Quay Quarter Tower, the world’s first fully upcycled skyscraper, shows how retrofitting high-rise towers can replace demolition, cut waste and carbon and offer a blueprint for sustainable urban growth.
The buildings sector, accounts for more than 40% of global waste and over a third of greenhouse gas emissions. Despite this, new construction continues at pace worldwide, often prioritised over more energy-efficient retrofits.
The problem is especially pressing for the thousands of office towers built during the 20th century. Once symbols of progress, many of these buildings have reached the end of their intended lifespan.
The usual response has been demolition – a process that not only releases huge amounts of carbon but also contributes to the mounting global waste crisis.
Originally the tallest building in Sydney when it opened in 1976, Quay Quarter Tower had reached the end of its life.
But rather than simply demolish and rebuild, a visionary coalition of of architects, engineers, building contractors, and developers chose a radical alternative for the building: deciding instead to upcycle and retrofit the iconic skyscraper.
Danish architects 3XN were at the heart of the project, alongside Australian executive partner BVN, engineers BG&E and Arup, and contractor Multiplex. When work was complete in 2022, they had managed to retain 65% of the original structure and 98% of the core, avoiding more than 12,000 tonnes of embodied carbon.
Not only was Quay Quarter Tower preserved, but it was also made far more practical and efficient. The office space was doubled from 45,000 to 102,000 sqm, increasing its capacity from 4,500 to 9,000 people, all while accommodating the world’s first retrofit of double-deck elevators.
Now owned by Dexus, this transformation has extended the building’s life by decades and redefined the experience of high-rise work. With its striking new form, world-class views, and significantly reduced environmental footprint, Quay Quarter Tower has been recognised with some of the industry’s highest honours, including World Building of the Year. The scale of achievement has also influenced future Australian building policy.
By showing that regeneration can replace destruction in a way that’s both sustainable and commercially viable, Quay Quarter Tower provides an inspirational blueprint for other global cities, where similar projects are already underway.
The demolition cycle is one of the greatest threats to our global climate goals. Quay Quarter Tower proves that transformation at significant scale is possible and, critically, commercially viable. We extended the life of a building by decades, halved its carbon impact, and created a more engaging workplace for thousands of people.
This recognition from The Earthshot Prize reinforces that regeneration must replace destruction as the new standard. We hope that our approach can help redefine urban development, offering a blueprint to meet low-carbon ambitions as our cities worldwide continue to grow.
