Leading Australian property company Mirvac Group (Mirvac) and its consortium partners, AMP Capital, Sunsuper and Centuria Property Funds, have officially opened the first two buildings completed at Sydney’s revitalised technology and innovation hub, South Eveleigh.
The precinct will be home to Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s 10,000 workers who have begun moving into their new workplace with the opening of the first building, Axle. The second complete building, Yerrabingin House, has a community centre, gym, childcare and the Australian-first Indigenous rooftop farm.
Mirvac believes the opening of the buildings is a significant milestone in the development of the South Eveleigh precinct, which is on track to be complete by 2020 and will be home to 18,000 workers.
“We worked closely with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia to co- create a state-of-the-art work and lifestyle destination at South Eveleigh that enriches the lives of its employees and the wider community. Pioneering new standards in commercial campus design, South Eveleigh is a place for workers and the people of Sydney to connect culturally, socially and physically. The precinct has generous public shared spaces, community facilities, public artwork, retail, sports courts and oval, skate park and a focus on innovation, housing some of Australia’s leading technological companies, said Mirvac CEO & Managing Director, Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz
“Successful precincts provide an environment for collaboration and exchange, imaginatively mixing workspace with public and recreational facilities incorporating a variety of unique experiences to ensure everyone feels welcome. We are developing a world-class destination at South Eveleigh that is unique to Sydney. The level of quality, excellence and fantastic community contribution at the precinct is a testament to the hard work of our team here at Mirvac and our many partners,” she added.
Competing on its key role in the development of the project, Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s Executive General Manager, Group Property and Security, Jennifer Saiz said, “We are proud to co-create Australia’s signature innovation district at South Eveleigh – a place where entrepreneurs, educators, the community and businesses like ours can come together to solve the challenges of the future.
“Being part of the precinct will position the bank to deliver its long-term strategy to be the best in digital. This starts with a culture and workplace that’s centered on innovating for our customers. Our workplaces at South Eveleigh are designed with flexibility, wellbeing, sustainability and connectivity in mind. It’s a place where we’ll bring our people together to motivate and inspire them about the bank’s ambitious plans for the future.
“With each new workplace, we build on what we’ve learned. Our world-class workplaces at South Eveleigh are an evolution of the high standards set at our existing buildings Commonwealth Bank Place and Commonwealth Bank Square. Investing in leading workplaces reflects our ongoing commitment to providing dynamic environments for our people as we build a simpler, better bank”.
AMP Capital’s Global Head of Real Estate, Carmel Hourigan, added that South Eveleigh is the second significant development where they have partnered with Mirvac in recent years, the first being EY Centre, 200 George Street.
“We’re proud to have delivered a state-of-the-art workplace with Mirvac and Sunsuper for a significant customer like the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. This fully leased, landmark office precinct adds additional high-quality office assets to our investors’ portfolio which will deliver superior investment performance for our clients both in the short and long term.”
Award-winning architects Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (FJMT) were the architects for Axle, with global architecture firm, Woods Bagot, appointed to design the tenancy fit-out of Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s workplace, providing their employees with the best tools, techniques and spaces for a mindset of innovation, to bring ideas to life.
Once complete South Eveleigh will consist of nine commercial buildings surrounded by shared public spaces with a diverse mix of retailers including a supermarket, hairdresser, gym and al fresco cafes to activate the precinct in the evenings and on the weekends. A range of public artworks by local artists will also enliven the precinct and celebrate the history and heritage of the site. Mirvac engaged Carriageworks to curate the artworks, which will be progressively installed up until 2020.
South Eveleigh is progressing on schedule with construction set to start on the refurbishment of the Locomotive Workshops this month. Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s second workplace building, The Foundry, will be complete in mid-2020.
The Axle building is a 6 Star Green Star building, and has a 5 Star NABERS Energy rating. Yerrabingin House is a 6 Star Green Star building and has an extensive solar system which has allowed it to be a carbon neutral building.