333 George Street | Grimshaw Architects

Charter Hall’s 333 George Street has been celebrated for its intelligent design and for bringing a vision to Sydney that will help the city stay abreast of its international competitors.

Marking the commencement of construction of the 18 level building, located on one of the city’s most prominent corners at George Street and Martin Place, Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the building would help redefine George Street and return it to its status as the city’s main promenade.

Owned by Charter Hall’s Core Plus Office Fund (CPOF), the building will include 15 levels of contemporary office space and three levels of highly sought after retail space that will engage with the city and amplify the experience of being within this prime CBD location.

The defining feature central to the building's sense of community is its five levels of cascading rooftop terraces that bring the outside in and its highly-transparent floor to ceiling windows that create a sense of openness.

High performance glazing, rainwater harvesting and recycling as well as monitoring of energy use will minimise the building’s environmental impacts and provide a workspace that enhances employee wellbeing and comfort. The building is also targeting a 5-star Green Star As Built rating and a 5-star NABERS Energy rating upon completion in mid-2016.

Cr Moore said Charter Hall was leading intelligent design in the city through its commitment to sustainability, the creation of healthy work environments and buildings that engage and contribute to the surrounding city; reflecting the city’s 2030 vision, which promotes a green, global and connected community.

"333 George Street epitomises so much of what our 2030 work was about: quality development through innovative design, mixed uses to create a diverse and appealing city centre and – last but definitely not least – sustainability," she said.

"This is what cities need if we are to stay abreast of our international competitors. It’s what the skilled and mobile young workforce of today expects, and it’s what we require if we are to create green and liveable cities for the future."

Charter Hall CPOF fund manager, Chris Forbes, said the building’s transparency reflects how organisations do business today – engaging with customers face-to-face and creating world-class workspaces to increase employee satisfaction.

"Charter Hall is confident 333 George Street will become one of the city’s most distinctive buildings. It contributes to an exciting vision for the future of this city and the restoration of George Street," he said.

"It is a home for progressive businesses that want to take advantage of its prime position and take ownership of this key corner location in a building they can be proud to put their name to."

Collaborating to deliver this unique project are award-winning international design architects Grimshaw and executive architects Crone Partners.

The design aims to reinvent the historic precinct in which the building sits. This precinct will be subject to major urban renewal and makeover in the coming years, with plans to pedestrianise George Street and introduce light rail.

Grimshaw partner Andrew Cortese said the design intention was to create an elegant and innovative building that would restore the quality of architecture in the area.

"It will be a visually captivating place to work, one that engages with its environment, extends the premier retail streetscape and sculpts a landmark piece of architecture," he said.

"333 George Street provides its occupants with an unrivalled opportunity to experience an intimacy with George Street and Martin Place – the city, its energy and activities will animate the day-to-day life of the building."

The finely detailed crystalline facade has a unique form sculptured from the arrays of sunlight and features curved corners that open up and tilt back as the building rises. The building gives 333 George Street a unique three dimensional form that will transform subtlety from varying aspects. Its transparency showcases its retail and workspaces while maintaining the highest environmental performance, daylight and views to the city.

Stepped landscaped terraces bring verdant green into the city centre. Taking best advantage of natural light, they offer integrated outdoor and indoor workspaces and increase the relationship of the office space with the street and surrounding architecture.

This design creates a sense of community, interacting and engaging intimately with its environment and providing a sense of openness that goes beyond just its architecture and into the heart of the city.

To maximise the site footprint and minimise unused space, 333 George Street’s flexible floorplates permit interconnecting voids to promote a vertically connected office environment to increase collaboration and communication for its occupants.

At street level, the building presents premier frontage for retail that is both contemporary but fits within and extends the character of the heritage precinct. With 2,100sqm of prime retail space designed to activate the streetscape, it features full height transparent glazing over three levels complemented by elegant fluted sandstone columns.

"In responding to the needs of the surrounding environment, 333 George Street establishes individuality like no other building in the city," Mr Forbes said.

"Its unique design is intended to be one of city's most distinctive corporate addresses."