Quay Quarter Tower Sydney, Australia

Quay Quarter Tower (QQT) brings high-rise buildings into the circular economy. This pioneering exercise was led by 3XN Architecture and its scheme to upcycle the former AMP Centre in Sydney, which dates from 1976.

An impressive 65% of the beams, columns and slabs, and 98% of the central core of the building were retained as part of creating a world-class office tower from what had become an obsolete building. Five shifting volumes are arranged around central atria that accommodate shared amenities and social spaces, and provide exceptional views over Sydney Harbour.

In contrast to the conventional layout of the original building, QQT creates a vertical village of community clusters. The Platinum certification awarded by the WELL Building Institute recognises the social sustainability credentials of this tower and its focus on user collaboration and well-being

12,000 TONNES of carbon emissions were avoided by reusing existing concrete.

Quay Quarter Tower demonstrates how reuse can be synonymous with metamorphosis: the addition of 45,000 m2 of extra floor space to a structure nearly 50 years old has doubled the building’s floor area and capacity.

Technical Sheet

• Architect: 3XN

• Developer: AMP Capital