In November 1962, then Prime Minister Robert Menzies was on hand to open the AMP ‘Sydney Cove’ Building, a 26-storey office tower designed by Peddle Thorp & Walker (now PTW Architects) and located right on the harbour at Circular Quay.

Almost twice as high as any other Sydney building at that time, and considered the city’s first skyscraper, the landmark tower has been renovated and repurposed by JPW. Now named after its address – 33 Alfred St – it presents as something of a model of adaptive re-use.

In line with this newfound status, the building has not only been added to the NSW Government’s State Heritage Register, but also won several awards, including the AIA NSW, Heritage Award, 2026; the Urban Taskforce Development Excellence Awards – Heritage Development Award, 2026; the Council on Vertical Urbanism, Repositioning Award, 2026; and the Urban Developer Awards for Industry Excellence, Excellence in Sustainability.

Completed by JPW in collaboration with the client, City of Sydney, heritage, planners and facade engineers, the renewal includes NCC upgrades for structural, fire safety, amenity including acoustic separation, energy use, and accessibility.

With its instantly recognisable dual crescent shape intact, the building now includes floor-to-ceiling glass, improved amenities and further upgrades to transform it into one of the city’s most sought after commercial addresses.

On top of this, and in line with the ‘adaptive re-use’ approach, 33 Alfred St also features various other environmentally focused changes, including an 80kW rooftop solar PV system, a rainwater harvesting for re-use onsite, a high-performance façade maximising energy efficiency, and Integrated Building Platform integrating all monitoring and control systems, and smart metering.

Moreover it has been designed to target a 5.5-star NABERS Energy rating, a 4.5-star NABERS Water rating, and a 6 Star Green Star - Office As Built v3 rating; and also to achieve carbon neutrality for operations against scope 1 and 2 emissions.

Images: JPW & Brett Boardman

Matthew McDonald

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