RSHP finalizes international towers at barangaroo, sydney

in australia, rogers stirk harbour + partners (RSHP) has completed the final high-rise at international towers sydney. its completion marks the first significant part of the practice’s masterplan for barangaroo south — the city’s largest urban renewal project since the 2000 olympics. the ongoing redevelopment unites sydney’s central business district with the waterfront, creates a new financial services hub, and will eventually result in a carbon neutral downtown neighborhood.

all images © brett boardman photography, unless otherwise stated

RSHP’s design is conceived as three sibling buildings that each contain distinct details with an individual character. carefully positioned on a radial geometry — in order to maximize sunlight and views — the towers form a distinctive and highly visible landmark over the western harbor. internally, 23,000 workers are housed in approximately 300,000 square meters of office space divided among the three towers. flexible 2,500 square meter floorplates enable occupants to configure their workplaces according to their needs.

image © rogers stirk harbour + partners

at ground level, unconventional lobbies are designed to be transparent and inviting, weaving into the existing network of streets and lanes. this is intended to give the towers human scale and impact at ground level. façades utilize a combination of horizontal and vertical shading. this protects the buildings from solar load and reduces the energy needed for cooling, while simultaneously providing color and scale to the individual towers.

shading protects the buildings from solar load, while providing color and scale

developed by lendlease, the project has received a 6 star rating from the green building council of australia. this means that, according to the GBCA, the towers demonstrate ‘world leadership’ in terms of their environmental design. other aspects that promote sustainability include: solar panels, rainwater capture and recycling, blackwater treatment, and a basement that houses three times more bicycles than cars.

the western podium elevation of tower two

‘sydney is one of the most magnificent port cities in the world, but historically the city has never reached the waterfront,’ said richard rogers. ‘one of the main aims of this project was to extend the CBD down to the waterfront, creating a new district of work and leisure, with 50% open space. since the towers have been built, the area has been teeming with people, life and vitality, showing that this was absolutely the right response to the area. working on a project of this scale has been an incredible opportunity for the practice to undertake a high quality piece of placemaking.’

unconventional lobbies are designed to be transparent and inviting