Colour block: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners completes International Towers in Sydney

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners has completed the final tower of the International Towers in Sydney, marking the culmination of the first major part of its masterplan for the Barangaroo South area which unites the CBD with the waterfront.
Looking out over Sydney's western harbour, the facades of the three International Towers are covered with colourful fins designed to deflect heat while allowing light to enter. While visually cohesive as a trio, each tower is unique, reacting to its orientation.
23,000 office workers will be housed in approximately 300,000 sq m of modern office space across the three towers
As well as a striking addition to Sydney’s iconic skyline, the project has been lauded for its environmentally conscious design, receiving a prestigious Six Star Green Star rating (an Australian sustainability guide). Features include solar panels, rainwater capture and recycling and blackwater treatment, as well as substantial bicycle storage in the basement.
Setting a precedent for future builds of this kind, the towers were designed to meet all the requirements of modern working, including dynamic spaces and holistic interior planning. Housing a range of businesses, office spaces in the International Towers can be adapted to suit every style of working through a flexible 2,500 sq m of floorplates.
The concept sketch for the lobbies of the International Towers in Barangaroo
The 23,000 office workers populating the towers will also have access to a range of areas with high ceilings and large vertical open spaces, as well as welcoming lobbies on the ground floor, with vast windows opening up the buildings to the street.
Part of RSHP’s aim for the masterplan at Barangaroo South, the largest urban renewal project in the city since the 2000 Olympics, was to create a new location for work and play in the city and to open up the area to the public through architecture.
The ground floor site has been designed to encourage a public outdoor culture
The towers are designed to interact with the natural thoroughfare of the streets, positioned in a radial formation to break up the city grid and invite people to navigate through the site, initiating an outdoor culture to contrast the CBD's tight surrounding network of streets and solid buildings.
The towers make striking additions to Sydney's iconic skyline
The facades feature brightly coloured fins, which are visually appealing while also serving to prevent solar load and cool the towers
The ground floor site connects the CBD to the waterfront area
Each facade is uniquely designed to react to its orientation
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners website
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
David Cronenberg’s ‘The Shrouds’ is the film for our post-truth digital age
The film director draws on his own experience of grief for this techno conspiracy thriller
-
Cambridge Audio's new earbuds offer premium performance without denting your pocket
The Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 earbuds demonstrate just how far affordable audio tech has come in the last decade
-
A European-style café opens next to London’s Saatchi Gallery
Designed by Dion & Arles, Cafe Linea serves fresh pâtisseries, global dishes and sparkling wines in a stunning Grade II-listed setting
-
A new London exhibition explores the legacy of Centre Pompidou architect Richard Rogers
‘Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings’ – opening tomorrow at Sir John Soane’s Museum – examines Rogers’ high-tech icons, which proposed a democratic future for architecture
-
A Republic Tower apartment refresh breathes new life to a Melbourne classic
Local studio Multiplicity's refresh signals a new turn for an iconic Melbourne landmark
-
A Japanese maple adds quaint charm to a crisp, white house in Sydney
Bellevue Hill, a white house by Mathieson Architects, is a calm retreat layered with minimalism and sophistication
-
A redesigned warehouse complex taps into nostalgia in Queensland
A warehouse in Queensland has been transformed from neglected industrial sheds to a vibrant community hub by architect Jared Webb, drawing on the typology's nostalgic feel
-
Australian bathhouse ‘About Time’ bridges softness and brutalism
‘About Time’, an Australian bathhouse designed by Goss Studio, balances brutalist architecture and the softness of natural patina in a Japanese-inspired wellness hub
-
The humble glass block shines brightly again in this Melbourne apartment building
Thanks to its striking glass block panels, Splinter Society’s Newburgh Light House in Melbourne turns into a beacon of light at night
-
A contemporary retreat hiding in plain sight in Sydney
This contemporary retreat is set behind an unassuming neo-Georgian façade in the heart of Sydney’s Woollahra Village; a serene home designed by Australian practice Tobias Partners
-
Join our world tour of contemporary homes across five continents
We take a world tour of contemporary homes, exploring case studies of how we live; we make five stops across five continents