At 55-storeys, 6&8 Parramatta Square (6&8PS) is the tallest commercial tower in Western Sydney and at 132,870m2 GFA the largest commercial office building in Australia.
6&8PS is the final stage of what has become a world-class mixed-use precinct and vital civic meeting place for the broader city and region. The incredible scale and foundations of 6&8PS meant the building had to be designed differently to any other commercial tower.
Through initial investigative works, BOJV’s team uncovered a large dyke in the natural rock beneath the west core of the building. To ensure the building would remain unaffected by the dyke’s presence, the team created a solution whereby more than 200 ground anchors were installed to prevent building uplift caused by ground water pressure.
The structure of the building consists of a hydrostatic foundation slab with a jump start steel basement and podium structure that is shared across the 6&8 towers. The two towers consist of separate reinforced concrete cores with post tensioned concrete slabs and an outrigger transfer structure to allow the tower to tolerate high wind.
Using smart engineering, the innovative structural steel ‘jump start’ methodology removed two months in programme over a conventionally bottom-up methodology which saved the client time and cost. Reimagining the structural design for the building allowed BOJV to take advantage of the impressive podium level design to reach the typical floors early. Removing a total of six suspended levels plus the 1.5m thick hydrostatic slab off the critical path.
The result of smart design during the tender, BOJV’s value engineering developed smart solutions to complex problems of the mega structure while still maintaining the desired function and appearance. Standing proudly at 55-storeys, both sustainability and improved design outcomes were achieved.
This ground-breaking project was a significant achievement for the entire project team, the construction issues that were resolved in completing this building on time and within budget is outstanding.
The project team worked closely with the developer to achieve a remarkable building that not only achieved an excellent result financially but also looks great, with high standard bespoke finishes throughout.