Located in Sydney, Australia, the Quay Quarter Tower was built by reusing an old tower in decline. Thus, no less than two thirds of the materials were already available on site. This is therefore a recycled skyscraper, the first tower of its kind in the world.
How was the Quay Quarter Tower born?
Everyone obviously knows the importance of the concept of recycling. However, here we are talking about recycling of a tall building almost in its entirety. Indeed, in Sydney (Australia), the Quay Quarter Tower was built in 2022 on the ashes of another tower which was previously in the same place: the AMP Centre.
Originally, the AMP Centre, built in 1976, encountered certain problems in 2010, a situation which then required renovation work. Finally, the owners of the premises decided to completely replace the building. However, those responsible for the project quickly noted that the demolition of the 45-story (188 m) tower and its reconstruction would result in significant CO2 emissions.
After a call for tenders launched in 2014, architecture firm 3XN and multidisciplinary engineering firm BG&E took on the project four years later. In fact, the work has allowed to add nine additional floors to the towerwhich brings the total to 54 for a height of 216 m. Thus the Quay Quarter Tower was born.
Environmental objectives achieved with this skyscraper
According to 3XN, more than 95% of the internal walls were able to be preserved and above all 66% of the original structure of the tower. Furthermore, this surprising method would have made it possible to avoid no less than 6.1 million tonnes of carbon emissions. Let us also mention a significant reduction in construction time and obviously in the environmental impact of the project. Let us also mention the fact that the architectural firm collaborated with the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI), a network of building professionals based in the United Kingdom. The objective? Achieve a target of 228 kg of CO2 emissions per square meter of living space. In 2022, the tower was evaluated and presented a balance of 226 kg per square meter of living space.
“We prioritize raising awareness among customers and stakeholders about reducing carbon emissions from the earliest stages of the project design phase”said Araj Lal, design manager at BG&E.
Finally, rated six stars for durability by the Green Building Council of Australia, the Quay Quarter Tower brought a touch of modernity to this district of Sydney (the Quay Quarter) while avoiding completely disrupting its urban landscape.
Related News :