Construction of Barangaroo begins
Image: An artist's impression of the Barangaroo development
Excavation is nearing completion and construction will soon start on the International Towers Sydney (ITS) at Barangaroo.
The ITS complex being developed by Lend Lease will aim to attract high-end tenants from the business sector.
“The first tower crane was erected on site last week,” said Lend Lease’s Barangaroo South Managing Director, Andrew Wilson. “This 50-metre tall, 18-tonne capacity crane will be used to construct the basement and the first of the three commercial towers.
“Those three buildings will provide new office space for 23,000 workers. Last year, Westpac, KPMG and Lend Lease were announced as the first tenants for International Towers Sydney. These pre-commitments represent 71 per cent of the commercial floor space of the first two commercial towers.”
But while many welcome new development in this area of the city, others continue to voice concerns over the height of ITS. The tallest of the commercial towers is slated to be 209 metres, making it the seventh-tallest building in Sydney upon completion at the current building heights.
President of Australians for Sustainable Development, John McInerney said the tower heights will have a grossly negative impact.
“We always objected to the height of the commercial towers. They were just too out of scale with the harbourside nature of the site. They cast quite extensive shadows to the south and the southern area,” he said.
“Because the towers are so large and because the way the wind blows in Sydney, the spaces within the towers become windswept, making the pedestrian environment really unpleasant. It’s all about the quality of the space at the bottom of the towers that we think is unduly affected.”
City of Sydney Councillor Christine Forster said despite the criticism the development has attracted, it is outweighed by what is gained from the project.
“They are big buildings; there’s no doubt about that. I can understand if I owned a unit in one of those streets and all of a sudden big buildings were going up, I wouldn’t be happy about it,” she said.
“But we need to utilise the space, and I think the mix of commercial, residential, and parkland is a good outcome.”
Councillor Linda Scott said the development is positive, but remains worried about the removal of public housing adjacent to the Barangaroo site.
“I welcome the development of continuous harbour foreshore access. Having public access to all of Sydney’s harbour foreshore and a large public park at Barangaroo will be fantastic,” she said.
“I am saddened to see that the Liberal State Government is trying to use development of this area as a means to destroy Sydney’s heritage housing in The Rocks, Dawes Point and Millers Point, and will continue to fight with local residents to prevent this from happening.”
But Mr Wilson said the towers have undergone all necessary approvals, along with public consultation.
“More than two years ago, the Barangaroo South commercial building heights were approved by the Department of Planning after full public consultation and assessment. 18 months ago, this planning approval was also endorsed by the independent Barangaroo Review,” he said.
By James Bullen
