Australian property investor and developer Cbus Property and construction partner Multiplex have completed the installation of a 2,679 square metre building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system that will help power the new 435 Bourke Street building in central Melbourne.
The BIPV system comprises 1,391 integrated solar panels with an installed peak capacity of 375 kW installed across the 48-storey tower’s façade, crown and rooftop. Once commissioned, design modelling estimates the system will generate up to 20% of the complex’s forecast base-building electricity requirements on site, with the balance supplied through an off-site renewable energy arrangement.
Cbus Chief Executive Officer Chris Kakoufas said the completion of the BIPV system represents “a defining moment for sustainable commercial development in Australia.”
“Successfully installing 435 Bourke Street’s solar skin is a significant achievement for our project team and partners, not to mention a tangible demonstration of how innovation and sustainability can be embraced to enhance a building’s performance while contributing to its architectural identity,” he said.
Kakoufas said the solar skin reflects an emerging approach to the use of PV technology in commercial buildings, combining on-site renewable energy generation with elements of the building’s architectural design.
“The solar facade creates electricity but also is acting as a sunshade that stops heat coming into the building and so that also reduces the electrical demand to run cooling,” he said. “This reduces operational costs for our tenant partners and emissions from grid electricity consumption, while creating a distinctive visual identity for the tower.”
Multiplex Victoria Manager Ross Snowball said installing the solar skin had been “one of the most challenging aspects of delivering the project.”
“Integrating nearly 1,400 PV panels into the building envelope required not just technical smarts but also extensive coordination between the façade, structural and services teams to ensure no impact to quality or program,” he said, adding that the project is “a great example of how early collaboration between project partners enables innovation to be embedded into the delivery of a project rather than bolted on at the end.”
Cian Davis, from architectural firm Bates Smart, acknowledged that the installation of the BIPV system required a highly complex construction process but said with the building having proven the concept, “I think you will see more like it.”
“The role of a tower façade has always been to protect the interior from the sun,” he said. “At 435 Bourke Street, it does that while also generating the building’s power … with solar ‘leaves’ that shade the workplace as they produce energy.”
“Beyond the technology itself, the building demonstrates that energy generation can be part of a tower’s architectural expression, giving form, texture and identity to the façade, rather than sitting invisibly within it.”
Cbus said construction on 435 Bourke Street is progressing toward practical completion in late 2026. Once complete, the development will provide approximately 62,000 square metres of office accommodation.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].
Comments
Please login to comment
The new issue of pv magazine Global is out now!
Available in print and digital – get your copy today!
Friday, November 13, 2026
10:00 am – 11:00 am CET, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
Monday, November 23, 2026
11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Paris, Madrid
You have no items in your basket.
