Sydney, Australia

New heights down under

Sydney is transforming its Central Business District – with high-rise buildings that will alter the city’s skyline forever and signal the start of a new era in building modernization.

Jeremy Hutchinson lets his gaze wander across Darling Harbour in Sydney. The global head of supply chain at the multi­national real estate developer Lendlease is an influential figure in Australia’s construction industry. He decides on multi-billion-­dollar projects and oversees their delivery. He is standing in an office in one of the two International Towers – part of the Barangaroo project, which ranks as possibly the largest and most complex construction project in Australia for decades.

Barangaroo is located on one side of Sydney Harbour, where it is protected from the wind and strong currents. It was inhabited by the Aboriginal people 14 000 years ago and was later used as a shipyard for cargo vessels. Today, it is a workplace for thousands of office staff and a place to relax for the hundreds of guests who stay at the integrated Crown Towers hotel. All of these people have one thing in common: One of 139 Schindler elevators or escalators will transport them to their destination.

The Barangaroo development consists of seven towers, which are being built in three phases. The first phase of the project began in 2012 with three towers, 79 elevators, and 2 escalators. The Crown Towers hotel, with 21 Schindler elevators, was completed during phase two. The third phase is due for completion by the end of 2023 and will involve the installation of a further 22 elevators.

“A carefully considered process led us to Schindler,” Hutchinson recalls. A number of suppliers submitted tenders for the construction of the transport infrastructure. Schindler’s bid was successful. “The Schindler PORT transit management system was key,” says Hutchinson. Schindler is market leader in this field. According to Hutchinson, Lendlease was also certain that Schindler would be able to complete the project with Swiss precision and within the prescribed timeframe. “After all, precision is a must in today’s world,” he says.

Barangaroo is just one example of how Sydney’s Central Business District is currently changing. The new Salesforce Tower, which is also equipped with Schindler elevators, now ranks as the city’s tallest building. A 180-meter pedestrian tunnel connects the most important parts of the inner city. 150 000 people use Wynyard Walk every day and 10 Schindler elevators and 26 escalators transport them to their destination rapidly and safely.

Quay Quarter Tower, which is located at 50 Bridge Street, is a skyscraper that has attracted global interest. The office building is classed as the world’s first ever “recycled” high-rise building. Instead of being demolished, the original structure from the 1970’s was incorporated into the new build as part of a modernization process. Leftover building material was recycled. In recognition of this unusual combination of upcycling and reconstruction, the project won the 2022/23 International High-Rise Award. A team from Schindler was once again involved: High-rise Engineering Manager Fernando Ferrao designed and his crew replaced the existing single-deck elevators with 18 high-rise double-deck elevators and six high-rise single-deck elevators, seven Schindler 5500 models, and ten escalators. “Installing double-­deck elevators in the existing shafts was something of a technical challenge, but our team of engineers was able to find a solution, working in close consultation with the customer,” says Ferrao.

Sydney is getting its Central Business District fit for the future – and has found an ideal partner with Schindler.