Three Sydney towers have made the shortlist for the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s (CTBUH) awards.

The international awards will see International Towers Sydney, EY Centre, and Lumiere represent Australia.

The awards recognise projects and individuals that have made significant contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment. They are given across eight categories: Americas, Asia & Australasia, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Urban Habitat, Construction, Innovation, and 10 Year. The winners in each regional category will then be judged for the title of ‘2018 Best Tall Building Worldwide’.

Designed by UK firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP), the International Towers trio – C3, C4 and C5 (also called T1, T2 and T3) – is the commercial backbone of Barangaroo South. Combined, the towers boast over 280,000-square-metres of A-grade office floorspace on some of the largest office tower floorplates (up to 2,900-square-metres) Australia has ever seen. 

The three 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. The project has been shortlisted for the Best Tall Building: Asia & Australasia and Urban Habitat awards. 

6120_N13391_-c-Brett-Boardman-Photography.jpgInternational Towers Sydney by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Photography by Brett Boardman 

FJMT’s design for the EY Centre consisted of two overlapped round towers with a timber and glass façade. Completed in 2016, the building represented the world’s first-ever closed cavity façade system. Upon completion, it was heralded as being among the first of a new breed of innovative and highly sustainable ‘smart’ buildings in Australia; one that incorporated cutting-edge technologies that maximised both energy performance and interior workplace efficiencies. It has been shortlisted for the Construction Award.

The-EY-Centre-c-FJMT.jpg
EY Centre by FJMT. Image: FJMT

Among the contenders for the 10 Year Award is Lumiere, a residential tower designed by PTW Architects. The award reflects on buildings that have been operational for a decade, and “acknowledge[s] those projects that have performed successfully long after the ribbon-cutting ceremonies have passed”.

1197_FP260230-c-Tim-Soar.jpgLumiere by PTW Architects. Photography by Tim Soar 

The winners will be announced at the Tall + Urban Innovation Conference, which will be held in Chicago between 30 and 31 May.