Tall & Urban News

Development approval has been granted for the AU$750 million (US$505 million) Macquarie Exchange community business district, which aims to convert a 15,260-square-meter site into four high-rise buildings.

Located at the entrance to Macquarie Park’s new Sydney Metro station, the Macquarie Exchange will provide 83,368 square meters of gross floor areas across a 17-story building and three nine-story buildings.

Around 75,000 square meters of this space has been approved for commercial purposes, and around 5,700 square meters are proposed for retail, including a proposed childcare center and gym. The development will also include 2,200 square meters of green space in the form of a central park.

The urban hub has been designed by Bates Smart and will be delivered by Frasers Property Industrial and the Winten Property Group.

Office space at the location will include interconnecting floors, an outdoor urban plaza, a retail lane-way, flexible floorplate sizes, and on-site health and well-being facilities. Upon completion, more than 7,000 employees will work in the hub, with a full-time community manager dedicated to creating connections in the building to develop community engagement.

The urban commercial park aims to provide 100 percent carbon-neutral energy to all buildings.

According to Frasers Property Industrial General Manager Northern Region, Ian Barter, Macquarrie Exchange would deliver a pedestrian-focused development that offers activated retail and amenity-rich destination for building occupants and the surrounding Macquarie Park area.

“The Community Business District would deliver a viable alternative to city locations, with seamless connections via the Sydney Metro Macquarie Park station,” he said.

 “The development is expected to deliver on both state and local government objectives. It is an exemplary example of what can be collaboratively achieved to deliver jobs and growth to this important employment and innovation precinct, which maximizes the benefits of existing major infrastructure.”

For more on this story go to Inside Construction.