388 GEORGE STREET

Jointly owned by Brookfield Properties and the Investa Office Trust, this landmark tower in Sydney, Australia, is undergoing a total building refurbishment. The 28-storey tower was designed by Australian architect John Andrews in 1976 and stands distinctively at a 45-degree angle on the street corner.

Architects Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (FJMT) have designed a new podium while the tower refurbishment is by HDR Architecture. The tower features a large curtain wall facade, made up of panels up to 1200 kg, and has very complex Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC) features with steps and curves and champagne electro-coloured stainless-steel bracketry.

“The large glazing continues in the new five-storey podium, lobby entry and the retail spaces. The tower lobby has a 10.5m structural glass build-up with upper 7m glass suspended. The 5m frameless shopfront insulated glass turns to single laminate balustrades as one piece on the retail’s rooftop terrace.”

Pierre-Alexis Galland, Associate, Sydney

Inhabit provided façade consulting including for the Atrium internal glazing, stair balustrading, louvre seal and remedial works on the existing tower cable-stayed façade (field water test and inspections). The Sydney team also provided the BMU refurbishment plan and the maintenance and access strategy.

The project is targeting sustainability design ratings of 5 star NABERS Energy, 4 Star NABERS Water, 5 Star NABERS IEQ, and 5 Star Green Star-Design v2.

The building was opened in late 2020.