaved aerated concrete , also known as autoclaved cellular concrete or autoclaved lightweight concrete , was invented in the mid-1920s by the Swedish architect and inventor Johan Axel Eriksson. It is a lightweight, precast building material that simultaneously provides structure, insulation,...
building at the time it was built. The Tower Building is approximately 170 metres tall and occupies only one quarter of the block The original proposal included 58 floors; however, this was reduced to 50. On the 47th floor is a revolving restaurant
Revolving restaurant
A revolving restaurant is a usually tower restaurant eating space designed to rest atop a broad circular revolving platform that operates as a large turntable. The building remains stationary and the diners are carried on the revolving floor. The revolving rate varies between one and three times...
called The Summit and the 48th floor houses an observation deck
Observation deck
__FORCETOC__ An observation deck, observation platform or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure such as a skyscraper or observation tower...
. The building contains one of Sydney's largest basement car parks with spaces for 400 vehicles.
Construction
Dick Dusseldorp
Gerardus Jozef Dusseldorp AO was a Dutch engineer and the founder of Civil and Civic, the financing arm of which later emerged as Lend Lease Corporation, one of Australia's largest companies.-Career:...
, the founder of Lend Lease
Lend Lease Corporation
Lend Lease Group is a global property and infrastructure company headquartered in Sydney, Australia...
.
The city block which is now Australia Square is approximately 5,500m² in area, and formerly held some 30 properties and buildings. Australia Square was constructed by Civil and Civic
Civil and Civic
Civil and Civic was an Australian company acquired in 1961 by Lend Lease Corporation.-History:...
. Construction, starting with demolition of the old buildings, began in 1961. The finished tower is 50 storeys tall with most of these available for commercial tenants, a total of 40900 square metres.
The tower is constructed of lightweight concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
, with 20 projecting vertical columns tapering to the summit and supporting a combination of interlocking rib-structured reinforcement and radial support beams. The tower is 42 metres in diameter, with a central core of 20 metres diameter. The core contains elevator shafts, emergency stairwells and service conduits. Each floor is donut shaped, with a clear span of 11 metres to the perimeter windows and a total area of 1032 sqm each. Construction time for each floor was five working days—a new standard in office tower construction.
Other features
Facing Pitt StreetPitt Street, Sydney
Pitt Street is a major street in central Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sections after a substantial stretch of it was removed to make way for Sydney's...
is the 13-storey Plaza Building, a comparatively simple rectangular office building. Alongside the Tower Building sits a large abstract steel sculpture by Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...
. There is also a sculpture by Seward Johnson Jr, "Waiting". The reception area displays a sculpture by Norman Carlberg
Norman Carlberg
Norman Carlberg is an American sculptor and printmaker. He is noted as an exemplar of the modular constructivist style....
and contains tapestries
Tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
by Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
and John Olsen
John Olsen (artist)
John Henry Olsen, AO, OBE is an Australian artist. Olsen's primary subject of work is landscape.-Biography:John Olsen was born in Newcastle on 21 January 1928 and moved to Bondi Beach with his family in 1935, which began his lifelong fascination with Sydney Harbour...
. Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
and Victor Vasarely
Victor Vasarely
Victor Vasarely was a Hungarian French artist whose work is generally seen aligned with Op-art.His work entitled Zebra, created by Vasarely in the 1930s, is considered by some to be one of the earliest examples of Op-art...
also had tapestries on display however due to fading the pieces were removed and replaced with a mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
by Sol LeWitt
Sol LeWitt
Solomon "Sol" LeWitt was an American artist linked to various movements, including Conceptual art and Minimalism....
.
Extensive public open space
Public open space
Public Open Space is often referred to by urban planners and landscape architects by the acronym 'POS'. It has a meaning similar to public park, but varied interpretations of the term are possible.'Public' can mean:...
, including fountains, is a feature of the Square. This design feature is an early example of including a public open space on private land. There are numerous entrances to the retail precincts in the lower ground level of the Tower, which include a post office and food outlets. The retail target is the office worker on a lunch break, and the open-plan design and ease of access have been styled accordingly.
Taller buildings in Sydney
The Australia Square Tower building held its Sydney height record only for nine years. In 1976 the south building of the AMP CentreAMP Centre
AMP Centre is a Sydney skyscraper located at 50 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW Australia. It was built in 1976 and consists of 45 floors. It is used for commercial offices and made of concrete, glass and steel. The Centre's roof height is 188m, and it was the tallest building in Sydney until the MLC...
was opened at 188 metres, although having only 45 storeys and no public observation deck. The following year, the MLC Centre
MLC Centre
The MLC Centre is a skyscraper in Sydney, Australia. This office building is 228 metres high and has 60 storeys. Occupants include the Sydney Consulate of the United States of America. The podium of the building includes a shopping centre with several exclusive fashion labels and a 1,186 seat...
came in at 228 metres and 60 storeys, and it remains the tallest office building in Sydney. Sydney Tower
Sydney Tower
Sydney Tower Eye is Sydney's tallest free-standing structure, and the second tallest in Australia...
, including its spire, is 305 metres tall (the observation decks are around 250 metres). Right across George Street
George Street, Sydney
George Street is one of Sydney's most notable city streets. There are more high rise buildings and more ASX 100 companies located here than anywhere else in Australia, and is well known for being busy around-the-clock...
from Australia Square is the 186 metre Suncorp Building which opened in 1982 as the Qantas Building.
See also
- Australian non-residential architectural stylesAustralian non-residential architectural stylesAustralian non-residential architectural styles are a set of Australian architectural styles that apply to buildings used for purposes other than residence and have been around only since the first colonial government buildings of early European settlement of Australia in 1788.Their distribution...
- List of tallest buildings in Sydney