Finalists announced for prestigious award recognising innovative solutions to global challenges

The Quay Quarter Tower, designed by Tenderstream members 3XN and BVN, has been revealed as a finalist for The Earthshot Prize 2025. Founded by HRH Prince William in 2020, the prize recognises solutions from different geographies, sectors and stages in their life cycle, and is dedicated to solving our planet’s greatest challenges. This year’s finalists were selected from nearly 2,500 nominees, based on assessments by the prize's selection partners and expert advisory panel.

In a scheme to retrofit rather than demolish one of Sydney’s iconic buildings, the Quay Quarter Tower transformation was devised and implemented by a coalition of architects, engineers, building contractors, and developers. 3XN and BVN worked with engineers BG&E and Tenderstream member Arup to retain 65% of the building’s original structure and 98% of its core. This design approach avoided more than 12,000 tonnes of embodied carbon, while doubling usable office space from 45,000 to 102,000 sq m.

Design lead Fred Holt, partner at 3XN and director at 3XN Australia, said: “This recognition from The Earthshot Prize reinforces that regeneration must replace destruction as the new standard. We hope that our approach can help redefine urban development, offering a blueprint to meet low-carbon ambitions as our cities worldwide continue to grow.” 

As in previous years, the five winners of this year’s Prize will be selected by Prince William, prize founder and president, alongside fellow members of the Earthshot Prize Council. Prince William stated: “As we reach the halfway point of the Earthshot decade, I am truly inspired by this year’s finalists, which embody the urgent optimism sitting right at the heart of our mission. In just five years, The Earthshot Prize has shown that the answers to our planet’s greatest challenges not only already exist, but that they are firmly within our grasp.”

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

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