6&8 Parramatta Square, Sydney, NSW

6&8 Parramatta Square is the largest commercial office development in Australasia, comprising 120,000 m² net lettable area (NLA) and spanning 55 levels. Located in Parramatta, a city with a high demand for both government and private space that is quickly emerging as Sydney’s second CBD, the precinct is set to be Greater Western Sydney’s major civic centre.

Walker Corporation engaged NDY to design the development’s vertical transportation services, consisting of 41 lifts and six escalators. Ranging in size between 2,100 m² and 3,100 m², the office floor plates required a lift services solution, effectively integrating the building’s east and west cores, with each zone containing multiple lift rises.

The project brief required a PCA A Grade building; however, at the time of design, the PCA guidelines were under review. This was the key challenge of the project, as the assessment of the lift services had to comply with both standards, including the current guidelines and the draft criteria at the time. As a result, the final design was based on the more onerous draft requirements for vertical transportation services.

The building is home to multiple tenancies, with some containing exclusive lift lobbies and lift rises. To fulfill individual tenancy requirements, NDY collaborated with the project team to develop a flexible design incorporating the option of three entrance levels which could service a range of prospective tenant needs and deliver these exclusive lift lobbies.

As a sustainability initiative, all vertical transportation services including lifts and escalators employ energy efficient VVVF drives and smart controls to minimise energy consumption, both during operation and idle mode.