Sydneysiders have been given a sneak preview of one of the tallest retained heritage facades in the world as Brookfield Properties unveils its revamp of the historic Shell House building as part of its $2 billion Brookfield Place development.

For two years, the building’s iconic 400 tonne clock tower was wrapped in scaffold and temporarily supported by over 1,400 tonnes of structural steel to enable Multiplex to demolish the existing floors and excavate the sandstone beneath to create a new basement for the Shell House building while simultaneously restoring the clock tower and leaving it suspended above the live construction site.

Located on the corner of Carrington and Margaret Streets, Shell House is now fully integrated into the rising Brookfield Place project. With basement works complete and all 10 levels of concrete flooring poured, fitout works are now underway to accommodate NAB’s new Sydney headquarters in 2021.

NAB’s Shell House accommodation will merge seamlessly with the new 27-storey Premium Grade commercial tower being built as part of the Brookfield Place project and will feature a spectacular, interconnected atrium that celebrates the nexus of old and new, whilst providing the bank with incredible floorplates of 3,200 square metres.

Shell House is historically significant as the only surviving interwar commercial palazzo style building in Sydney clad with glazed terracotta ‘faience’ blocks. Standing at 65.5 metres high, Shell House’s facade is also one of the tallest retained heritage facades in the world.

Prior to redevelopment, Shell House was home to the Menzies Hotel, with its outdated 1970s interiors now being transformed into a contemporary office building designed by architects MAKE and Architectus with the new NAB fitout by Woods Bagot.

The complex transformation will result in the complete restoration of Shell House’s heritage facade with the impressive street level presence returned to its former opulence.

On its rooftop, Shell House will also accommodate a new premium food and beverage experience which is set to become a popular destination in the CBD.

Image: Supplied