SYDNEY: Fosters 126 Phillip St Tops out (240m)

[CULWULLA]

Sir Norman Fosters 240m 126 Phillip Street in Sydney had its enormous spires put up last week and is nearing completion.
The 40storey/160m office tower is now a landmark in Sydney.
The tower boasts a 150m high atrium which houses the 9 glass lifts.The floor plates are service core free.

pix by
below 0
http://img209.exs.cx/img209/6461/126phillipstreetgracefulcranes.jpg

http://img106.exs.cx/img106/240/126phillipstreetgracefulcranes1.jpg

pic by petermaloney
http://img219.exs.cx/img219/1608/peter1264qy.jpg

[Dubai-Lover]

excellent photos
a very strange tower, but still a good one

[plotstyle]

nice and sharp ;)

[7 World Trade]

i like this building's facade and the variation that it brings to sydney's skyline. but its lattice and spire is too tall imo for a building of its height.

[chex]

i agree with the thing about the spire is too tall for the building, but i still like it like that...
very nice pictures!!!
cheers

[Blue_Copper]

you have to see it in person to realy comment on this one cause the spires do have a good length

[Citystyle]

240 to the spire.

[Blue_Copper]

270

[sirhc8]

270

What's 270?

[CULWULLA]

its height above SEA LEVEL is 270m. its height above ground is 240m.

[Blue_Copper]

thanks Cull thats wat i ment

[Alvin]

its a good one :okay:

[mic]

I like what I see nice tower

[Muse]

The spires are tall but not out of proportion. I see it every day from my apartment's windows.

Great pics. I love the one from Sydney Tower by petermaloney. http://www.sayhey.co.uk/invboard/html/emoticons/wub.gif

[Trances]

coming in from the domain the tower really makes a gap between it and chif

[BrizzyChris]

I hated the renders of this, but now I love it.

[demanjo]

I think we should see a photo taken from the Gardens to allow everyone to see the whole building in one frame.

[Bahraini Spirit]

I agree with the spire being too long for that building, on a taller one it would've been perfect. Nonetheless, it's a nice spire though.

[Singidunum]

150 m atrium? that has got to look great. any pics?

[Muse]

^ LOL Not yet!! The hordings are still up.

I think we should see a photo taken from the Gardens to allow everyone to see the whole building in one frame.Like this perhaps? Pic by christarrant:

http://img214.exs.cx/img214/7393/bt5vl.jpg

...and another pic by petermaloney:

http://img208.exs.cx/img208/3423/img22440qn.jpg

[demanjo]

Yup :) Someone who is not familiar with the building would have been unawares to its whole appearance without that view. Cheers Muse

[Muse]

Trouble is demanjo, "The Jury" made their decision and commented, and won't be back again to the thread. :no:

Oh well, we get to enjoy it in real life!! :pepper:
:tongue:

[demanjo]

ohhh... I see

Apologies, my friends :P

[SUNNI]

i didnt expect much out of this building, but its great ;)

[Pedrillo]

Great building!!

[petey]

hm.. not the best looking tower from the side IMO

[Muse]

Cool tower.

[Blue_Copper]

New pics coming SOON.....

[nukey]

I wasnt sure about thise project when I saw the renders... but as always seems to be the case with Foster towers it looks SOOO much better in the flesh. Very cool.

[lokinyc]

Nice but a bit conservative for Lord Norman

[james2390]

Quite different than some of his other stuff, but I really like it.

[thunderbunny]

sydney...could there be a prettier city/harbor?

[sean storm]

am i the only one here who absolutely hates this building? i think the spires are way out of proportion with the rest of the building, which is pretty nondescript to begin with. it's foster's worst building IMO.

and before anyone bitches about asia's spired buildings like petronas, i believe we have the most glaring 'height-cheater' of all here.

it's an interesting bldg but just not my cup of tea. sydney deserves better.

[Muse]

A few of the latest pics by CULWULLA:

http://img200.echo.cx/img200/3204/btupmay23gk.jpg

http://img200.echo.cx/img200/5756/btcranemay23mp.jpg

http://img134.echo.cx/img134/8105/mvc147f6ei.jpg

The criss-cross braces atop of Foster's 126 Phillip St was always to pay homage to Sydney Harbour Bridge's diagonal braces:

http://www.vm3d.com/PHOTOS/sydbridge1.jpg

http://www.feintechnikschule.de/fehrenbacher_fts/aus0006.jpg

[satit28]

you've done it again foster.......
good work...........

[empersouf]

Really beautifull tower. But you can hardly see it between al the other scrapers :(.

[empersouf]

That sign on this scraper, I've seen it before in Frankfurt. Is this tower owned by a german bank?

[sirhc8]

It's major tenant is Deutsche Bank, it will probably end up being called Deutsche Bank Tower.

[Blabbyboy]

aren't you embarrassed to be calling this 240m?! 240m of steel bracing...

[Oriolus]

am i the only one here who absolutely hates this building? i think the spires are way out of proportion with the rest of the building, which is pretty nondescript to begin with. it's foster's worst building IMO.

and before anyone bitches about asia's spired buildings like petronas, i believe we have the most glaring 'height-cheater' of all here.

it's an interesting bldg but just not my cup of tea. sydney deserves better.

I'm not a big fan of spires which are obviously cheating, but 126 Phillip St's is far more substantial that a stick and an integral part of the design - it's a piece of architechure that includes a tapered frame above the roof, not a little stick (I'll single Q1 out) that is hardly visible and could easily be done without. The cage is substantial enough that you view it as part of bulk of the building and the building would be much worse without it - don't you think?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Oriolus/126spireless.jpg

I think it's a amazing building and I don't suffer any pang of guilt in refering to it as 240m.

