This week, Mirvac Group and its consortium partners, AMP Capital and Sunsuper, celebrated the practical completion of ‘The Foundry’, the third new building to be delivered as part of the revitalised technology and innovation hub, South Eveleigh.
As the largest building in the precinct, The Foundry spans 55,000 square metres (sqm) over six storeys with expansive floorplates nearing 9,000sqm, earning the title of one of Australia’s first ‘groundscrapers’ in reference to its large-scale, low-level design.
Mirvac’s CEO & Managing Director, Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz said: “For over 100 years, South Eveleigh has been a renowned centre for technology, innovation and collaboration. Mirvac and our partners had a shared vision for South Eveleigh as a defining precinct for Sydney that would bolster our standing as a global city, foster collaboration and exchange, and bring together people from all walks of life. The completion of The Foundry marks a significant milestone in the final stages of this vision to create a world-class hub for culture, commerce and the community.”
“Completing The Foundry in the current environment is one of Mirvac’s greatest achievements and its success is a testament to the entire delivery team and our partners,” she said.
The Foundry is a world-class commercial building that delivers an innovative workplace environment. It is the second-largest commercial building in Australia, one of the country’s first ‘groundscrapers’ and the largest steel building Mirvac has developed to date. According to Mirvac, construction of the building required 3 kilometres of balustrade, 2,000 metres of skylights, and over 9,000 tonnes of steel.
Ms Lloyd-Hurwitz said the Foundry offers a different breed of workplace that heralds a shift towards new ways of working.
“The exceptional working environment is technology-enabled, fostering collaboration while also allowing ultimate flexibility and diversity for its workforce – all elements which will meet the needs of current and future generations of workers.”
As an exemplary workplace with cutting-edge technology, The Foundry will be home to Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s innovation labs.
AMP Capital’s Chief Operating Officer of Real Estate, Kylie O’Connor, commented that the completion of The Foundry represents a significant milestone for the world-class innovation precinct.
“Together with our joint venture partners, Mirvac and Sunsuper, we are proud to have achieved such a transformative, cutting edge workplace for the Commonwealth Bank,” she said.
“As a precinct, South Eveleigh is set to transform the way people work, live and play and will provide a platform for our customer’s business success. Importantly for our clients, it will deliver sustainable investment outcomes both in the short and long term.”
Award-winning architects Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (FJMT) designed The Foundry. Conceptualised as two buildings joined by a central atrium, with four smaller atriums and interconnected staircases that break up the overall scale of the building and create a campus-style workplace, while ensuring that occupants are no more than 12 metres from a natural light source.
The design of The Foundry has taken inspiration from South Eveleigh’s industrial heritage and the adjacent Locomotive Workshops using steel, raw and exposed materials and an orange colour palette.
Leading Australian interior design and architecture firm, Davenport Campbell, designed the tenancy fit-out of Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s workplace to foster innovation and ideas exchange.
The Foundry is targeting a 6 Star Green Star rating, and a 5 Star NABERS Energy rating, with an impressive solar array on the roof offsetting the base building energy with a design output of 370kW.
It also includes 2,500 sqm of diverse retail along Central Avenue, which will provide essential services such as a general practitioner and a pharmacy as well as an outdoor dining area.
The South Eveleigh precinct is expected to be completed in 2021. It will consist of nine commercial buildings surrounded by shared public spaces with a diverse mix of retailers, art and cultural experiences to activate the precinct in the evenings and on weekends.