Located in the heart of Sydney city, EY centre is an iconic commercial structure. The building is positioned on 200 George Street, at the edge of Sydney’s Tank stream which also carries historical importance. The building comprises 39,200 square meters of premium-grade office spaces spreading across 37 levels.
The structure consists of workplaces for leading organizations, making it a commercial hub in the surrounding area. The 37 floored structure is designed by FJMT architectural firm and developed by Mirvac Group. It is the symbolic landmark that has redefined the skyline of Sydney.
Design and Concept | EY Centre
The tower is known for its smart planning and design materials. The concept of this building is also city making along with being a commercial workplace design. The building was envisioned to be agile so that it changes itself to meet the functional needs of the users within. The aim was to have barrier-less workspaces, where people could collaborate more and work as they want.
Another important aspect of the concept is its environmental responsibility. The sustainable approach has been reflected in the choice of materials internally and externally.
Spatial Planning
The tower consists mostly of workspaces and is entirely of commercial use. Mirvac’s new headquarters itself occupies the six levels of the building, the office is entirely inter-connected through the internal staircase. Throughout the building, ample casual spaces have been provided as the in-between breathers. The spaces are transformable and can be occupied according to the functional needs of the users.
At the ground level, there is a generous space for the congregation, a central space, and a kiosk. The site also had archeological findings from the colonial period of the Victorian era. For conserving this historical importance, a special place has been designed where these historical remains could be preserved and remembered.
Experimental Facade | EY Centre
The building exhibits a completely different kind of facade as compared to that of its context buildings. The elevation design of the EY center is achieved through multiple layers. The outermost layer is made up of a single sheet of low iron clear glass. The layer behind it is automated louvers of natural timber, which is located within a sealed, air-pressured cavity that is clean and dust-free. About 2,900 timber Venetian blinds are powered by Somfy Motors and Controls to give an intelligent high-performance facade. And the innermost layer is a double-glazed high-performance insulating unit.
Due to such a unique surfacing, the EY center has been enlisted amongst the world’s first timber and glass closed cavity facade systems. The warm tones of timber combined with the glass on the facade make it stand out among the other grey-blue skyscrapers in the city.
Innovative Construction technology
The building uses pioneering construction technology which enables it to achieve the desired functionality and respond to the external environment. EY center has a high-performance closed cavity façade (CCF) system, in coagulation with the timber blind system on the facade.
This technology helps to enhance comfort level by adjusting the transparency of the glass and increasing the connection with the outside, while also controlling light, heat, reducing glare and energy use. The use of such technology is the first of its kind in Australia and merging it with timber blinds has been revolutionary in the entire world.
Advanced technologies | EY Centre
The building is also employed as a smart building due to the presence of Interactive display screens and a ‘Smart tenancy’ app. These systems allow users to access information about the entire building instantaneously. Visitors are provided transparent and timely information on sustainability performance, guided tenancy tours, and links to view live data on the performance of the building.
Along with that, there is a high-level interface that allows the Building Management Control System (BMCS) to read and understand how the facade is reacting to the immediate environmental conditions and potentially adjust the control of the building’s mechanical systems. There are light sensors installed on the roof which are constantly monitoring the external light intensity levels.
Materials used
The site had archaeological findings from Sydney’s colonial and Victorian eras, which have been preserved. The public space and kiosk at the ground of the building are made in stone. The spine of the structure, which is the core, is cladded in beautiful Yellow Block sandstone.
On the elevation triple-glazed facade system, having the prime materials like timber and glass. This gives the facade a natural, fresh wood look along with clear, transparent glass. For the lighting systems, internally most of the areas are exposed to the natural light, while also provided with the integrated LED lights.
Sustainability factor | EY Centre
Right from the conceptual stage, it was an indispensable requirement to make the building as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible. As there was a historical layer to the existing site, appropriate care was taken to retrieve and conserve it through the design. The building is made highly energy-efficient, with the help of installing modern building systems and designing every space such that it consumes an optimal level of resources. This approach of measured energy use and advanced systems has also helped in reducing the financial load after completion of the building.
The use of the ‘Solar shading control strategy’ manages to transfer heat and light into the building reducing energy consumed by the mechanical services.
Employing such sensors and strategies the building also wins the title of being a smart building. EY center has set a new benchmark for sustainable approach merged with innovative technologies and historical integration. It has received a lot of award appreciations from the entire world, including the ‘Gold Well certification’, ‘6 Star Green Star Office Design v3 certified rating’ ‘6 Star Green Star As-Built rating’ and ‘5 Star NABERS Energy rating’. It has secured a lot of credits in different categories including air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind for the overall design.
References
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HR1__idOOk [Youtube video, accessed on 15 May 2021]
https://www.mirvac.com/office-and-industrial/about-mirvac-office-and-industrial/case-studies/200-george-street [accessed on 15 May 2021]
https://www.somfy.com.au/projects/case-studies/the-ey-centre-200-george-street
[accessed on 15 May 2021]
https://www.theplan.it/eng/award-2019-officebusiness/ey-centre-200-george-street
[accessed on 15 May 2021]
https://totalfacilities.com.au/technology/ey-centre-new-era-smart-building-design/
[accessed on 15 May 2021]
