1990: The end of a skyscrapers life

Looking around central Sydney at present, one might notice that a number of major office buildings have disappeared including:

• Goldfields House
• Wales Bank Building (52 Martin Place)
• Sydney Water Building

Source: Dixon, A. & Lewis, D. 1990. "Already, Sydney's outgrown those early skyscrapers". The Sydney Morning Herald, December 31: 4.

Others like the AMP Centre at Circular Quay are being gutted and redeveloped into modern structures to accommodate the changing workspaces of the 21st century.

Some of the recent demolitions include buildings from the 1980s, particularly in George and Pitt Streets near Circular Quay.

People may question why some buildings have been pulled down after just twenty or thirty years of service.

It has come down to two factors just like today:

• Cost of rebuilding vs renovating
• Advancements in technology - older buildings may not be able to be reconfigured for changing technology.

Tenants today also want buildings with larger and more flexible floor plates which allow for space to easily be reorganised according to the needs of the tenant.

At the end of the day, buildings do have a life cycle just like us humans. They are bound to die at some point in the future.

Fortunately, buildings of historical significance like the AMP Building will always have their place in Sydney and for some, the prestige of being in such a building is merely enough for them.