Chifley Tower Sydney
Chifley Tower is a premium skyscraper in Sydney, Australia. When measured to the top of its spire, it is considered the tallest building in Sydney.It was designed by Travis McEwen and Kohn Pedersen Fox (Project Architect: Nigel Dickson), New York-based architects.Located at 2 Chifley Square, its cross streets are Hunter, Phillip and Bent Streets with the main entry being on Phillip Street. Due to its prominent location at the peak in the north-east CBD, the Tower has broad harbour views from its 42 storeys.The tower is used primarily for commercial use, mostly financial institutions, law firms and corporations.
A 3-metre lightning rod was added in 2000, extending its original height from 241m to 244m. To stop the tower from moving in the wind a giant steel pendulum weighing 400 tonnes is held from 8×75 mm wires near the rooftop. The tower is named after former Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley.Chifley Tower occupies one of Sydney's most expensive sites, bought by the Bond Corporation in 1988 for $306 million. The 6,438.6 square metre site is one of the most elevated in the city with harbour views never to be built out.
Designed by New York architects Kohn Pederson Fox in association with Travis McEwen, Chifley draws comparison to some of the world's great buildings, including the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings in New York and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. It epitomises the luxury and opulence of the art deco era yet incorporates building services which meet and exceed the demands of modern businesses. The footprint of the building follows the curve of the 1930s scheme for the Parisian style statue square.
Construction was carried out between 1989 and 1992 when Chifley replaced the old Commonwealth Government offices. Chifley Tower welcomed its first tenants in October 1992 and Chifley Plaza opened for business in October 1994.