10 Year Award Winner: 1 Bligh Street, Sydney
Christoph Ingenhoven
Founder & Design Principal
ingenhoven associates gmbh, Düsseldorf
Ray Brown
Chief Executive Officer
Architectus, Sydney
Peter Morley
Head of Office Development
Dexus, Sydney
A Sense of Place in Sydney
The vision for 1 Bligh Street was to create a development that would enhance the heart of Sydney CBD’s financial district and create the sustainable workspace of the future. The design concept was to deliver Australia’s most sustainable office tower and be a world-leading exemplar of architectural design, workspace excellence, and enhanced public spaces. As Sydney’s first 6-Star Greenstar rated high-rise office tower, 1 Bligh has successfully set the benchmark for other developments to follow. Having remained fully occupied for the past decade, with the anchor tenant recently signing a new lease for a further 10 years, the project has been a financial success and has created significant value for its investors, and substantial brand equity for the co-owners.
The development concept first came to life in 1999, when nine small buildings were consolidated into a substantial site in the CBD. Resulting from an international design competition, the building’s elliptical design oriented to Sydney Harbour maintains its distinctive presence in the streetscape and skyline. At ground level, the large urban space with sweeping north-facing steps creates a new public domain that encourages people to sit and linger—a key place-making objective. Continuing to enhance the urban fabric through to present day, from its dramatic metal mesh curtain to James Angus’ vibrant artwork, the development activates this prominent CBD corner site day and night.
From its double-story rooftop terrace and mid-level winter garden to Australia’s first high-rise double-skin façade and full-height,135-meter naturally ventilated atrium, its early contributions to enhancing the comfort and variety of the building’s communal spaces has had an indelible impact on office buildings throughout the continent.
