page_title: Allendale Square
section_title: Design
hierarchical_section_title: Allendale Square / Design
caption_attribution_description: Allendale Square in Perth, Western Australia, viewed from the south.
context_page_description: Allendale Square is a 32-storey skyscraper in Perth, Western Australia. When opened in 1976, the 132-metre building surpassed the AMP Building to become the tallest completed building in Perth, a title which it only held until 1977 when St Martins Tower opened.
context_section_description: The tower is located on a 4,053-square-metre (43,630 sq ft) site, 15 metres (49 ft) above sea level, however the tower itself only occupies 25% of this land area. Designed by architects Cameron, Chisolm and Nicol, the building is rotated 45 degrees relative to St Georges Terrace, in order to secure a plot ratio concession from the Perth City Council.
  The walls of the tower are stepped in plan, creating V-shaped protrusions along each face. In order to maximise views towards the Swan River whilst reducing heat loads, the building has windows only on the north and south-facing sides of these steps, and the remainder of the tower is clad with aluminium. The 400 tonnes (880,000 lb) of aluminium panels were created from locally mined bauxite, refined at Kwinana by Alco in the largest aluminium task ever undertaken in Australia at that time. On its opening, the building was the largest fully aluminium-clad freestanding tower in Australia, and one of the largest in the world.
  The 992 windows of the tower are solar-bronze glass, up to 12.7 mm (0.50 in) thick on upper levels. Ninety percent of the tower's levels had uninterrupted views to the river upon its opening, and all of the office levels are free of internal columns. When it was opened, the tower's lobby had red carpet at the entrance, high ceilings and marble columns.
  In addition to a lift between the 99-bay basement car park and the lobby, the tower has nine high-speed lifts, divided into two zones. When the tower opened, these lifts were among the most advanced in the world, improving travelling times and halving the plant room space they required. The electronic security devices and air conditioning systems were also advanced. The roof of the building's mechanical penthouse, which is adorned with the ANZ Bank logo, is designed to be able to function as a helipad if necessary.
  The building has 34 levels, made up of a basement car park, an underground retail arcade, the ground floor lobby, a conference suite, 29 office levels and the plant level at the top. The tower has 27,700 square metres (298,000 sq ft) of lettable space and a "spacious" lobby.
  The building has been described as a "fine example" of high-rise architecture,
  "timeless", "one of Perth's most prominent office buildings",
  a building of "considerable elegance" and a good building in its time which still remains relevant.
  ...The basic design is innovative and displays both structural and technological sophistication. The tower and its associated concourse exhibit clarity of thought, consistent detailing and finishes of a high standard.
  — 1978 Royal Australian Institute of Architects WA Design Award jury
caption: The south-facing windows of the tower
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