Australia’s first large-scale carbon-neutral community precinct will soon be home to the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).

The industry association will join the growing innovation community being established within Tower Two and Tower Three of Barangaroo’s International Towers.

“There is an exciting new business ecology being cultivated within [the towers] and we are thrilled to participate in this as a foundation tenant,” says Romilly Madew, GBCA CEO.

“We look forward to moving into a business community anchored on diversity, high performance, wellbeing and innovation – characteristics that we believe are pillars of a sustainable future.”

The two towers are taking a curated approach to tenancy, selecting diverse organisations with a commitment to innovation, sustainability, collaboration and community.

“There is mounting evidence that high-performance cultures are also very human cultures which incorporate a powerful sense of community,” says Tony Byrne, International Towers’ general manager.

“Within Tower Two and Tower Three, we are designing uniquely flexible [and] open floorplans, workspaces and shared spaces that encourage collaboration both within and across organisations.”

Joining the GBCA within its tenancy will be the Shopping Centre Council of Australia (SCCA).

THE TOWERS’ DESIGN

Designed by London-based architecture firm, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP), the International Towers implement a placemaking model that responds to workplace cultures that have shifted away from rigid constructs and hierarchical models. In their place are informal spaces that strive to inspire innovative and creative thinking.

The circular building design, along with the egalitarian nature of the interior layouts, offers all staff access to natural lighting as well as harbour and city views.

Over the last year, Australian interior design firm Geyer have been working with International Towers. The community tenancies within Tower Two and Tower Three are being designed to allow organisations the flexibility to expand and contract, depending on their needs.

These work environments include open spaces, visible gathering spaces, transparent meeting rooms and connectivity between staff areas and event tenancies.

The buildings are also high-performing. As part of developer Lendlease’s quest to get Barangaroo South to carbon-neutral and water-positive status, all three towers are 5 Star NABERS as well as 6 Star Green Star Office Design v3, as rated by the GBCA.