The developers behind the Twin Towers office complex in Sydney’s Tech Central innovation hub have submitted their final Development Application (DA) for the $3 billion redevelopment of the site.
Central Place Sydney, a joint project between Dexus and Fraser Property Group, is adjacent to Central Station on the south side of Henry Deane Plaza, next to Atlassian’s 40-story eco-tower, due to be completed by 2026.
It includes two existing office buildings on Lee Street that are currently occupied by various state and federal government departments, including Transport for NSW, Corrective Services and the Dept of Home Affairs.
The two towers of 37 and 39 floors were designed by local architects Fender Katsalidis and the American firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). They sit next to two new smaller buildings, known as The Connector and Pavilion, which were added to the final design.
The Connector Building
Located on Lee Street, The Connector, by Melbourne architects Edition Office in collaboration with indigenous design and strategy studio Balarinji, has 10,000 square meters of floor space. It was designed as an “architectural marker, recognizing the site’s history as a cultural meeting place”.
Balarinji MD and co-founder Ros Moriarty said her design studio’s approach is a response to Place and Country in co-design with local Aboriginal knowledge holders, storytellers and creative practitioners.
“Sydney’s fundamental Gadigal story is thriving and it is vital that it be integrated into such an important district,” she said.
The Connector will provide space for smaller companies and startups, as well as connections to the other two buildings with potential workplaces of no less than 5,000 square meters on the same level.
The two-storey pavilion was designed by Fender Katsalidis and SOM. It will accommodate scheduled events and activation and is designed as a flexible structure that can be dismantled and relocated once plans for future upper station development are finalized.
The total price of the project, which was first unveiled in 2020, has risen from $2.5 billion to $3 billion. It will be until 133,000 square feet of floor space toward the NSW government’s goal of 250,000 square feet at Tech Central. Central Place will also be featured shopping, dining, entertainment, community and public space.
Project director Kimberley Jackson said the new design elements in the development complete the vision for Central Place Sydney as the “beating heart” of Tech Central.
“These final designs were created specifically to help technology and innovation companies move forward tomorrow – creating a space that combines the lifestyle amenities, connectivity and collaboration capabilities that are essential to keep teams engaged and productive in the new hybrid way of working.” she said
“Even the name Central Place Sydney is a tribute to its centrality within Tech Central, its connectivity to the Sydney CBD and beyond, as well as its lasting role as a place where both people and ideas converge.”
While City of Sydney is considering planning permission for the project, parallel process is underway to progress the project through Phase 3 of the NSW Government’s unsolicited proposals Processing.
Once approved, construction is expected to begin in 2023, with the first phase of the project expected to be completed in 2026.
An aerial view of Central Place Sydney next to Central Station.