8 Chifley showcases ‘sky village’ concept

The opening of the Sydney skyscraper at 8 Chifley Square, jointly owned by Mirvac and Singapore-based Keppel REIT, will showcase the latest in office design and workplace activity, according to the tenants.

Law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth is set to be the anchor tenant in the 34-storey tower, which is also leased to QBE Insurance and analytics group Quantium.

Corrs Chambers Westgarth chief executive John Denton said it would be the first big law firm in Australia to move to a fully open and flexible office environment, having signed a lease for more than 8000 square metres of space at 8 Chifley Square for a 12-year term. It follows the move by British law firm Herbert Smith, which linked up with Freehills to take up 20,000 square metres at the new ANZ Tower at 161 Castlereagh Street.

Mr Denton said the integrated fit-out by Bates Smart was complete, and Corrs lawyers would share a more open layout with executive assistants and juniors in the new office.

Mirvac chief of investment Andrew Butler said the tower’s design ‘‘pioneers in Australia the ‘sky village’ concept, intended to support a real sense of community and collaboration. Workspaces and floors are linked via atria to create natural, light-filled environments.’’

Keppel has an interest in several office towers across Australia. Keppel REIT reported a 6.1 per cent rise in distributable income to $S159.1 million ($135 million) for the nine months to September.

The trust’s directors said the increase in income was helped by higher contributions from the Ocean Financial Centre in Singapore and from 8 Exhibition Street in Melbourne.

‘‘In Sydney, there has been an ongoing flight to quality from existing CBD tenants to newer buildings and from tenants looking to centralise their operations into the CBD,’’ Keppel REIT’s directors said.

‘‘In Melbourne, although there will be some new office supply coming on stream, most of the space has been pre-committed, and property consultants expect rental rates to remain relatively stable.’’