Construction is now underway on the incredibly ambitious Atlassian Sydney headquarters after the international software giant, NSW government, Dexus, and YHA finally reach an agreement.
The $1.4 billion structure, which will soon serve as a hub for the city’s answer to Silicon Valley, has staked a considerable claim near Central Station (atop the site of the Railway Square YHA). It’s also on track to become the world’s tallest commercial hybrid tower.
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Soaring to proposed heights of 180 metres and offering a total of 40-storeys, what will make Atlassian’s soon-to-be-erected Sydney outpost a “hybrid” is its composition: timber, glass, and steel. But this isn’t even the most ambitious component of the complete design.
The tower will feature staggered outdoor gardens, as well as blends of indoor and outdoor areas. The presence of self-shading has been mentioned in the same conversation – a method of regulating temperatures.
Having enlisted the services of New York architects SHoP and domestic firm BVN, there are currently plans to ensure the building operates on 100% renewable energy – as in generating its own electricity – which entails integrating solar panels in the facade.
“We are pushing the limits already beyond anything that we know with that material,” explained Scott Hazard, Atlassian Head of Global Workforce Experience, when this was originally announced.
“Cross-laminated timber is an incredibly green material, and it helps us avoid massive amounts of concrete and steel.”
“Buildings have to be a place where they attract your employees to come in and do their best work… it’s a billboard to future employees,” said Atlassian Co-Founder & Co-CEO Scott Farquhar.
“We have an opportunity to be maybe the first building in Sydney built for a distributed workforce in a new way.”
Minister for Enterprise, Investment, & Trade Alister Henskens, who defended the state government’s decision to dedicate a $48 million funding package to the project, recently added: “We are incredibly proud to see Atlassian’s Australian HQ come to life at Tech Central, progressing our goal of delivering the world’s most sustainable, inclusive and creative innovation precinct.”
“In a fierce global skills market, on its completion, the building will boost our market competitiveness and welcome 5,000 future technology and supporting industry jobs, in addition to creating over 800 construction jobs.”
“This iconic building will play a vital role in supporting NSW talent attraction and retention efforts and become a beacon for the technology industry.”
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Despite the fact this will comfortably provide a base for 4,000 employees, Atlassian’s Farquhar remains committed to the tech firm’s “Team Anywhere” policy introduced after COVID-19, which allows personnel to work wherever they’re legally entitled to do so and in a reasonable time zone.
“You can work in your apartment, you can work in an RV travelling around Australia,” stated Farquhar, who did precisely that last year.
“Or, if you want to come to work in an office, you can come to work in this incredible office that we’re building, and we see people make each of those choices every single day.”
The Atlassian Sydney headquarters is now scheduled for completion sometime in 2027 (delayed from its initial 2025 completion date due to the spicy cough). The Tech Central precinct’s first anchor tenant will be joined by Afterpay, Canva, ROKT, and Safety Culture shortly thereafter in an effort to support the hub’s “activation.”
