Chicago, Illinois, USA – SOM and Fender Katsalidis have won an international design competition for Central Place Sydney, a $2.5 billion commercial development that will contribute to Tech Central in Sydney's Central Business District.

The design by SOM and Fender Katsalidis is set to transform the western edge of Central Station. New commercial buildings and public realm improvements will enhance this southern gateway to the CBD, revitalising and reconnecting the precinct to the city, and complementing the City of Sydney's plan to create a third new major civic square. The project is a partnership between developers Dexus and Frasers Property Australia.

The design for Central Place Sydney features two 37-and-39 storey commercial towers, woven together by a low-rise building anchoring the development and enlivening the precinct at street level. Landscaped public spaces surround the buildings, enhancing connections between neighboring communities and the city's most prominent commercial axis. 

Located at the southern edge of Henry Deane Plaza, the central building is a dynamic urban form that shapes the precinct's identity. It ascends in a series of tiers, which are staggered to open up garden terraces and views at each level. The curved sandstone forms respond to the scale and materiality of the precinct's existing character. The ground floor is highly permeable, accommodating a retail experience that flows into the plaza, while the upper commercial levels will be linked to the new towers to create campus-style floorplates.

“The building anchors the southern edge of the Plaza and combines creative workplaces, collaborative and community spaces, and active ground level retail along an internal pedestrian laneway. We aimed to create a place that's engaging both at street level and in its broader urban context,” said Scott Duncan, Design Partner at SOM.

A core element of the Tech Central precinct, the project will encompass approximately 150,000 square metres of office and retail space. It will be one of the most sustainable commercial developments in Australia, with workplace environments that integrate nature and a range of amenities.