Chifley Tower
Sydney, Australia

HEIGHT: 244m/801 feet
FLOORS: 50 floors
COMPLETION: 1992
ARCHITECT: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

The project is a compositional exercise in the assemblage of parts, each part drawing the meaning from a particular aspect of its surrounding context. The timing of this commission coincided with Australia’s winning the American Cup.

The dominant feature is the glass sail facing Sydney Harbour. Besides the implied symbolism of Australia’s victory, it embodies the spirit of the city of Sydney. The wedge-shaped site on which this building site was formed by the collision of old and new city grids. The resulting complex geometry needed resolution. Similarly, the pedestrian scale and the incomplete geometry of Chifley Square to the south needed attention. The site is also an edge site, highly visible from the harbor and the stretch of Botanical Gardens and the Domain park to the east.

At its base, the building is composed of parts that define the streetwall; as it rises it shifts in scale and wall articulation, finally orienting itself to the larger city grid at the top. The exterior material also changes from the primary expression of stone to the glass sail on the east, recognizing the building’s edge position in the city context. Pedestrian movement around the base is allowed to find a natural series of paths through the arcades and galleries introduced at street level, leading to the completed civic space at Chiffley Square.

http://mywebpage.netscape.com/rotpics01/chifley01_filtered.jpg

http://www.kpf.com/images/Projects/chifley_tower/n0631_5004z.jpg

http://www.sydney-australien.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/hochhaeuser/images/DSC04575.jpg

http://www.sydney-australien.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/hochhaeuser/images/DCP_1051.jpg

http://www.kpf.com/images/Projects/chifley_tower/n0631_5005z.jpg

I like it...Fits sydney well. 9/10

I like the glass facade in the first couple of pics but the rest of the building isn't as impressive.

7/10

as many Australians would say - this is a very Sydney building, the second best at that too

can't get enough

9.5 / 10

other frivalous info - this coupled with 101 Collins in Melbourne are Australia's two bbest business addresses.

the design (mainly the top) is somewhat similar to how Sydney's next tallest will turn out - A pinacle which will end up in the northern half of the crown

more pics:

http://www.magooonsafari.com.au/exhibitions/fedc.jpg

http://www.ridersyd.com.au/rhmain/sectors/Images/Chifley.jpg

tays

Very unique how it looks different from all angles, very pretty and different as well.

9/10

Great looking building. KPF makes great designs. 9/10

One of KPF's best. They certainly have this aestetic down pat.

9.0/10

I love the creamy textured granite facade and the curved glass volume facing the park. I saw this one up close and took lots of photos! 9/10

8/10

One of my favourite Sydney skyscrapers!

5, dunno wats with it, just not the best..;)

7.5/10

Its mostly impressive, especially from the glassy facade, but I dont fancy its back.

One of the better examples of KPF square froms meet round. Looks great in its position in Sydney. PoMo at its best. Beautiful lobby too.

9

I gave it a 9.5

ok, nice one...! very detailed design!
8/10

9/10. Very cool!

i like this angle the best . . . 8/10

http://www.sydney-australien.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/hochhaeuser/images/DSC04575.jpg

5.0/10. Don't like it, but can't put my finger on why.

Height Poblem! It's not 240, but 216m, 240 is to spire... oh well I gave it 9.5

Originally posted by DaninTO
5.0/10. Don't like it, but can't put my finger on why.

I can.....you're from Toronto.

I really like it. The building works very well with its accompanying towers nearby. Yes, it's too bad that it is not taller - but, it's perfectly nice.

8.

It's got a curved glass wall... I like that (i also like the IBM Building in Montreal and building similar to this in Warsaw). ->9.5:)

7/10 - I found this one hard to rate. It has a number of good points - the bay windows that extend out from the facade and race up the square side of the tower, and give the whole building soaring height from that side, the curved glass curtain wall, and the smaller round section with the rougher stone. I really like the way the designers went beyond the box and tried to infuse this tower with variety and liveliness.
But that rinky-dink little spire doesn't seem quite worthy of the rest of the building, and seems stuck on as an afterthought. Which brings up my biggest problem - there are so many different pieces, so many things going on, that the building seems chaotic. It's really hard for me to "wrap my eyes around it" and see how the parts blend together to make the whole. In a couple of the pictures, it took me a moment to figure out what was a part of the tower, and what wasn't.

9/10

good looking building, my second favourite in sydney probably

I like this one. Go KPFA :okay:

A very attactive tower. I'd love to have it in my city. 8.0

Great Sydney building. Located in a great area of the CBD amongst world class scrapers.

8.5/10

wow..this building could be transported to Miami and it would fit in perfectly!!...a great looking building..it even has a sort of art deco motif near the top....overall 9/10!!

One of Sydney butes!! I like the design, color and facade!! 9/10

EDIT: hmmm, i didnt know i replied here already and voted too...funny how i rated it the same:)

Mr. Tall:

Actually it was the materials and the colouring they used, but not that I would expect a mature response from you.

im from toronto and i think this building has a great design, the only problem i have with it is the institutional green colour on the spire(i have a pet peeve with this clolour always have and always will). why do they still choose to go with that colour sometimes? other than that this is a really great design... too bad its not taller :laugh:

8/10 its a great looking tower!

8 /10
I like the glass facade

its a bit confused looking... but otherwise pretty nice. 7/10.

Well designed! 7/10

beautiful design

8/10

Interesting.

Pretty likeable. 8.5/10. I'm a lawyer and our firm has its (small) Australian office on the 40th floor. Not that I'd ever get to go there to see it.

one of my favorites - 9.5/10

Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates really made a beauty here!
The facade!The colours,the shapes! 9.5/10

It has the perfect shape with the perfect colours.
Unbelievably beautiful.
10/10

6/10... it's OK, but it just isn't that good.
It depends which side you're looking at.
I think the round side looks pretty good - deserves maybe 8 or so - but the square side is butt ugly, and has a horrible late 80's - early 90's blockiness to it. I would give it 4 if i was looking at the square end. So, this averages out to 6...
Plus it isn't that high.

5 A very confusing building... I like the brown facade... but not the glass ellipse!

8/10

This is one of my favourite buildings in Sydney! There are different parts to the building as Liz L said, but to me they seem to fit together well and give an overall pleasing look. 8/10.

The colours don't work well together.. Its really colourful facade makes it look disorganised.. Though i tink the shape of te building is really good :)

8/10

Seven and a half!

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/2183325620.jpg

another nice work done by kpf 9.5/10

I prefer the angular facades of this building....not bad...8/10.

7.5

8/10. Nice colors.

good one 8/10

again.. one of those i rated long time ago but i don't remember what i rated it.


anways, it's my favorite Syd scraper:guns1:

facade: ok
form: ok, jsut don't liek its spire
points: 7.5

One of My Fav
Wish it was high so it has a impact from each side of sydney
It sorta get lost the crowd in that cluster

An ugly failure of a building.

3/10

ouch !
Please justify !

I go with the remarks like "very confusing", "chaotic" etc. that were made by others in earlier contributions to this thread.
Combine that with the fact that I don't like these type of buildings -that are to be found in Asia especially- and also the appalling color-scheme and evident misdimensions and you get something that annoys me........but not most others, so that will be a relief to you.

Yes such a weight off now I can go to sleep at night

I think is too overloaded but..7/10

7/10 Like the glass facade.

8/10


the frontal view is nice, but the back is boring.

more accurate figures-

Chifley Tower is officially Sydney's tallest skyscraper (to spire) -
244m/800ft
roof-216m
storeys-50
1988-92
all steel framed structure
Designed by US architects- Kohn Pederson Fox.
cost-$1billion
Australia's largest office building-90,000sqm
Located high up on the north/eastern ridge of the CBD , Chifley tower is styled on the 1930's NYC scrapers and gives the skyline a fantastic siluette!
Chifley Tower looks different from every angle!

http://www.imagenode.com/files/transfer/6/2002/01/137280.jpg
its a beautifully crafted structure.

http://www.imagenode.com/files/transfer/6/2003/08/207989.jpg

as seen from Sydney tower.

http://www.imagenode.com/files/transfer/6/2002/04/146010.jpg

http://www.imagenode.com/files/transfer/6/2002/10/162901.jpg
its detail is amazing!

http://www.imagenode.com/files/transfer/6/2001/12/134647.jpg


I love Chifley tower. Its my fav!

Originally posted by airsickpenthousedweller

An ugly failure of a building.

3/10
wtf?? this scraper is one of the finest in world let alone Australia!!
jealousy is a curse!

My "jealousy" is your hope....

Originally posted by airsickpenthousedweller

My "jealousy" is your hope....

lol!
http://images.animfactory.com/animations/animals/wolves/wolf_evil_smile_md_wht.gif

Nice 8.5/10.
Is one of the residential skyscrapers in Sim City 4 (can't remember the name) based on this building?

7/10

Originally posted by Spank

Nice 8.5/10.
Is one of the residential skyscrapers in Sim City 4 (can't remember the name) based on this building?
Douth it
But Do you have screen shot from game of this tower ?

9/10 nice tower

http://www.coughlininc.com/sc4/patch2/2ong.jpg http://www.imagenode.com/files/transfer/6/2002/04/146010.jpg

Similar Setbacks and materials. The Simcity 4 building is called Ong Condos and the screen shot is from http://www.simtropolis.com.

got too many things going on at the same time on this building. citigroup should be the tallest in sydney, not this one...

7

NICE but nothing special, 8

9/10

Overall it's quite nice, but that spire is pathetic! They should have built a really thick, strong, soaring spire, not that tiny matchstick. :)

7.5

8.0

8/10

my favetower in te world perfect design

Very nice one! 8.5/10.

7.5/10 good but not great

This building is absolutely splendid from the facade to the detail to the crown. I give it a 9.5/10. :D

One of my favourites in Sydney. 7.5/10

Modern-looking with nice colors and materials.
I personnaly would have had the round part under the boxy part, and not like this, because it makes it look kinda... fat ^^
I like the art-deco inspired features.
8.

I like the combination of facades and different elements!
8/10

Now if this big ass shot of C.T. through a scraper canyon doesn't get more scores of 10....

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/3036/379chifleytalls4.jpg

...or this one. Looking straight up to the tip of the spire @ 244m/800ft:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/509/379chifleysqscraper.jpg

Chifley Tower's upper floors, beacon and spire poking through another one of Sydney's many scraper canyons:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/509/126chifelypiano-med.jpg

Day vs night:

__________http://www.skyscraperphotos.com/cit/dsy00/c/izsy061.jpg__http://www.skyscraperphotos.com/cit/dsy00/c/izsy068.jpg

7.5/10

The top/spire could be better

I like it, 8.5/10

7/10

8
It's a 'good' tower, but something just doesn't make it 'great' for me

I like it. 8.5/10.

8/10

8.

That round, glassy part is very nice, the rest of the building looks good but is not that great. Overall = 8,5/10

8/10

Nothing impressive, sorry........ 6,5 / 10

I like it, 9/10

Double post!

Quite alright:) 8.5/10

8.5/10

8/10

nice building, structure and facade

7.5/10

8/10---real height 216m

8/10

4.5/10

It fits perfect in Sydney 8.5

Looks like a residential tower, it's OK. 7.5/10

8/10 looks shorter than actual height

8/10, suits sydney well

7/10

the glass and the spire/crown clash in my opinion. and the colours do not compliment each other. i much prefer the Tour IBM in Montreal by KPF. 7/10 its pretty nice.

7.5/10.

8.5/10

7/10

8.5 I love the rounded upper half. It has great vertical lines. And it mshes very well with the lower half. A feat failed by most trying to mesh together 2 different styles. The spire is just the cheating way to be Sydney's tallest. And it doesn't look good on the tower.

9/10

8.5/10

7/10 ;)

7/10

not bad....8.5/10

The curved parts really make it what it is. 7.5/10

7.5

6.5/10

8/10

I don't like the colours all that much. 7.5/10

8/10

9/10

looks nice
7/10 like the facade

I just love its desing...
10/10

6.5/10

8.5/10

9/10.

Looks even better in real life.

4/10

I don't like fusion buildings

very solid
8/10

9/10

It does look better in real life.

8/10

not bad 7/10

8.5/10

I like the curved glass on the side of the building and how the lower part of the building becomes boxy, the crown looks really bad. But the facade is really clean and well done

7/10

Not bad, a 7 out of 10.

7.5/10

8/10

great looking 9/10

8/10

Nice 8/10 ;).

7,5/10

8/10

It's quite nice- 10/10.+

Nice tower, good transition from square to round shape, but the top is poor 8/10

way above average for sydney 8/10

4.5

7/10

3/10

8/10

interesting shape and cladding.

8 nice

6/10

9/10

7/10

Just awesome 9/10

8/10

Nice!!

9/10

4.5 Just does not do it for me

9.5/10

8/10

7.5/10

Really really dont like.

0/10

07/10

7/10

7/10

Above avarage imo. 8/10.

7/10

8/10

Nice shape 9/10

Designed by US firm KPF, it was first all-steel skyscraper for many years (1992)

Its prominant postion and unusual site ment the tower had a chance to look dif from every angle.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3146/2574550071_ebc13ac4b1_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2562264301_30fc9ff8c1_b.jpg

even has curved wall for views towards heads.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2362/2404495763_5eeffd995c_o.jpg

http://www.sydneyarchitecture.com/images/Chifley%20Tower%20Sydney%202400.jpg

http://www.sydneyarchitecture.com/cbd/n0631_5005z.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/82/266277568_c9900b1884_b.jpg

6/10

nice...

7.0/10

8.5/10

8/10

8. Good building. Regards.

8/10

8/10

10/10 The tower is amazing, as the city :)

Typical KPF: stately and dull. 7

7.5/10

9!

You've rated Chifley Tower 7.34 on average. Go to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (http://gbuscraper.blogspot.com/2010/07/chifley-tower-sydney-73410.html) to read more.

On this blog, the score of a 'good' building and a 'bad' building from the Rate our Talls section will be revealed every day.

I love the colours, but the shape is really weird. 4.5/10

7/10

7.5/10

8/10

7/10

Kind of sad that its the tallest building in Sydney.

6.5/10

Do you hate everything that isn't in Melbourne? Solopop v2?

Just Sydney's skyscrapers (except Aurora) and Riparian in Brisbane. If it's any consolation I hate docklands and Verve in Melbourne.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Chifley_tower_1.jpg

10/7

7/10

8/10

8/10

Normal....6/10

7/10

9/10 cool

8/10

Recently CTBUH has updated the height of this building to 241m, as previously they had erroneously counted a 3 m lightning rod (not achitectural feature), which theyve since picked up on and removed.

6/10

6/10

8.5/10

This tower looks great from every angle. I love the texture, the color and the design.

7/10

6,5

5/10

7.

7/10

8.5/10 for Sydney's tallest tower.

6.5/10

Whoops, I already voted. My bad.