List of tallest buildings in Sydney facts for kids

The Sydney Central Business District skyline

Sydney, the largest city in Australia, is home to 1,168 completed high-rise buildings, the most in an Australian city. Although the tallest buildings in the city were traditionally predominantly concentrated in the central business district, suburbs within the Sydney metropolitan area, such as Chatswood and Parramatta have seen a growth in the development of high rises and skyscrapers in recent years.

As of July 2019, the entire city (including metropolitan suburbs) has 37 buildings that rise at least 150 metres (490 ft) in height – the second–highest number of skyscrapers in Australia.

History
Tallest buildings and structures 150m+ (492ft+)
Buildings above 200 metres in height
Tallest buildings proposed, approved and under construction
Timeline of tallest buildings
Related pages
Images for kids
See also

History

A view of the Sydney skyline and Circular Quay, 1916.

Culwulla Chambers (1912), the first high-rise building constructed in Sydney.

The earliest high-rise constructed in Sydney was Culwulla Chambers, which stands at a height of 50 metres (160 ft) and was completed in 1912. Designed by Spain, Cosh and Minnett, the building consisted of 14 floors and cost £100,000 to build, equivalent of approximately $1 million in today's money.

Sydney originally had a 46-metre (151 ft) height limit that was enforced until 1957. The abolition of this limit saw a construction boom for skyscrapers and buildings beginning in the early 1960s with the construction of the Australia Square, notable for being the world's tallest light weight concrete building at the time it was built and is also notable for being the first skyscraper in Australia. Since August 1981, the tallest structure in Sydney is the Sydney Tower, at 309 m (1,014 ft). However, according to the international standard of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, observation towers are not fully habitable and do not count as buildings. Hence, the tallest building in Sydney is the Chifley Tower, which was completed in 1992 and stands at 244 m (801 ft). It is also the tenth-tallest building in Australia.

A recent 235-metre (771 ft) height restriction implementation has slowed Sydney's high-rise developments. However, this height restriction was lifted in 2016 which now allows buildings to be built as high as 310 metres (1,020 ft) on condition that public spaces are not overshadowed.

The Sydney skyline as it appeared from Bondi Junction in 1984. Several major skyscrapers, including Chifley Tower and Governor Phillip Tower, had not yet been built.

Tallest buildings and structures 150m+ (492ft+)

This is a list of the tallest buildings in the city, including new buildings which have fully reached their architectural height. All structures are measured to the highest architectural detail, including spires

