Multibillion-dollar Australian tech company Canva is going up-and-up in Surry Hills after its “fruitful experience” with the City of Sydney this week gaining an extra deck for its headquarters.
The tech giant wants to add 1.5 storeys to its plans for the adaptive reuse of its Sydney base, a 10-storey office on 8-24 Kippax Street, Surry Hills, approved in May of last year.
The proposal is due to go before the Central Sydney Planning Committee for determination on February 13.
The upgraded plans received unanimous support during the City of Sydney Transport, Heritage and Planning Committee meeting on February 10.
Canva build lead Tom McNamara told that meeting the additional space would be used for building services, sustainability objectives and a larger meeting space.
“It’s been a surprisingly helpful and fruitful experience,” McNamara said.
“I really appreciate the collaborative nature in which we’ve engaged with council.
“We’ve been a long-term employer and resident in Surry Hills since about 2011. We purchased this building at the end of 2022 with the intent of making our new headquarters.
“We employ about 2500 people in Sydney and see this as our long-term commitment to Surry Hills.”
Canva is believed to have paid around $120 million for the vacant office tower built in the 1960s for the adaptive reuse project.
City of Sydney councillor Adam Worling told he meeting he was thrilled the development was going ahead as the “building absolutely needed some love”.
“It’s fantastic as this area evolves into a technology hub that you [Canva] are staying in the area. Thank you, thank you,” Worling said.
“You have well and truly outgrown your area up the road.”
The company was leasing 110 Kippax Street from Stasia, which had planned a residential development for the site but switched to commercial for Canva in 2019.
The tech company has kept design elements from the old building with a rooftop space on its new headquarters.
“Residents were worried about all the parties you were going to host on the rooftop but there were no complaints,” Worling said.
The 1037sq m site with a 10-storey commercial building would be transformed to the new century by a Cox Architecture designed-scheme.
