$2.5 billion Central Place Sydney design unveiled

International architecture firms Fender Katsalidis and Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM) have won the global design competition for Central Place Sydney, a $2.5 billion commercial development underpinning Sydney CBD’s Tech Central.

The project to be delivered by Dexus and Frasers Property Australia will complement the City of Sydney’s proposal to create a third new major civic square.

The design for Central Place Sydney features two commercial towers at 37 and 39 levels and a landmark sculptural building which will activate the precinct that connects Railway Square, Central Station and the community beyond.

The project, part of Tech Central, will encompass approximately 150,000 square metres of office and retail space.

Central Place Sydney’s sculptural building, at the southern edge of Henry Deane Plaza, is proposed to feature curved sandstone forms that respond to the different urban orientations.

Fender Katsalidis design director Mark Curzon said, "the sculptural towers are shaped by the movement and civic connections at ground level and extend vertically into a ‘fine-grained’ skyline, orientated to address key vistas in a gateway configuration."

"The breathing buildings, with 100 per cent renewable energy, optimise their environmental footprints, mitigate wind effects and harvest natural daylight whilst a computer controlled double skin façade will mitigate direct sunlight and minimise heat gain," he added.