Deborah Singerman reports on the Mirvac refurbishment of a prominent North Sydney office building.
The tower at 20 Bond Street in the northern part of Sydney’s CBD is fittingly on a promi nent corner. It has been home to many a major finance services organ isation over the years, including the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
Now the building is undergoing a $60 million transformation which will feature an eye-catching entrance designed to attract and retain light, reputation, staff and high-profile tenants when it re-opens in early 2011.
Mirvac’s in-house architectural and design team is responsible for the build ing’s refurbishment blueprint, with the “architecturally striking new lobby” accentuating the prominent lines of the tower structure and creating a distinctive entrance for occupants and visitors alike.
Light and space is a key feature in the design. Frameless glass panels will replace the building frontage on the ground floor and there will be a blurring “of boundaries between the interior of the building and the streetscape beyond”, says Mirvac’s managing direc tor, Nick Collishaw.
“The lobby’s dramatic elevated ceiling and light-filled interior will transform the frontage, creating a luminous, spa cious focal entry point for the building where staff and tenants can meet and network.”
Tenants will also benefit from regular floorplates creating a light and spacious work environment enhanced by city and harbour views.
One of the main objectives of the proj ect was to deliver “exceptional environ mental performance and sustainable operations across all aspects of the design and development,” Collishaw says.
“By retaining the original façade of the building, 20 Bond Street will achieve an optimum sustainable out come, as the inherent energy value in the existing structure will be fully utilised. By avoiding the demolition and reconstruction of the building, the joint owners have saved exponential amounts of energy.”
The lobby is configured to allow easy access to all the surrounding amenities, providing a high level of functionality and permeability. Nevertheless, the secu rity of people entering the building will be paramount for building staff and concierge.
The feel and presence within the build ing will also be set by high-standard inte riors. “Premium finishes, including select ed stones-to-floors and feature walls, extensive structural glass and a custom- designed rug will impart a serene, con temporary and enduring style, reflecting the premium location and facilities,” says the Mirvac design team.
Joint owners, ING Office Fund and Mirvac, say they “are committed to cre ating a high-performance building, basi cally meaning [that] it will operate at the optimum standards of efficiency and functionality”.
The 35,000 sqm office building over 31-storeys will deliver next generation building services, including:
• a new high-speed lift system with modern lift car interiors and destination calling for a faster, more efficient journey
• an active chilled beam air-conditioning system
• backup power
• flexible low energy T5 lighting controls
• a “state-of-the-art” building management control system, which will help ensure “seamless climate control”
Drawing on over 38 years of develop ment expertise, Mirvac design and con struction teams have an outstanding track record of transforming existing buildings into quality assets, while minimising their environmental footprint. For example, the 101 Miller Street upgrade in North Sydney, whose trigeneration plant was promoted by Mirvac as an Australian first for an existing premium building. 20 Bond Street too will harness energy through trigeneration, the on-site electric ity generation using natural gas and the reuse of waste heat for air-conditioning.
The joint owners are targeting a 5 star NABERS Energy rating — the highest currently attainable. Mirvac and ING Office Fund believe the NABERS target “will provide tenants with the opportunity to achieve maximum sustainability rat ings for themselves”. It will also help ensure the building will be able to meet the likely increased demand for environ mental information about a building.
At the time of writing, the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Bill 2010 was awaiting Senate approval, having passed the Lower House in June. This will require building owners to disclose an up- to-date Building Energy Efficiency Certificate when they sell, lease or sub- lease office space of more than 2,000 sqm.
Other features of 20 Bond Street will include tenant amenities such as secure parking, showers, lockers and bicycle park ing. As part of the lobby redesign, Fitness First will have its own dedicated entrance so users will no longer have to enter and exit the gym via the foyer of the building.
The site is also near major public rail, bus and ferry transport hubs and is linked to the city’s major arterial routes.
Tino Tanfara, CEO of ING Office Fund, says “20 Bond Street presents a rare opportunity for our future tenants to max imise their reputation by relocating along side Sydney’s business and financial elite. With such a limited supply of high-quality commercial space offering premium grade services in this part of the CBD, we expect to see strong demand from the market.”
Adds Collishaw: “The transformation of 20 Bond Street will deliver a high performance and aesthetically appealing development with strong sustainable credentials.”
