Shell House

Buildcorp partnered with design and delivery partners to deliver a world class dining and entertainment destination for The Point Group across three floors and multiple venues within Sydney’s heritage listed Shell House.

Built in the 1930s, Shell House is the only surviving interwar commercial palazzo style building in Sydney, and its transformation had to solve the challenges of working in this important context. The building is owned by Brookfield Properties who restored it to form part of the impressive Brookfield Place Sydney precinct in Wynyard.

The venue comprises of four unique restaurant and bar venues which opened in stages in late 2021. The staged approach was supported by Buildcorp’s management of the program and live environment, as well as coordination with Brookfield Place’s base builder who was working concurrently. The works first began on the ground floor for the new Menzies Bar and then progressed up to Levels 9 and 10 to fit-out the Clocktower Bar, Sky Bar and Dining Room & Terrace.

Buildcorp began in an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) partnership to finalise the design and de-risk the project through programming, budget optimisation and early procurement. This included fast-tracking samples for long lead materials and working with the architect and client to re-specify materials to local suppliers where possible. The ECI also allowed time for solutions to deliver the complex hospitality services, while working within the parameters of existing site conditions.

As the building sits above a substation, critical coordination was required for drainage and trade waste for the commercial kitchen, bar, and WCs. A tight tolerance in ceiling heights posed a challenge as the team coordinated the installation of the exhaust hood duct, supply air and associated services across multiple levels.

Each area boasts a unique range of custom, high end joinery, furniture, lighting and finishes. The monolithic feature central bar in Menzies Bar features aged steel, stunning art installations and sculptures. The stand-out Clocktower Bar required multiple joiners of different expertise to achieve the intricate design for the flooring, wall paneling, banquettes and acoustic ceiling panels.

A crane, requiring full road closure of Margaret St, was utilised to undertake the base building façade reconfiguration, awning works and the landscaping works to the external terraces.

Brett Robinson, CEO of The Point Group joined Buildcorp’s Jordan Sukkar to discuss how the partnership helped ‘set the table’ for The Point’s aspirational vision using our hospitality experience and unwavering attention to quality finishes and detail.