After kicking off construction a year ago, International Convention Center Sydney (ICC Sydney) — Asia Pacific’s convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct — is officially a third of the way to its opening in December 2016.
The centerpiece of the New South Wales (NSW) government’s AU$3 billion transformation of Darling Harbour, ICC Sydney is an AU$1.1 billion world-class venue. It is being developed by Darling Harbour Live, a consortium comprising of venue manager AEG Ogden, the construction company, Lend Lease, as well as Hostplus, Capella Capital and Spotless.
Key construction statistics to date include:
- More than 16,000 tons of steel and 110,000 tons of concrete removed from site, exceeding the recycling target of 90 percent of the demolition materials.
- More than 32,000 cubic meters of concrete have been poured to date, more than 30 percent of the total.
- Piling for new buildings is now complete with over 1,500 piles created, and concrete structural works are well underway with seven tower cranes in operation, the largest of which can lift 20 tons at 90 meters.
ICC Sydney CEO and AEG Ogden Group Convention Centers Director Geoff Donaghy said the world-class development would deliver the very latest model of business events venues.
“Attending business events in Sydney will never be the same again. ICC Sydney’s ultramodern, integrated and highly flexible design is backed by high-end technology infrastructure and a world-class, waterfront city center setting,” he added. “The development of ICC Sydney ensures Sydney’s position as the business events destination of choice when it opens in December 2016 and well into the future.”
Business demand for ICC Sydney is building as rapidly as its construction timeline.
Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of Business Events Sydney (BESydney) said the company had secured 19 major global business events for ICC Sydney with an estimated economic benefit to the State of AU$150 million.
“Many of these events would simply not have come to Sydney without these new facilities, including the prestigious Sibos 2018, returning to Australia for the first time since 2006; the World Congress of Accountants, returning to Sydney for the first time since 1972; and the World Chambers Congress, which has never before been held in Australia,” said Lewis-Smith. “These events are testament to collaboration across the city, the strength of our industry and global reputation, and of course ICC Sydney.”
Across the 20-hectare site in Darling Harbour, there will also be a landmark luxury hotel, reinvigorated and new public spaces, new pedestrian connections and a cosmopolitan city neighborhood.
