AN ICON
In 1967 visionary architect Harry Seidler anticipated the needs of the next generations of occupants on a corporate, operational and human level. Australia Square was the first in Sydney to truly mesh offices with public spaces, dining, art and retail in the one site. Today, it continues to lead the way and remains one of Sydney's most sought-after office addresses.
1961
BUILDING COMMENCED
30 buildings on the site were demolished to make way for the tower and plaza building, public plaza, retail complex and carpark.
1967
BUILDING COMPLETION
On its completion, Australia Square became Sydney’s first skyscraper and the world’s tallest lightweight concrete building. It established new principles in design and construction, breaking records and setting a new benchmark in office tower construction. The structural system, developed by of the world’s leading engineers, Pier Luigi Nervi, featured technological advances at the time.
“Australia Square gave Sydney a sense of growing up, a sense of confidence. It was really our first glittering version of a skyscraper.”
ELIZABETH FARELLY, ARCHITECTURE CRITIC
1968
ART MEETS ARCHITECTURE
Harry Seidler commissioned a sculpture for Australia Square by renowned American sculptor, Alexander Calder. Crossed Blades has become a striking established feature of the building’s forecourt described by Seidler as an “open but contained space” like the town square in a medieval city. The forecourt continues to be widely recognised as a precursor to the concept of civic space on private land.
1968, 1975, 1996
HARRY SEIDLER AWARDS
Seidler was committed to making a better physical world, in which architecture is an art form as well as modern, socially aware and ecologically sound. For more than 50 years, Seidler’s distinctive, bold architectural style extended to houses, apartments, offices and public buildings in Australia and internationally.
1968 - RAIA Sir John Sulman Medal for a building of outstanding merit. RAIA Civic Design Award for a work of outstanding environmental design.
1976 - The Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) Gold Medal.
1996 - The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Gold Medal.
2003
NEW MURAL FOR THE LOBBY
A mural by celebrated New York artist Sol LeWitt was commissioned in 2003 by Harry Seidler to showcase international works of art at Australia Square. The mural replaced the lobby’s original tapestries by Le Corbusier and Vasarely. Penelope Seidler said her husband originally planned a mural on the walls of the circular ‘drum’ housing the tower building's services but could not find a suitable one, so settled on the tapestries.
2014
THE HEIGHT OF ACHIEVEMENT
Australia Square is a symbol of groundbreaking innovation that continues to inspire today. In 1967, it was dubbed by the press as “a triumph”, “beauty in concrete for Sydney” and “a work of art without equal in Australia.”
The extraordinary legacy of Australia’s most influential architect endures, evident in the popularity of the 2014 Museum of Sydney exhibition, Harry Seidler: Painting Toward Architecture. The exhibition revealed artworks from the Seidler family collection and featured works by some of the greatest names in modern art and architecture with whom Seidler collaborated, including Max Dupain, Luigi Nervi, Alexander Calder and Sol LeWit.
2017 & BEYOND
AUSTRALIA SQUARE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
5 May 2017 marked the fiftieth anniversary of Australia Square. This key milestone celebrated Australia’s first high-rise taking pride of place in the heart of the CBD. The building is still highly regarded as a landmark on the city’s skyline and an icon of modern Australian design.