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July 22, 2026 \u2014 12:04pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Some 39 storeys above Central Station, roads and rail lines radiate like scattered spaghetti between the Lego-like blocks of Sydney\u2019s rooftops, extending to almost every point of the compass until meeting the blue horizon of ocean and harbour, and mountains.<\/p>\n Far below, Mike Cannon-Brookes and his Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar were 25 years ago living in separate flat shares in Glebe and Randwick and building their software business.<\/p>\n The physical manifestation of their ambitions, the $1.45 billion Atlassian Central tower, has structurally topped out. The core of what will be the world\u2019s tallest hybrid timber building \u2013 dubbed the \u201cplyscraper\u201d \u2013 now stands at its highest point on the city skyline, built from a rare combination of mass timber, steel and concrete.<\/p>\n The now solo tech entrepreneur joined NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and Lord Mayor Clover Moore at the site on Wednesday morning to mark the milestone for Tech Central, Sydney\u2019s technology precinct.<\/p>\n \u201cSydney has always been our home and it\u2019s one of our busiest offices anywhere, but in all these years we\u2019ve never had a chance to build our own space from the ground up for how we work,\u201d Cannon-Brookes said.<\/p>\n As is traditional for topping-out ceremonies and as a gesture of good fortune for the build, an Australian native evergreen was lifted to the summit earlier this week to celebrate the placement of the final, highest structural beam. The tree recognises the work, skills and dedication of the tradespeople and construction crew and developers who brought the project to its maximum height.<\/p>\n The landmark building officially eclipses the previous record holder, the 25-storey Ascent tower in Milwaukee in the United States, by 100 metres. Crown Towers is the city\u2019s tallest habitable building at 272 metres.<\/p>\n But those wings have been clipped along the way. Cannon-Brookes insists the software firm remains committed to its investment in its new headquarters despite recently reducing its workforce by 1600 employees.<\/p>\n Related Article Atlassian will serve as the chief anchor tenant with three of the habitats subleased to other tech ventures \u2013 a smaller footprint than first envisaged, but a move Atlassian says aligns with its mission to create a mecca for startups and innovators.<\/p>\n Atlassian is in the market for subtenants but just who they are speaking to is being kept under wraps.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the outset, we set a mission to have intelligence and sustainability baked into the building, not as an afterthought \u2013 which means better materials, better engineering, much better data and, in the end, a much better outcome for all concerned,\u201d Cannon-Brookes said.<\/p>\n For property developer and co-owner Dexus, and builder Built, the next phase involves filling the steel exoskeleton with mass timber elements and a glass facade. Crews are installing central building services, with the development on track for practical completion by the end of this year.<\/p>\n Designed by local practice BVN in collaboration with New York-based firm SHoP Architects, the tower reconfigures traditional office tower spaces, where departments are confined to single floors on enclosed levels. BVN\u2019s project director Tim Crawshaw said the building will extend to the top of a ring beam which is still to be cladded and varies in height due to the slope required for sun access into Prince Alfred Park.<\/p>\n His collaborator Andrea Teixeira, an associate for ShoP, said the design was seven years in development since the firm\u2019s participation in the 2019 international design competition. Its global clients had been closely watching the project, especially the concept of the floating four floors of timber and its natural ventilation and landscape.<\/p>\n She predicts the project will change people\u2019s mind about working from home. \u201cHere, they are connected to the city, they are not in a satellite village.\u201d<\/p>\n The new office spaces are arranged into interconnected four-storey clusters known as \u201chabitats\u201d, where three timber floors are arranged between steel-and-concrete mega floor plates.<\/p>\n Stacked within a surrounding steel exoskeleton \u2013 a structural approach similar to that of new Powerhouse Parramatta \u2013 these timber habitats eliminate the need for internal columns.<\/p>\n Each pod features one fully air-conditioned floor and three floating lightweight timber floors attached to the steel-and-concrete core by revolutionary drag straps. These are recessed to overlook a triple-height atrium \u201cpark space\u201d partially open to the elements.<\/p>\n At street level, the base of the tower will incorporate a reconstructed historic Parcels Shed, which will be housing a 480-bed YHA youth hostel.<\/p>\n In all, 10,000 cubic metres of timber, highly specialised and sourced from Austria, will go to the project, along with 8000 tonnes of structural steel and 30,000 cubic metres of green concrete.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Up](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/775cac3a403c3d737e857499ead539c4e0c44e17.jpeg\")
Up to half of the building could be leased to other businesses.Atlassian<\/p>\n![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/02ba37003cb3917469f50e6b3177d1f6c048c63e.jpeg\")
Mike Cannon-Brookes at the topping-out ceremony for the Atlassian building.James Brickwood<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/092ff794ebe7f0129c130cf24fef9c0e8660fb52.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Atlassian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c4785ad6ca6160b2dfc71522a0297e9df55c2b84.jpeg\")
Atlassian Central is the world\u2019s tallest hybrid timber tower at more than 180 metres. James Brickwood<\/p>\n