Mirvac gives glimpse of six-storey foyer beneath Richard Rogers-designed Sydney office tower

Larry SchlesingerDecember 7, 2020

Mirvac has given Sydney CBD workers the first glimpse of the grand six-storey entrance that will sit underneath its new 8 Chifley Street office tower.

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The office tower is the first Australian office building designed by renowned UK architect Richard Rogers.

Rogers most distinctive buildings include the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Lloyd’s of London building and the Millennium Dome in London.

The curved shapes rising up the corner of the building on Phillip Street are strikingly similar to the famed shiny industrial facade in the Lloyd's of London building, considered a modern architectural masterpiece.

The reveal of the grand entrance at 8 Chifley follows the completion of the foyer paving of what will be a new public space in the Chifley Square precinct in the northeastern corner of the Sydney CBD.

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The new office tower is under construction directly next to another iconic Sydney office tower – the Deutsche Bank tower with its distinctive triangle-shaped steel frame top.

The 34-storey building is due to be completed in August – ahead of schedule.

The building will rise above the public space and six-storey void supported by enormous blue girders with red girders zig-zagging up the side.

The ground floor open space will be repeated midway up the building and again at the top, “integrating Australia’s outdoor lifestyle into the city environment”.

QBE Insurance Group announced in April it had signed a 10-year agreement to lease approximately 2,800sqm of the building, which is jointly owned by Mirvac and Keppel REIT.

Law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth has also leased over 8,000 square metres of space, representing approximately 42% of the building’s net lettable area, for a 12-year term.

A further three vertical villages remain available to lease.

The building’s design is a collaboration between the internationally renowned Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Australia’s Lippmann Partnership.

It stands on a north-facing site, bounded by Elizabeth, Hunter and Phillip Streets and will feature seven vertical villages providing connectivity and vertical integration between the floors and adding to the feeling of extensive space throughout the premises.

“We are excited to announce that 8 Chifley will complete ahead of schedule in August, offering a progressive and world class head office space for organisations and enhancing Chifley Square as a dynamic pedestrian hub,” said Mirvac’s CEO for development and group strategy, Brett Draffen.

“From the unique suspended glass foyer enclosure to the elevated ‘village square’ on the 18th floor to the eye-catching red exterior braces, the final construction remains true to the original vision and delivers a vibrant new landmark in Sydney’s CBD precinct.”

Ivan Harbour of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners says the design, “whilst internationally significant, is very specific to the climate and culture of Sydney”.

“Perhaps the defining feature of the project is the six-storey open space at street level that not only forms a grand entrance to the building but creates a new, significant area of public space which addresses and completes Chifley Square.

8 Chifley will be one of the greenest buildings in Sydney when completed.

It has achieved a 6 Star Green Star Office Design and is committed to achieving a 5 Star NABERS Energy Rating.

Larry Schlesinger

Larry Schlesinger was a property writer at Property Observer

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