Martin Place Metro OSD South

A curved and pleated facade of glass, ceramic and bronze aluminium

Summary

Location:

39 Martin Place

Sector:

Commercial office

Size:

30 storeys (129.79m high)

Estimated cost:

$1.35B (Metro Station, North and South OSD)

Completion date:

2023

Team

Client:

Macquarie Group

Main contractor:

Lendlease Building

Architect:

Tzannes and Lendlease

Facade installation contractor:

Highlight Aluminium

Facade Manufacturer

Shenyang Yuanda Aluminium Engineering

Facade consultant:

Surface Design

Facade specs & stats

Systems:

Custom-developed unitised curtain wall systems with integrated flush glazing, ceramic tiles and ceramic clad features

Facade area:

18,750m2

Heaviest panel:

1.1T

Total no. facade panels:

4,850

Total no. ceramic tiles:

24,500

Sustainability:

6-star Green Star, 5.5-star NABERS, net zero by 2024

Visually consistent flat, concave curved and convex curved glass panes

Challenges

Ceramic tiles of varying dies and forms

The curved and pleated facade concept required flat, concave and convex glass. These all needed different processing and low-E coatings to appear visually consistent from both inside and outside the building. We carefully selected the varying glass configurations to meet solar, thermal and acoustic criteria along with the visual intent.

Completing a bespoke ceramic tile design and selection process
Designing a system for the podium’s convex and concave geometry
Achieving stringent glass performance requirements and visual intent

Selecting the ceramic tiles took more than two years, involving colour, texture and glaze options. The intent was for the tile system to complement the neighbouring 50 Martin Place. In the end, we developed 57 die profiles to achieve the flat and curved forms of the facade.

Achieving visual intent with twisted angled sun shading

We used a combination of unitised curtain wall and handset ceramic tile cladding to achieve the articulated features of the building. The predominantly glazed tower facade is set back from the podium envelope. It features sun-shade louvres that project where required on the North and twist to sit flush with the facade when not needed.