27.11.2012 Florian Maier

1 Bligh Street in Sydney Wins International Highrise Award 2012

The office tower designed by Christoph Ingenhoven (ingenhoven architects) and Ray Brown (Architectus) is the winner of this year’s International Highrise Award. The statuette and EUR 50,000 prize money were presented on 15 November 2012 in St. Paul's Church in Frankfurt.
1 Bligh Street, Sydney Architects: ingenhoven architects + Architectus – Christoph Ingenhoven, Düsseldorf;
Ray Brown, Architectus, Sydney
Project managers: Martin Reuter (ingenhoven architects), Mark Curzon (Architectus)
Structural engineering: Enstruct
Client: DEXUS Property Group, DEXUS Wholesale Property Fund, Cbus Property
Function: Office building Height: 139 m
Completion: 2011
With a moderate height of 139 metres and an elliptical shape, the office tower is positioned at a slight angle to the street grid, which means that all the offices have a direct view of Sydney Harbour and the famous Harbour Bridge. Steps at the foot of the building offering seating as well as a café area, lead from a public plaza to the foyer. The façades of the foyer storey allow fresh air to flow through adjustable glass lamellas and folding glass elements.
A central atrium extends 130 metres upwards along the entire height of the building. The chimney effect results in a natural flow of air all the way up to the roof area where it is dispersed. This guarantees a continuous exchange of air. The tower is fully glazed, including the interior walls of the atrium, the elevators, as well as the external, naturally ventilated double-skin façade. The façade design is the first of its kind in an Australian highrise and has a lot to offer, such as optimum levels of daylight inside the building and lower thermal loads and losses. It also accentuates the overall homogeneous crystalline appearance of the tower.
Although the building doesn't break any records in terms of height, it sets new standards down under with regard to social, cultural, urban planning and sustainability criteria. The verdict of the jury, chaired by Frankfurt-based architect Prof. Albert Speer, was that the overall quality of the building is outstanding and that the design avoids the iconic in favour of a firm emphasis on user requirements – such as the view from all the offices.

The building’s major tenant is Clayton Utz, a law firm renting 15 storeys, while the project developer of the highrise completed in 2011 is the DEXUS Property Group, a leading real estate company in Australia. The winners of the IHP 2012 jointly decided to donate the EUR 50,000 prize money towards a student scholarship on the subject of sustainable commercial highrise design at the University of New South Wales. The university is Australia's leading research institution for architecture, sustainability and the built environment.
1 Bligh Street was also nominated for the DETAIL Prize 2012.

DETAIL has published a book on the International Highrise Award: Best Highrises 2012/2013
 

Other nominated projects were:
Eight Spruce Street, New York City
Architects: Gehry Partners, Los Angeles
Project manager: John Bowers
Structural engineering: WSP Cantor Seinuk
Client: Forest City Ratner Companies, New York City
Function: residential, school, offices

Height: 265,2 m
Completion: 2011
The Troika, Kuala Lumpur
Architects: Foster + Partners, London
Project manager: Roland Schnizer
Structural engineering: Web Structures Singapur
Client: Bandar Raya Developments Berhad
Function: mixed usage (3 residential towers, 4 floors for shops, offices, leisure centre, public 'Sky Lobby')

Height: 204 m (talles tower), 177 m, 160 m
Completion: 2011
The Absolute World Towers, Mississauga
Architects: MAD architects, Peking
Project manager: Ma Yansong, Yosuke Hayano, Dang Qun
Structural engineering: Sigmund Soundack & Associates
Client: Fernbrook and Cityzen, Toronto
Function: residential

Height: 179,5 m and 161,2 m
Completion: 2012
The Pinnacle@Duxton, Singapur
Architects: ARC Studio Architecture + Urbanism, Singapur
Responsible partner: Khoo Peng Beng
Construction management: RSP Architects Planners & Engineers
Structural engineering: Surbana International Consultants Pte. Ltd.
Client: Housing & Development Board, Singapur
Function: public housing

Height: 163,9 m
Completion: 2010
Special Recognition

Deutsche Bank, Frankfurt
Architects: gmp – von Gerkan, Marg und Partner, Hamburg (technical part) and Mario Bellini Architects, Mailand (design part)
Project manager: Volkwin Marg, Hubert Nienhoff (gmp), Mario Bellini with Giulio Castegini
Client: Deutsche Bank AG
Function: Office building

Height: 155 m
Completion: 2011

DETAIL Green: Renovation of the Deutsche Bank skyscrapers in Frankfurt DETAIL 9/2011 »Concept« Office Buildings
More information about all finalists Former winners of the International Highrise Award 2010: The Met, Bangkok, Thailand
2008: Hearst Headquarters, New York City, USA
2006: Torre Agbar, Barcelona, Spain
2004: De Hoftoren, Den Haag, Netherlands
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