Rank	Name	Image	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Floors	Year	Purpose	Location	Address	Notes
–	Sydney Tower		309	1014	19	1981	Observation Tower	CBD	100 Market Street	Although the tallest structure in Sydney, Sydney Tower is not considered a habitable building by the CTBUH as it is primarily an observation tower. 275 m to roof.
1	Chifley Tower		244	801	50	1992	Commercial	CBD	2 Chifley Square	Officially the tallest building in Sydney since 1992. It was one of the most expensive buildings in the world at A$1.2 billion. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox.
2	Citigroup Centre		243	797	50	2000	Commercial	CBD	2 Park Street	Designed by Crone Partners
3	Deutsche Bank Place		240	787	39	2005	Commercial	CBD	126 Phillip Street	The second-tallest building in the world with fewer than 40 floors (Al Faisaliyah Center (Riyadh) is taller at 267m). 160m to roof. Designed by Norman Foster.
4	Meriton World Tower		230	754	75	2004	Residential	CBD	85 Liverpool Street	Tallest residential building in Sydney since 2004. Tallest building in Sydney without a spire. Part of the World Square complex. Designed by Nation Fender Katsalidis.
5	MLC Centre		228	748	60	1977	Commercial	CBD	19 Martin Place	244m to antenna and 227m to roof. Tallest building in Sydney from 1977 to 1992. Designed by Harry Seidler.
6	Governor Phillip Tower		227	745	54	1993	Commercial	CBD	1 Farrer Place	254m to antenna and 227m to roof. Tallest Building in Sydney to antenna. Designed by Denton Corker Marshall.
7	Ernst & Young Tower		222	728	45	2004	Commercial	CBD	680 George Street	190m to roof. Part of the World Square complex.
8	RBS Tower		219	718	41	2000	Commercial	CBD	88 Phillip Street	More commonly known as Aurora Place but officially RBS Tower. 188m to roof. Designed by Renzo Piano.
9	International Tower 1		217	711	49	2016	Commercial	Barangaroo	100 Barangaroo Avenue	Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.
10	ANZ Tower		195	639	46	2013	Commercial	CBD	161 Castlereagh Street	Designed by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp
11	Suncorp Place		193	633	48	1982	Commercial	CBD	259 George Street	Construction began in 1970 and was not completed until 1982, as the project was delayed many times.
12	AMP Centre		188	616	45	1976	Commercial	CBD	50 Bridge Street	Tallest building in Sydney from 1976–1977. Currently undergoing major redevelopment/refurbishment, will become Quay Quarter Tower. Designed by Peddle Thorp & Walker.
13	Century Tower		183	600	50	1997	Residential	CBD	343 Pitt Street	Tallest residential building in Sydney from 1997–2004.
14	Grosvenor Place		180	590	45	1988	Commercial	CBD	225 George Street	Designed by Harry Seidler.
15	International Tower 2		178	583	43	2015	Commercial	Barangaroo	200 Barangaroo Avenue	Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.
16	Altitude Apartments - Tower A		177	581	55	2017	Residential	Parramatta	330 Church Street
17	Capita Centre		173	567	31	1989	Commercial	CBD	9 Castlereagh Street	Designed by Harry Seidler.
=18	Australia Square Tower		170	557	46	1967	Commercial	CBD	264 George Street	Tallest building in Sydney from 1967–1976. Designed by Harry Seidler.
=18	Meriton Tower		170	557	48	2006	Residential	CBD	551 George Street	Designed by Harry Seidler.
=18	Metro Grand Residences		170	557	40	2014	Residential	Chatswood	438 Victoria Avenue
=21	The Peak Apartments		168	551	46	1996	Residential	Haymarket	2 Quay Street	Tallest residential building in Sydney from 1996–1997. Part of the Market City complex.
=21	International Tower 3		168	551	40	2016	Commercial	Barangaroo	300 Barangaroo Avenue	Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.
=23	1 O'Connell Street	N/A	166	544	36	1991	Commercial	CBD	1 O'Connell Street	Designed by Peddle Thorp & Walker.
=23	Westpac Place		166	544	35	2005	Commercial	CBD	275 Kent Street	Designed by Johnson Pilton Walker
25	201 Elizabeth Street		165	541	40	1978	Commercial	CBD	201 Elizabeth Street	There are plans to demolish the building to build a new 174m residential building
26	Gateway Plaza		164	538	46	1989	Commercial	CBD	1 Macquarie Place	Designed by Peddle Thorp & Walker.
27	HSBC Centre		162	531	37	1988	Commercial	CBD	580 George Street
=28	Cove Apartments		158	518	45	2003	Residential	CBD	129 Harrington Street	Designed by Harry Seidler.
=28	6 Parramatta Square	N/A	158	518	39	2019	Commercial	Parramatta	6 Parramatta Square	Topped out in July 2019. Expected to be completed by 2019
30	Hordern Towers	N/A	156	511	48	1999	Residential	CBD	401 Pitt Street	Part of the World Square Complex.
=31	200 George Street		155	508	40	2015	Commercial	CBD	200 George Street	Designed by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp.
=31	Metro Spire Residences		155	508	37	2014	Residential	Chatswood	440 Victoria Avenue
=33	100 Mount Street	N/A	152	498	39	2019	Commercial	North Sydney	100 Mount Street	Completed in June 2019
=33	Angel Place	N/A	152	498	35	2000	Commercial	CBD	123 Pitt Street	Designed by Peddle Thorp & Walker.
=33	Sydney Central	N/A	152	498	31	1992	Commercial	CBD	477 Pitt Street
=36	85 Castlereagh Street		151	495	32	2011	Commercial	CBD	85 Castlereagh Street	Part of the Sydney Tower complex. Designed by John Wardle Architects.
=36	Lumière Residences		151	495	47	2007	Residential	CBD	487 George Street	Designed by Norman Foster.

