Toga Reveals Slender Tech Central Skyscraper Plans

Toga is poised to join other high-profile developers at Sydney’s Tech Central precinct at the southern end of Sydney’s CBD, unveiling plans for a 42-storey commercial tower of its own.

The project, Toga Central, will sit alongside Atlasssian’s $1-billion-plus concrete-and-timber tower which was approved in October.

It will also be close to Dexus and Frasers Property Australia’s $2.5-billion dual-tower development proposed for 24 Lee Street.

Both projects are part of growing cluster of commercial developments planned for the Tech Central innovation corridor next to Central Station and Surry Hills.

Early concepts for Toga’s tower have been designed by Bates Smart, which was selected by a design competition.

The contemporary tower will “reinvigorate” the existing heritage building on the site, the former Parcel Post Office, with Toga managing director Allan Vidor acknowledging the longstanding importance of the building at the intersection of George, Pitt and Lee streets.

“Bates Smart’s winning design pays respect to the heritage of the site while also creating a vibrant new food and beverage precinct that will anchor the precinct and create a world-class destination and connect Surry Hills across Central Station,” Vidor said.

“The new public plaza and tower will become a welcoming destination for people to work, shop, socialise and enjoy.”

Vidor said the developer was still in the process of preparing a detailed development application, which would be lodged in mid-2022.

The sustainably-led development would strive for some of the highest standards available, targeting carbon neutrality through operations as well as next generation tech-enabled cyber security infrastructure and contactless controls throughout the building.

Tenants will also have access to health and wellness facilities including lap pool and gym.

Toga will also work to renew the existing plaza in front of the tower in order to enhance pedestrian connections from Central Station through to Railway Square, UTS and the broader Chippendale, Ultimo and Pyrmont catchment area.

The anticipated project adds to a growing portfolio of commercial and mixed-use developments for the developer including Surry Hills Village, Green Square, Oxford and Foley, and Wicks Place.

The $200-million Surry Hills Village, which broke ground in March and is forecast for completion in early 2024, is a revitalisation of the existing shopping village.

Upon completion, the 1.2ha retail precinct will feature 122 apartments, a 102-room “high-end” boutique hotel, a 517sq m public park, and 12,000sq m of commercial and retail spaces.

At Wicks Place, Toga is delivering a mixed-use project as part of the Victoria Road precinct in Marrickville while its Oxford and Foley development, in partnership with Ashe Morgan, spans three blocks in Darlinghurst.

The developer’s Green Square project features a 16-storey commercial development next to the Green Square train station.

Toga is also behind the Jones Bay Wharf rejuvenation and Harbourfront Balmain in Sydney, and retail hotspot The Hub at Bondi Beach.

Earlier this year, the developer completed the A by Adina Sydney, a new 194-room hotel at 280 George Street including a cocktail bar in a four-storey glass-encased ‘golden crown’ at the top of the building.