Transforming Darling Quarter: A Sustainable Journey with SHAPE and Commonwealth Bank

SHAPE was engaged to fit out and upgrade the two buildings that form a campus environment at Darling Quarter in Sydney’s CBD. These buildings encompass a combined floor area of 60,000m² across nine levels. This project, known as the Commonwealth Bank Lighthouse Project, highlighted our client’s strong commitment to sustainability. Our scope included the reuse and repurposing of on-site assets and materials wherever possible, aligning with circular economy principles.

The project involved fitting out office floors to create an enhanced environment for all staff and upgrading base-build core amenities. Specialist areas included the CEO and Executive Suite, client dining and meeting facilities, and a new 200-seat auditorium for public events. The construction program was divided into two distinct phases for each building:

Stage 1 — South Building (31,000m²), 45-week program
Stage 2 — North Building (27,000m²), 40-week program

Throughout the project, we faced challenges posed by COVID-19 and site visit restrictions. However, our team utilized 3D BIM modelling to facilitate the design completion in intricate areas, mitigate program risks, and achieve an exceptional outcome. Our close collaboration with the base builder, Lendlease, who was simultaneously upgrading the building facade and infrastructure, was greatly enhanced by our longstanding and robust working relationship with their team.

Sustainability Achievements

We are proud to announce that both the North and South towers of the project achieved a prestigious 6-star Green Star rating. Our project and consultant teams, including Stantec, Hassell, Turner & Townsend, Arup, WT Partnership, and IGS, demonstrated incredible work and commitment to sustainability.

Circular Economy and Reuse Efforts:

55% of workstations reused
96% of task chairs reused
35% of front-of-house furniture reused
80% of metal tile ceilings reused
90% of access floors reused

These efforts not only minimized waste but also contributed to the project’s sustainable footprint. The existing structure was utilized to create exceptional spaces for onsite training and subcontractor facilities. We also held a MIC GAT session and Connector session to address suicide prevention, an issue that has impacted our industry, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aftercare

Since the project’s successful completion in 2023, our AFM by SHAPE team has remained on-site to provide ongoing maintenance and updates to the fitout as the CBA team settles into their new space.

Our commitment to our clients extends beyond project completion. We support tenants, asset owners, and facilities maintenance managers with preventative maintenance checks and repairs to minor maintenance goods to meet the evolving needs of your business throughout the term of your lease. Learn more about SHAPE’s Aftercare and Facilities Maintenance (AFM) services here.

“The AFM by SHAPE team have done a terrific job. They’ve executed nearly 300 individual requests managing nearly $3.5m of complex after-hours works in a highly sensitive live environment.”

– Clayton Bristow, Project Director (Commercial Design & Delivery), Commonwealth Bank of Australia

6-star Green Star rating