Aurora Place is a commercial

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

and residential block on Phillip Street in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Designed by

Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable works include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), Kansai International Airport in Osaka (1994), the Whitney ...

, the 41-storey building stands at a height of high to the top of the spire and to the roof. The building has an unusual geometric shape where not one panel is parallel to any grid. The east

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

bulges out slightly from its base, reaching its maximum width at the top floors. The curved and twisted shape of east façade is aimed to correspond spatially with

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

and to represent the sublime marine environment of the harbour. The exterior glass curtain-wall extends beyond the main frame, creating an illusion of its independence. The steel spire attached to the north facade is 75 metres in length. Uniquely for an office building of its size and age, Aurora Place features a number of winter gardens, providing natural environments for the building's tenants. These winter gardens are located in the North West and South East corners of the tower floor place, facing

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...

and the adjacent botanical gardens, with sophisticated operable louvre facades. Aurora Place also features a significant collection of art on public display, reported to be among the most valuable corporate art commissions in Australia. Artists featured at Aurora Place include Kan Yasuda, Caio Fonseca and Tim Prentice.

History

The building was built on the site of the former State Office Block by Bovis Lend Lease. The assumptions of a planned tower were first presented to the Central Sydney Planning Committee in 1996, when three main architects: Mark Carroll, Shunji Ishida and Renzo Piano put forward the innovative project. The building was sold in January 2001 for $485 million. Aurora Place was the winner of prestigious 2002

Property Council of Australia The Property Council of Australia is a prominent industry organisation that represents the Australian property sector, advocating for its growth and positive impact on the nation. Founded in 1969, the Property Council operates across all major ca ...

Rider Hunt Award, handled out for technical and financial qualities. On 2 June 2009, French urban climber Alain Robert scaled this building in protest against

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

Construction materials

Materials that are used for this building were unique compared to its neighbours, Chifley Tower and Governor Phillip Tower. The façade which makes up the primary component of the building is the milky white fritted glass which has been laminated. The aesthetics of the material gives a visual metaphor of a sail. It is inspired by the tiling of the Sydney Opera House, which is 800 metres (less than half a mile) to the north. Terracotta tiles makes up much of the lower section of the building to contrast the white dominated glass cladding. It also reconciles the orange-clad lobby and the residential complex. A number of international law firms, namely

Jones Day Jones Day is an American multinational law firm based in Washington, D.C. As of 2023, it is one of the largest law firms in the United States, with 2,302 attorneys, and among the highest-grossing in the world with revenues of $2.5 billion. Foun ...

(level 41) and Squire Patton Boggs (level 17), are tenants in the building, as well as the world’s largest management consulting firm,

McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...

(level 35).

References

* *See the for more information.

External links

SAW, Architect led tours of Aurora Place
{{coord, 33, 51, 53.89, S, 151, 12, 43.03, E, display=title Office buildings completed in 2000 Renzo Piano buildings Skyscraper office buildings in Sydney Buildings and structures awarded the Sir John Sulman Medal Sydney central business district

History

Construction materials

See also

References

External links