Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), Architectus, and Dexus Property Group have completed a new mixed-use tower in the heart of North Sydney’s Central Business District. 

Called 100 Mount Street, the 39-story glass-enclosed mixed-use tower is wrapped by an innovative cross-braced exoskeleton structure. The design is inspired by Sydney’s rich architectural landscape and shaped by SOM’s legacy of innovation in architecture and engineering worldwide. 

Evocative of SOM’s design for the John Hancock Center, 100 Mount is anchored by an offset core and clad in a soaring glass curtain wall, the tower offers panoramic views of Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Opera House, and Sydney Harbour Bridge. The tower’s interiors are designed to maximise daylight and open space, with 6-metre column-free zones to the north and south.

"100 Mount is testimony to the excellent caliber and collaboration of our designers. Combining SOM’s global expertise and design evolution with Architectus’ best local expertise and execution has created a world class building," said Paul Oates, Dexus Head of Development.

"We are very proud of the attention to detail combined with an excellent vision and concept which will set the benchmark in North Sydney for many generations to come."

"100 Mount is an embodiment of Sydney’s spirit of architectural innovation. SOM is proud to have continued this legacy, marrying it with our own history of innovation in skyscraper design worldwide. We’re thrilled to have created an iconic, beautiful center for commerce in North Sydney’s growing Central Business District," said Adam Semel, SOM Managing Partner.

At ground level, the building’s offset core allows for a series of open-concept spaces, including a commercial lobby, café, and restaurant, with an 8-meter-tall glass wall providing shelter from the elements. 

From the landscaped public plaza, cascading steps and inclined pathways allow visitors access to new retail at street level. A pedestrian pathway bisects the site to connect the building to nearby public transit.

An exemplar of sustainable design, 100 Mount Street is targeting 5-star ratings on the Australian Green Star and National Australian Built Environment Rating Systems. The International WELL Building Institute has awarded 100 Mount Street the WELL Core & Shell Gold Pre-certification. 

Utilizing both an offset core and high-performance closed cavity facade, the building offers automatic daylight control and glare reduction, while maintaining maximum transparency. Chilled beam systems are among the additional features that reduce the building's environmental footprint.

100 Mount Street includes a band of retail storefronts along Walker Street, with street level activity continuing around the corner of Mount Street and into the through-site link. The street level includes new vehicle entry to Walker Street, effectively removing more than 100 cars from the Spring Street lane network and improving pedestrian access in North Sydney.

"In progressively dense urban areas, it's vital that workplace design and environmental performance are paramount, but also that we deliver amenities and greater space for the public to move through and around the buildings," said Ray Brown, CEO of Architectus.

"Just as Architectus has achieved on 1 Bligh and Barrack Place, the ambition for 100 Mount Street was to create a highly efficient office building that sets a new benchmark for workplace design, public amenity and environmental performance."

The building is owned by Dexus and Dexus Wholesale Property Fund. The building was developed by Dexus in collaboration with builder Laing O’Rourke. SOM served as design and structural architect, Architectus as architect of record, Enstruct as engineer of record, and Arup as MEP engineer.

All images © Brett Boardman

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