[Muse]

Aren't you embarrassed to be calling this 240m?! 240m of steel bracing...Who are you talking to Blabbyboy? Foster wouldn't be embaressed, and neither should we.

Another update pic by CULWULLA:

http://img232.echo.cx/img232/1622/btfrontmay24dr.jpg

[heirloom]

i dont like the building either. not the spire, nor the actual usable part of the building. its neighbours, although very much less interesting, look far better.

[sakor1]

I love this building! Everything about it, the facade, the spire, the height & proportions, beautiful!!

Stu

[SanMiguel]

IMO it looks far more nice than the ugly black/brown box of Mr.Trump...

.

[Muse]

It's major tenant is Deutsche Bank, it will probably end up being called Deutsche Bank Tower.Perhaps so as it is the major client to occupy the building. It is now approx. 80% leased with other pre-commitments.

...and a pic by Ipggi while the sun was setting in the west, creating a beautiful silhouette...

http://defacto2.zftp.com/001aaa.jpg

:)

...

[Koi]

Looks alright but the spire is a bit OTT.

[Muse]

Most of Foster & Partners' designs are OTT.

In regard to the spire, if you haven't already, please see my post about the spire paying homage to the Sydney Harbour Bridge on page 2 of this thread.

[Trances]

agree what was said before spire is much needed
got a shock looking at the tower with out it
is just almost nothing

[CULWULLA]

guys, the site of the 126 Phillip Street had a 150m height limit due to Sydney city council strict sun access plane guidelines. the Botanical gardens and historic libary are located just east. So foster thought " how can i give this tower landmark proportions with just 150m to work with?". The buildings foyer is column free and 16m high and takes up the whole floor plate (65mx20m), so its a major open space at ground level!
The buildings superstructure frame is actually external and it extends above the roof some 100m to reach 240m.So he has gone from 150m and got approval with 240m!! thats genious in my book! cheater?? nah,silly . it would be cheating if spires were used to achieve a title aka- tallest in Sydney or tallest in Australia but foster didnt give a h00t about final height of spires. he was worried more about proportions.
Foster also gave the floor plates column free space and put the service core separate from the tower. this is connected by a series of bridges which is serviced by 9 glass lifts which rise up and down a 150m high void which runs through the towers central core!!!! Now that is how an office bldg should be designed!
126 Phillip street is like a cathedral, the best and interesting bits are on the INSIDE!!!!

[sean storm]

leaving the spires off of this bldg has about as much 'impact' aesthetically as leaving the spires off the chrysler or petronas.... it would be pretty noticable, IMO as an architect.

however, this is just another example of what constitutes the very top of a true bldg. it's 240 to the tip of the twin spires.... good for it. it cheats like hell, much like other bldgs including the new Freedom Tower in NYC, but it's technically 240 according to established rules.

i still think it's a really unremarkable bldg. what makes this bldg so special other than having a massive, oversized truss/spire motif?

I'm not a big fan of spires which are obviously cheating, but 126 Phillip St's is far more substantial that a stick and an integral part of the design - it's a piece of architechure that includes a tapered frame above the roof, not a little stick (I'll single Q1 out) that is hardly visible and could easily be done without. The cage is substantial enough that you view it as part of bulk of the building and the building would be much worse without it - don't you think?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v376/Oriolus/126spireless.jpg

I think it's a amazing building and I don't suffer any pang of guilt in refering to it as 240m.

[CG5]

This looks much nicer than I thought it would when I saw the original renderings. It turned out rather fabulously.

[SydneyDude]

aren't you embarrassed to be calling this 240m?! 240m of steel bracing...

hey dude, you really suck!

[jag]

Do the spires have a purpose?

[Urban Dave]

The purpose is beatuy.... :drool:

[Muse]

^ LOL Urban Dave

Apart from interior works, the base and a little more cladding, this one is almost done.

Most recent pics by CULWULLA...

http://img270.echo.cx/img270/2050/btskyline0fw.jpg

http://img288.echo.cx/img288/1968/btcompletedmay238zd.jpg

http://img270.echo.cx/img270/2373/btmay194ct.jpg

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/6259/btspires6cl.jpg

[Urban Dave]

Amazing pictures! Thanks! ;)
Great addition to Sydney Skyline!

[th0m]

From a distance it looks pretty dandy, but close-up, it looks way too bland. The cladding looks like its from the 60's (which, of course, can be either good or bad) but since its combined with such a high-tech spire, I feel they should have incorporated that a little bit more into the building, like the steel framing of the Hearst tower. Regardless of the fact that the Hearst tower has no spire, the building breathes high-tech, and the spotlessness of a building, much like this tower's spire does. I actually wouldn't be suprised of they are made out of the same material. If the Hearst tower would need a spire, this concept could be applied rather nicely. Anyway, I'm getting off track ;)

The spire does look bad-ass, and I'd have it in my town, or even country, any day. But, the overall design leaves much to be desired, in my opinion.

[Cliff]

I feel that it is an okay building, nothing special. It looks quite good, modern and all, but I feel that it is a stubby little building that got more than what it deserved.

It is overrated if you ask me, both the building and the architect. I'd much prefer Puerta De Europa.

[Muse]

So far some forumers have said the cladding looks 70s, 80s and now 60s. Take your pick! LOL

Considering it will have a 150m atrium, 9 glass enclosed scenic elevators, the latest in communications, a grand lobby with water features, & above all being a Foster & Partner's design, I think it will pass the "high-tech test". :okay: