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Brookfield has begun unveiling the finished façade restoration of Shell House as part of its $2 billion Brookfield Place development in Sydney.
At 66.5 metres high, Shell House's façade is one of the tallest retained Heritage façades in the world.
The iconic building's 400-tonne clock tower has been wrapped in scaffold for two years, temporarily supported by more than 1400 tonnes of structural steel to enable Multiplex to demolish the existing floors and excavate the sandstone beneath to create a new basement for the Shell House building – while restoring the clock tower at the same time.
On the corner of Carrington and Margaret Streets, Shell House is now fully integrated into the rising Brookfield Place Sydney project.
Fitout works are also underway to accommodate NAB's new Sydney headquarters by 2021.
NAB’s Shell House accommodation will merge seamlessly with the new 27-storey commercial tower being built as part of the Brookfield Place Sydney project and will feature a spectacular, interconnected atrium that celebrates the nexus of old and new, while providing the bank with generous floor plates of 3200 square metres.
Shell House is historically significant as the only surviving interwar commercial palazzo style building in Sydney clad with glazed terracotta 'faience' blocks.
Prior to the works, it was home to the Menzies Hotel. The overhauled interior was designed by architects Make and Architectus, with the new NAB fitout by Woods Bagot.
On its rooftop, Shell House will also accommodate a new premium food and beverage experience, which is set to become a popular destination in the CBD.
Carl Schibrowski, executive vice president and co-head at Brookfield Properties, says, “When Shell House was built back in the 1930s, establishing a worldwide corporate office was seen as a symbol of commercial confidence in Sydney. Almost 100 years later we are unveiling the restored Shell House at a time when economic sentiment is also improving and the revitalisation of the Wynyard precinct can again be viewed as a symbol of confidence in our city, along with the recent delivery of the Light Rail network and the pedestrianisation of George Street.
“Brookfield Place Sydney is a transformational, city-changing project and will deliver outstanding public benefits, including a new transit hall and urban room as a grand new entry point to the historic Wynyard Station,” adds Schibrowski.
David Ghannoum, regional managing director of Multiplex New South Wales, says, “The restoration works have been meticulous and we have collaborated with several Heritage specialists to restore the Clock Tower, including repairing or replacing thousands of faience or glazed terracotta blocks, which are exclusively manufactured in the US and shipped to Australia.”