Marr Contracting (The Men from Marr’s) has partnered with Mirvac as part of an international team including Robert Bird Group and critical infrastructure specialists Kordia Solutions to dismantle one of Sydney’s highest and most recognisable structures.
In a statement, Marr Contracting said that the team will work together to dismantle the former TCN-9 TX transmission tower at Willoughby. It added that the major project will start with preparatory works in May 2021 and is due for completion in early 2022.
The television tower has been part of lower north Sydney’s skyline for nearly six decades. It is set to be replaced by hundreds of new apartments. The structure was erected on the site of Nine Entertainment’s long-time Artarmon Road headquarters and was one of three built in the area between the 1950s and 60s to broadcast television signals.
Since then, the tower has been decommissioned and Nine has moved its headquarters, clearing the way for a residential development.
Simon Marr, Marr’s Managing Director, commented on this upcoming milestone: “At 233-metres, this tower is equal in height to a 77-storey building which posed a number of challenges. Over 12 months working with multiple stakeholders, we designed an approach involving some of our unique equipment and the introduction of guy wires to laterally support the tower crane and allow it to climb to the required height (247 metres) to dismantle the tower.”
Property developer Mirvac purchased the 3.2-hectare site for AUD$249 million in 2020. It plans to remove the tower, demolish the existing buildings and replace them with 460 units in 10 blocks reaching up to nine-storeys high. 6,000 square metres of public space will also be included as part of the development.
Highlighting the importance of working with experts in their respective fields, Mirvac’s General Manager, Residential Development NSW Toby Long added: “Mirvac has an industry-leading reputation for upholding the highest standards of safety and our design team is comprised of experts in their field. Partnering with Marr as our craneage experts means we know we are in safe hands.”
