Greenhouse Is Sydney CBD's New Technology Innovation Hub Aimed at Tackling Climate Change
The George Street hub will open within Lendlease's huge commercial and retail precinct alongside a new four-storey hospitality venue.
The City of Sydney is investing in a new, affordable innovation space in the heart of the CBD which aims to give small businesses committed to combatting climate change a boost. Named 'Greenhouse', the 3800-square-metre hub on George Street will become a cost-effective office space for emerging climate tech startups and scaleups.
Greenhouse will be set up at 180 George Street within Lendlease's new 56-storey tower, following negotiations between the property group and the City of Sydney. It aims to support more than 100 businesses, all of which are helping to reduce Australia's climate emissions and create positive change to the environment. The program is expected to create 1500 new jobs over a ten-year period.
The precinct at 180 George Street is set to also include a public plaza, retail laneways, bicycle hub, public art and multi-storey resurrection of hospitality venue Jacksons on George. Initially announced in 2018 following Jacksons closure, the four-level venue will feature a pub, multiple dining options and an open-air rooftop bar.
"Greenhouse is a wonderful opportunity for tech entrepreneurs and the scaleup economy to be located in one of the most advantageous and desirable locations in Australia, and for the City to showcase Sydney's tech startup ecosystem to the world," Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said. "By supporting our fastest-growing, sustainability-focused businesses with affordable, premium office space and access to expert-run services and globally competitive talent, we hope to reaffirm Sydney's reputation as a vibrant and sustainable city and the home of smart, inclusive and green innovation."
Along with the affordable office space, Moore and Greenhouse CEO Creel Price promise businesses inside Greenhouse will be offered access to talent, growth services and investment opportunities like the Climate Tech Fund — a new venture capital fund.
The innovation space is expected to open next year and follows several City of Sydney initiatives to move towards a greener city. Earlier this year, the city council set a net zero carbon emission target for 2035 and announced a plan to cover more than 40 percent of Sydney's city with trees and greenery by 2050.
The City of Sydney's Greenhouse innovation space is set to open at 180 George Street, Sydney in late 2022.