American Express House

The design of this 15,000 square metre, 11 level tower is a response to a particular need to control reflectivity for traffic on the adjacent Western Distributor, one of Sydney’s primary arteries. The vertical patterning, layering and graded colour saturations of the external solar screens are devised to preclude glare from the curving freeway, resulting also in a dramatic experience driving along the city edge. The vertical louvres rotate from morning to afternoon varying the experience and climate control along the façade. At ground level, the building is permeated by colonnades and arcades, with connections made to a retail plaza beneath the freeway and through the Wynward Railway Station. Water elements counteract the harshness of the freeway context and mitigate traffic noise.