ajsadauskas , 2 months ago

@futurebird Here's a cautionary tale.

One Central Park in Sydney was an award-winning green development that won many awards.

From Vogue in 2014:

"Sydney’s One Central Park complex says a lot about the possible future of our architecture: that buildings needn’t be a strain on the environment, that more high rise doesn’t have to mean less greenery, and that tall buildings may even be able to improve rather than diminish their surrounds. Designed by Atelier Jean Nouvel, One Central Park in Sydney’s Chippendale has been given 12 awards since its completion in December 2013: it took out the title of overall winner as well as taking out Sustainabilty Award at the international LEAF awards, and has just been awarded ‘Best Tall Building Worldwide’ by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) in Chicago."

https://www.vogue.com.au/vogue-living/design/one-central-park-sydney-named-best-tall-building-in-the-world/image-gallery/84423c7d5cd44773dd0b9e95c13c08b2

More from ArchitectureAU here: https://architectureau.com/articles/one-central-park/

Then in 2022, the planter boxes literally fell off:

"2022 saw a planter box fall to the footpath below, with local Council calling for repairs to protect the public to take place immediately. Structural engineers have been assessing the safety of other planter boxes that adorn the biophilic building, with some boxes supported by ropes to mitigate risk, while 33 have been removed."

https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/cladding-planter-boxes-concern-one-central-park

Oh, and it also turns out the planter boxes are flammable:

"Category A and B cladding – the two most flammable – were found on the doors, structures (Cat A) and planter boxes (Cat B) respectively, with the dispute currently before the courts after the Planning Department issued an urgent fire safety order in January in the wake of the cladding inspection."

More details here: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/a-planter-box-fell-off-broadway-s-green-building-that-was-just-the-start-of-its-problems-20231110-p5ej40.html

The building itself is beautiful — I used to work nearby and visited a number of times.

But beyond flammable planter boxes, the bigger problem with the building becomes apparent on street view.

That building on the right, covered in plants, is One Central Park.

It's on a congested six-lane stroad filled with cars and trucks.