Pencil Tower Hotel

Engineering services for Australia’s slimmest skyscraper—redefining vertical hospitality on a 6.4 m lot

Client: Tricon (via Durbach Block Jaggers design team coordination)

Location: Sydney, NSW / Gadigal Country

The challenge

The Pencil Tower Hotel presents a unique engineering challenge: deliver full building services within a 125 m tall, 6.4 m wide tower—the slimmest skyscraper proposed in Australia. Housing approximately 175 compact hotel rooms atop a podium, the project requires highly efficient and spatially adapted building systems within exceptionally tight constraints.

Our Approach

Lucid collaborated with Durbach Block Jaggers (architect) and AVM/Tricon (client) during the detailed design phases. Our approach prioritised spatial efficiency, adaptability, and precision in service integration—working within the tower’s “column-like” form and maximizing every millimetre of mechanical and circulation space.

Solutions delivered

Compact mechanical and hydraulic services designed around minimal floor plate widths
Integrated vertical transportation systems optimised for narrow-core configurations
Low-impact fire service design adaptable to tightly packed guest floors
Scalable utility infrastructure anticipating podium and vertical amenity spaces
Coherent service coordination essential for construction feasibility and structural integration

Outcomes

A feasible engineering model for Australia’s skinniest skyscraper concept
Services designed to fit within an ultra-narrow footprint without compromising safety or functionality
Partnerships enabled through integrated design strategy—from podium to rooftop amenity offerings
A bold architectural vision brought closer to realisation with Lucid’s creative services planning

Better World Impact

The Pencil Tower Hotel embodies Lucid’s spirit of innovative problem‑solving. By meeting the demands of an avant-garde architectural vision with intelligent engineering design, we help shape a more adventurous, tomorrow-looking urban fabric. It’s engineering excellence that lives in every millimetre.

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