Unique project turns two Brisbane office towers into one

In what is claimed as a first for Australia and perhaps even the world, developers are turning two adjacent skyscrapers in Brisbane into one new building instead of knocking them down and building from scratch.

Repurposing the 1970s structures will save 11,000 tonnes of carbon by doing away with the need for extra concrete and steel, says the scheme's designer, Fender Katsalidis.

To effect the join, the facades of both towers were stripped away and floor plates were built across the width of the new structure's footprint.

"Essentially, we stitched them together," Mark Curzon, director at Fender Katsalidis, told the BBC.

"These aren't bridges. This is joining together two floor plates from one side to the other."

"It is cheaper," Curzon added. "This was a feasible project, it was structurally very, very achievable."

Called Midtwon Centre, the scheme merges two former government office buildings at 155 Charlotte Street and 150 Mary Street in Brisbane's Central Business District.

The two towers of 26,000 sq m in area will become a single A-Grade office tower of 44,000 sq m.

The developer is a joint venture between DMANN Corporation and Ashe Morgan. The cost of the project has been given as A$200m.

Construction started in May 2019, and anchor tenant Rio Tinto is scheduled to move into its 20,000 sq m in 2021.

Six new floors will be added to the structure, contributing to a 66% increase in net leasable area, the scheme's contractor, Hutchinson Builders said.

Article source: Global Construction Review