Buildings above 200 metres in height

Buildings above 200 metres in height in Sydney. Buildings in orange are still under construction. (as of 2016)

Tallest buildings proposed, approved and under construction

This is a list of 150m+ proposed, approved and under construction skyscrapers in Sydney. Under Construction Approved Proposed Topped Out

Name	Height		Storeys	Purpose	Completion	Location	Status
Name	m	ft	Storeys	Purpose	Completion	Location	Status
505 George Street	274	899	80	Residential	TBA	Sydney CBD	Proposed
Crown Sydney	271	889	75	Mixed Use	2020/2021	Barangaroo	Under construction
197 Church Street	266	873	80	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Proposed
20-22 Macquarie Street	265	869	85	Mixed Use	TBA	Parramatta	Proposed
Circular Quay Tower	263	863	54	Commercial	TBA	Sydney CBD	Under Construction
338 Pitt Street Tower 1	258	846	80	Mixed Use	TBA	Sydney CBD	Proposed
338 Pitt Street Tower 2	258	846	80	Mixed Use	TBA	Sydney CBD	Proposed
One Sydney Harbour Tower 1	247	810	70	Residential	2023	Barangaroo	Under Construction
Greenland Centre Sydney	237	778	68	Residential	2019	Sydney CBD	Under construction
133 Liverpool Street	235	771	70	Mixed Use	TBA	Sydney CBD	Proposed
Aspire Parramatta	233	764	52	Commercial	2022	Parramatta	Under construction
Ritz-Carlton Hotel	231	758	65	Mixed Use	2020	Pyrmont	Proposed
7 Hassall Street	220	720	63	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Proposed
2 O'Connell Street	217	712	66	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Proposed
Quay Quarter Tower	216	709	54	Commercial	2020	Sydney CBD	Under Construction
100 Christie Street	215	705	65	Mixed Use	TBA	St Leonards	Proposed
180 George Street North Tower	211	692	67	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Approved
The Argyle Tower	210	690	46	Mixed Use	TBA	Parramatta	Proposed
48 Macquarie Street	210	690	61	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Proposed
One Sydney Harbour Tower 2	207	679	60	Residential	2023	Barangaroo	Under Construction
4-6 Bligh Street	205	673	55	Mixed Use	2020	Sydney CBD	Proposed
112 Talavera Road - Building B	205	673	60	Residential	TBA	Macquarie Park	Proposed
8 Phillip Street	200	660	58	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Approved
1 Alfred Street	197	646	59	Residential	2020	Sydney CBD	Under Construction
Fiveways Triangle Site - North Tower	193	633	60	Residential	2023	Crows Nest	Proposed
12 Hassall Street	192	630	61	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Proposed
Darling Park Tower 4	192	630	46	Commercial	TBA	Darling Harbour	Proposed
St Leonards Central Tower 1	190	620	55	Mixed Use	TBA	St Leonards	Proposed
286-300 Church Street	190	620	~60	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Proposed
87 Church Street	187	614	55	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Proposed
180 George Street South Tower	186	610	59	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Approved
142 Macquarie Street	180	590	32	Mixed Use	TBA	Parramatta	Proposed
86-88 Walker Street	180	590	47	Mixed Use	TBA	North Sydney	Under Construction
617-621 Pacific Highway	175	574	50	Mixed Use	TBA	St Leonards	Proposed
201 Elizabeth Street	174	571	51	Residential	TBA	Sydney CBD	Proposed
Martin Place Metro Tower	174	571	40	Commercial	TBA	Sydney CBD	Under Construction
295 Church Street	173	568	50	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Proposed
New Life	172	564	55	Residential	TBA	St Leonards	Proposed
45 Victor Street	170	560	50	Residential	TBA	Chatswood	Proposed
City Tattersalls Club Tower	168	551	48	Mixed Use	TBA	Sydney CBD	Proposed
St Leonards Central Tower 2	168	551	48	Mixed Use	TBA	St Leonards	Proposed
189 Macquarie Street North Tower	167	548	54	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	On Hold
Victoria Cross Metro Station Tower	167	548	40	Commercial	2023	North Sydney	Proposed
Harbourside	166	545	50	Residential	TBA	Darling Harbour	Proposed
33 Bligh Street	165	541	30	Commercial	TBA	Sydney CBD	On Hold
Pitt Street Metro Station Tower 1	164	538	47	Mixed Use	TBA	Sydney CBD	Proposed
Fiveways Triangle Site - South Tower	162	531	50	Residential	2023	Crows Nest	Proposed
1 Denison Street (Channel Nine Studios)	159	522	39	Commercial	2020	North Sydney	Under Construction
Norwest City Marketown - Tower B1	158	518	44	Mixed Use	TBA	Baulkham Hills	Proposed
4 Parramatta Square	158	518	31	Commercial	2020	Parramatta	Topped Out
116 Macquarie Street	156	512	48	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Approved
41 McLaren Street	156	512	45	Mixed Use	TBA	North Sydney	Proposed
173 - 179 Walker Street	156	512	47	Residential	TBA	North Sydney	Proposed
55 Pitt Street	156	512	35	Commercial	TBA	Sydney CBD	Proposed
74 Church Street	155	509	44	Mixed Use	TBA	Parramatta	Proposed
The Landmark, 500 Pacific Highway	152	499	46	Mixed Use	TBA	St Leonards	Under Construction
The Lennox	152	499	41	Residential	TBA	Parramatta	Under Construction
59 Goulburn Street	150	490	40	Mixed Use	TBA	Sydney CBD	Proposed
112 Talavera Road - Building D	150	490	45	Residential	TBA	Macquarie Park	Proposed
Pitt Street Metro Station Tower 2	150	490	35	Mixed Use	TBA	Sydney CBD	Proposed
Crows Nest Metro Tower 1	150	490	27	Mixed Use	TBA	Crows Nest	Proposed
Crows Nest Metro Tower 2	150	490	27	Mixed Use	TBA	Crows Nest	Proposed
Crows Nest Metro Tower 3	150	490	17	Mixed Use	TBA	Crows Nest	Proposed
525 George Street	150	490	40	Mixed Use	TBA	Sydney CBD	Proposed

