Sydney’s upcycled Quay Quarter Tower receives international design award

Click to enlarge
Quay Quarter Tower, Sydney, designed by Danish architects 3XN and developed in partnership with BVN.

Quay Quarter Tower, Sydney, designed by Danish architects 3XN and developed in partnership with BVN. Image: Adam Mork

1 of 15
Quay Quarter Tower, Sydney, designed by Danish architects 3XN and developed in partnership with BVN.

Quay Quarter Tower, Sydney, designed by Danish architects 3XN and developed in partnership with BVN. Image: Adam Mork

2 of 15
Quay Quarter Tower, Sydney, designed by Danish architects 3XN and developed in partnership with BVN.

Quay Quarter Tower, Sydney, designed by Danish architects 3XN and developed in partnership with BVN. Image: Adam Mork

3 of 15
Vancouver House, Canada by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group.

Vancouver House, Canada by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group. Image: Laurian Ghinițoiu

4 of 15
Vancouver House, Canada by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group.

Vancouver House, Canada by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group. Image: Laurian Ghinițoiu

5 of 15
Vancouver House, Canada by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group.

Vancouver House, Canada by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group. Image: Laurian Ghinițoiu

6 of 15
TrIIIple Towers in Vienna by Henke Schreieck Architekten.

TrIIIple Towers in Vienna by Henke Schreieck Architekten. Image: Christian Pichlkastner

7 of 15
TrIIIple Towers in Vienna by Henke Schreieck Architekten.

TrIIIple Towers in Vienna by Henke Schreieck Architekten. Image: Ana Barros

8 of 15
TrIIIple Towers in Vienna by Henke Schreieck Architekten.

TrIIIple Towers in Vienna by Henke Schreieck Architekten. Image: Ana Barros

9 of 15
The Bryant, New York NY, USA by David Chipperfield Architects, London.

The Bryant, New York NY, USA by David Chipperfield Architects, London. Image: Simon Menges

10 of 15
The Bryant, New York NY, USA by David Chipperfield Architects, London.

The Bryant, New York NY, USA by David Chipperfield Architects, London. Image: Simon Menges

11 of 15
The Bryant, New York NY, USA by David Chipperfield Architects, London.

The Bryant, New York NY, USA by David Chipperfield Architects, London. Image: John Hill

12 of 15
Singapore State Courts, Singapore by Serie Architects, London.

Singapore State Courts, Singapore by Serie Architects, London. Image: Khoogj

13 of 15
Singapore State Courts, Singapore by Serie Architects, London.

Singapore State Courts, Singapore by Serie Architects, London. Image: Khoogj

14 of 15
Singapore State Courts, Singapore by Serie Architects, London.

Singapore State Courts, Singapore by Serie Architects, London. Image: Khoogj

15 of 15

Danish architects 3XN’s Quay Quarter Tower, developed in partnership with BVN, received the International High-Rise Award (IHA) in Frankfurt’s Paulskirche on Tuesday 8 November.

Awarded every two years, the International High Rise Award (initiated in 2003 by the City of Frankfurt, Deutsches Architekturmuseum and DekaBank) recognises development excellence in aesthetics, design, integration into its urban context, sustainability, innovative technology and cost-effectiveness. The award comes with a €50,000 prize for the developer, AMP Capital Investors, to donate to a charitable cause.

Quay Quarter Tower’s design comprises five shifting glass volumes stacked on top of each other and punctuated by atrium space, maximising views of nearby Sydney Harbour while providing natural light deep into the floorplates.

Quay Quarter Tower, Sydney, designed by Danish architects 3XN and developed in partnership with BVN. Image:  Adam Mork

The judges pointed out that, in developing the tower, AMP Capital “uniquely transformed an existing 45-year-old, 45,000sqm NLA office building into an 89,000sqm NLA world-class, highly sustainable commercial tower and retail podium providing customer experiences”.

Alongside Quay Quarter Tower, this year’s finalists were: Vancouver House by BIG, TrIIIple Towers in Vienna by Henke Schreieck Architekten, The Bryant in New York by David Chipperfield Architects and Singapore State Courts by Serie Architects+Multiply Architects. The five finalists were shortlisted from amongst 34 nominated high-rise buildings from 13 countries.

This award is the latest in a series of wins for Quay Quarter Tower, including the National AIA award for Urban Design and award wins at the 2022 NSW Architecture Awards, the Sustainable Building Awards Australia, the Sydney Ideas Awards and Urban Taskforce Australia’s Development of the Year Award.

The 49-storey tower forms part of Quay Quarter Sydney, an 11,000sqm precinct spanning two city blocks in Sydney’s Circular Quay. It has strong sustainability credentials, targeting a 6 Star Green Star Office Design v3 rating from the Green Building Council of Australia for its environmental features and vertical village design, which optimises the existing building’s embodied energy and resources. Environmental ratings targets include a 5.5 Star NABERS Office Energy Rating Base Building, 4 Star NABERS Office Water Rating Base Building and WELL certification.

The tower was completed in April and its retail podium is due for completion later this year.

More news