Lovett Tower
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The Lovett Tower (formerly known as the MLC Building) is a 93-metre-tall building (305 ft) located in the Woden Town Centre, a commercial district in Canberra. The building is a Canberra icon and remains the tallest commercial building in Canberra offering vast 360* views across Woden valley.
Lovett Tower is centrally located within the Woden Town Centre, one of Canberra's busiest satellite retail, commercial & residential centres.
Westfield Woden, one of Canberra's largest shopping destinations, is positioned directly opposite Lovett Tower, to the south and southeast.
History
Its construction was completed in 1973 by Civil & Civic,[1] and it became the tallest building in Canberra. This title was replaced by the "High Society" development in Belconnen which was completed in 2020, although still retains the highest occupiable floor. [2]
In 1994 the building was bought by E.C. Managed Investments Group and then sold on to BZW Investment Management Group for A$47.5 million. In 2006 Lovett Tower was then purchased by Cromwell Property Group for A$73 million. In 2020 the building was bought from Cromwell Property Group by Brite Developments Pty Limited. In 2022, Lovett Tower was purchased by Hunter Investment Corporation; also owner of the Hunter Economic Zone - Australia’s largest Industrial Estate and Business Park at 3,200 hectares, and one of the largest business estates in the Asia Pacific region. [3][1]
The Lovett Tower is a landmark commercial office building, refurbished in 1999, 2007, 2016, 2022,[1] and can be seen towering over the city. It was formerly known as the MLC Tower but was renamed in 2000 by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission to honour the Lovett family.[4][5]
Commonwealth History
Throughout its life, Lovett Tower has been the reliable home of numerous Commonwealth government tenants. These include the:
- Department of Veterans Affairs,
- Department of Environment,
- Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet,
- Department of Aboriginal Affairs,
- Department of Education & Youth Affairs,
- Office of ACT Further Education,
- Commonwealth Schools Commission
Features
The Lovett Tower is the 3rd tallest structure in Canberra (behind Black Mountain Tower and the flagpole of Parliament House)[citation needed] but is the tallest building because it has the most storeys- 26 storeys high including a basement level.
The Tower was previously occupied by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Department of the Environment and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet until 2018. [6] The building is now undergoing a complete refurbishment to enhance its A grade offering and present best in class ESG credentials. [7]
Accommodation of the building consists of a single level basement, ground floor foyer, two ground floor tenancies, a mezzanine & 22 continuous office levels.[1] Upper levels of the building feature a central service core which accommodates female and male amenities, tea rooms, and multiple lifts and lift lobbies.[1]
The building features a highly efficient design that maximises office flow through two separate lift foyers for low-rise & high-rise levels, that provide access to the building from 8 separate high-speed lifts.
Revolutionary Design
The building was wholly planned by the National Capital Development Commission ‘NCDC’. [8]
Rather than assigning an architect, MLC held a competition won by Jon Mitchell & Associates, of Sydney, who designed the building with an all-white facade required to blend with other buildings in the centre. [8]
The design was among the first to feature a groundbreaking central core concept, maximizing window space and enhancing exposure to natural light. The inclusion of fixed concrete panel sunshades mitigated the impact of sunlight on the skyscraper, enhancing its energy efficiency by an estimated 15% through passively reducing the demand on air conditioning systems.[8]
Gallery
- Lovett Tower in Woden Town Centre
- Lovett Tower Skyline
- Viewed from the north
- Northern face of the tower
- Upper floors of the tower
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Property - Lovett Tower". The Cromwell Group. Archived from the original on 9 June 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- ^ "Geocon's 27-storey High Society development for Republic precinct, Canberra's tallest building". The Canberra Times. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- ^ "Woden landmark's new owner plans refurbishment to A-grade offices".
- ^ "A fighting spirit". The Age. 24 April 2006. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ "Aboriginal Armed Forces Service". Government of New South Wales. 2000. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- ^ Towell, Noel; Clisby, Meredith; Page, Fleta (5 March 2014). "Welcome to Woden: tallest tower to empty as public service job cuts hit hub hard". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014.
- ^ Bushnell, Ian. "Woden landmark's new owner plans refurbishment to A-grade offices". Riotact. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "Work to begin on ACT's tallest building". Canberra Times. 15 October 1971. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
External links
- Image of the Lovett Tower and more information
- v
- t
- e
and structures
- ACT Heritage Library
- ACT Memorial
- All Saints Church
- Australian Army Memorial
- Australia Forum
- Australian Merchant Navy Memorial
- Australian War Memorial
- Australian–American Memorial
- Basser Library
- Big Coins
- Black Mountain Tower
- Captain James Cook Memorial
- Centenary House
- Edmund Barton Building
- Gus's
- High Court of Australia Building
- Hotel Canberra
- Hotel Kurrajong
- Korean War Memorial
- Legislative Assembly Building
- The Lodge
- Lovett Tower
- Mercure Hotel
- Mount Stromlo Observatory
- National Carillon
- National Gallery of Australia Research Library
- Old Parliament House
- Owl sculpture
- Parliament House
- QT Canberra
- Royal Australian Mint
- St John the Baptist Church
- Scrivener Dam
- Supreme Court
- Tilley's
- Yarralumla
- Yarralumla brickworks
- John Gorton Building
open spaces
- Australian National Botanic Gardens
- Black Mountain Peninsula
- Canberra Nature Park
- Canberra Peace Park
- City Hill
- Cockington Green Gardens
- Commonwealth Park
- Commonwealth Place
- Constitution Place
- Corroboree Park
- Glebe Park
- Haig Park
- Kings Park
- Lennox Gardens
- Lindsay Pryor National Arboretum
- Magna Carta Place
- Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve
- National Arboretum Canberra
- National Rose Garden
- Telopea Park
- Weston Park
- Yarramundi Reach
institutions
- Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- Australian Institute of Anatomy
- Australian National University Classics Museum
- Blundells Cottage
- Cameron Offices, Belconnen
- Canberra Glassworks
- Canberra Museum and Gallery
- Canberra Railway Museum
- National Archives of Australia
- National Film & Sound Archive
- National Gallery of Australia
- National Library of Australia
- National Museum of Australia
- National Portrait Gallery
- Questacon
- AIS Arena
- Australian Institute of Sport
- Canberra International Sports & Aquatic Centre
- Canberra Stadium
- Canberra Yacht Club
- Deakin Stadium
- Gungahlin Enclosed Oval
- Manuka Oval
- McKellar Park
- Narrabundah Ballpark
- National Hockey Centre
- Phillip Ice Skating Centre
- Phillip Oval
- Royal Canberra Golf Club
- Southern Cross Stadium
- Viking Park
- Woden Park
and islands
- Lake Burley Griffin
- Queen Elizabeth II Island
- Spinnaker Island
- Springbank Island