Timeline of tallest buildings

Includes tallest structures for comparison.

Name	Years as tallest	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Floors	Notes
St James' Church	1824–1875	52	170	–
Town Hall	1875–1879	57	187	4	Clock tower added in 1875.
Garden Palace	1879–1882	64	209	2	Destroyed by fire in 1882, site is today part of the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Town Hall	1882–1891	57	187	4
General Post Office	1891–1939	73	239	5
Sydney Harbour Bridge	–	134	439	–	Tallest structure in Sydney 1932–1956.
AWA Tower	1939–1962	112	367	14
TCN TV Tower	–	171	561	–	Tallest structure in Sydney 1956–65, replaced by taller 233 m tower in 1965.
AMP Building	1962–1965	115	377	26
TCN TV Tower	–	233	764	–	Tallest structure in Sydney 1965–81; tallest lattice tower in Australia; replaced original 1956 tower.
State Office Block	1965–1967	128	419	38	Demolished in 1997 to make way for Aurora Place.
Australia Square Tower	1967–1976	170	557	46
AMP Centre	1976–1977	188	616	45	Reconstructed structure in 2018 to make way for Quay Quarter Tower.
MLC Centre	1977–1992	228	748	60
Sydney Tower	–	309	1013	19	Tallest structure in Sydney 1981–present.
Chifley Tower	1992–present	244	801	50	Tallest building in Sydney; 10th-tallest building in Australia.

Sydney's tallest building (blue) and tallest structure (grey) from 1824 to 2014.

Images for kids

The Circular Quay and city skyline, 1920s
The Sydney skyline in 1970. Visible (from right) is Gold Fields House, Australia Square, the AMP Building, and the State Office Block
Barangaroo was part of significant urban renewal efforts in the 2010s, and now plays host to the tallest building in the city, Crown Sydney
Sydney central business district
Barangaroo
Parramatta
Chatswood
North Sydney
St Leonards
Rhodes and Sydney Olympic Park