Lendlease has lodged a development application for a 55-storey “premium-grade office tower” for Sydney’s Circular Quay. To be designed by global architecture firm Foster + Partners, the planned building would provide a balance of “community and commercial uses”.

With a proposed height of up to 263 metres, the tower could potentially become Sydney’s tallest office building. According to Lendlease, more than 45 percent of the precinct would be dedicated to “community infrastructure” – including two public plazas, retail-lined laneways, a public cycle facility, public art and a three-storey community building – that is being developed in consultation with the City of Sydney council.

Foster + Partners’ senior executive partner, Gerard Evenden, says that both the scale and the floorplate of the building are intended to facilitate “flexibility, connection and wellbeing” within the work environment.

“With many levels boasting spectacular views of Sydney’s landmarks, the tower will encompass functionally flexible open-space floorplates that enjoy north-facing workspaces,” says Evenden.

The proposed scheme has been designed to open up the ground plane and create “as much community infrastructure as possible”, according to Urban Regeneration’s managing director, Mark Menhinnitt.

A 6-star Green Star and a 5-star NABERS Energy rating are being targeted for the proposed tower.

The development application – subject to approval by the Central Sydney Planning Committee – is now on public exhibition. Early works are already underway, and consent has been granted for demolition for the site.