A skyscraper in Sydney, Australia that was constructed around the shell of another structure was awarded World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival in Lisbon, Portugal last week.
The prize is the latest honour for Quay Quarter Tower, which has been dubbed the world's first "upcycled skyscraper" and a more sustainable solution to high-rise construction.
The tower, which opened earlier this year, was based on AMP Centre that opened in 1976 and had reached the end of its viable life.
The AMP Centre at 50 Bridge Street, about halfway between the famous Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, was once Sydney's tallest building.
Its owner, AMP Capital, wanted a more eye-catching and energy-efficient building that could meet the needs of tenants in the 21st century, but was also concerned about the environmental impact of demolishing the structure.
It decided to hold an architectural competition with a sustainable brief, challenging architects to build a new skyscraper without knocking down the existing tower.
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| The building is made up of five stacked "volumes." |
The 200 metre, 49-storey Quay Quarter Tower was announced as the winning design in 2014. It was designed by Danish architectural firm 3XN, which collaborated collaboration with Sydney-based firm BVN.
Construction began in early 2018 and was completed earlier this year. Take a look at the building here.
The Quay Quarter Tower is comprised of five stacked volumes.
Kim Herforth Nielsen, founder of 3XN, said her team produced at least 30 sketches while developing the design, as well as numerous 3D digitalizations and physical models.
They wanted to produce a "textured, layered" building, rather than "the homogenous, curtain-wall type towers that are so common."
"By dividing the building into five separate volumes and placing an atrium and terrace at the base of each one, the columns become smaller, more intimate social environments, making it easier for employees to connect and interact with one another," says Herforth Nielsen.
The architects hope it will serve as a "vertical village."
Quay Quarter Tower contains an array of offices and retail outlets.
The building's owners hope that the design will help "redefine the future of work" and "promote human interaction."
The World Architecture Forum judging panel said the "vertical village" created a "sense of community", with the stacked atriums allowing "exceptional views, while also allowing daylight deep into each floor", news.com.au reported.
"The winner was commissioned to provide a building on a world-class site, and to retain a huge proportion of an existing 50-year-old commercial tower," the forum's director, Paul Finch said, per the report. "The result was an excellent example of adaptive reuse."
It has dazzling views of Sydney's harbor and landmarks.
There's multiple rooftop terraces overlooking sights such as the Sydney Opera House, the harbor and its famous bridge.
Architect Carl Elefante famously said: "The greenest building is the one that is already built."
The architects believe the "upscaling" approach saved 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted.
That's the equivalent of powering the entire building for three years — or as much carbon dioxide as produced by 35,000 flights between Sydney and Melbourne.
Retaining the existing structure was key to maximizing space.
The innovative "upscaling" method is about more than just sustainability.
If the AMP Center had been demolished, it's possible a new structure on a similar scale would not have been permitted due to new height restrictions in Sydney, which aim to prevent buildings from overshadowing the city's botanical gardens.
The approach also offered financial savings on the project.
The team estimate the approach saved as much as R1.7 billion.
By retaining the existing structure, construction time was reduced by at least six months.
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