A 33-storey office tower at 60 Martin Place has become one of just 14 buildings in Australia to hold WELL Platinum certification, the highest rating awarded by the International WELL Building Institute.
Jointly owned by Investa and Gwynvill, the building was designed by HASSELL architects and constructed by Lendlease, and when completed in 2019 was valued at around $1 billion.
The WELL rating takes into account a building’s ongoing performance across a range of measures impacting human health and well-being — air, water, food, light, fitness, comfort and mind.
Some of the innovative features that contributed to 60 Martin Place being awarded the Platinum rating were the extensive use of automated blinds to manage light levels and the provision of end-of-trip facilities to encourage the integration of physical activity into daily routines.
“Our success was only possible through on-going collaboration with our contractor Lendlease, ensuring physical elements of the rating tool were designed and constructed, as well as Investa’s in house property management team to address the operational components of the tool in the way the building is managed,” Investa development manager for the building, Lara Hutcheson said.
Peak wellness comes with a price tag to match and shortly after completion the 40,000 square metres of office space were reported by The AFR to include the most expensive in Sydney at over $1800 a square metre.
Not surprisingly then, the building’s occupants include a range of top-tier legal and finance firms including global law firm, Norton Rose Fulbright and Mizuho Financial Group, known as one of Japan’s three “megabanks”.
For their money, occupants can enjoy premium views of Sydney CBD and Harbour, as well as access to an onsite bar and cafe, healthy dining options and concierge services.
The building also holds a 6 star Green Star Design and As-Built rating and is the second in Investa’s portfolio to achieve Platinum certification, with Sydney’s Barrack Place awarded the rating in 2018.
“Our intent was always to deliver buildings focused on our tenant’s health and well-being,” Investa’s national development director, Shen Chiu said.
“Achieving a Platinum WELL Certification, the second for our wider portfolio, is a real testament to the hard work of Investa and the broader team.”