Sydney, the largest city in Australia, is home to 1,168 completed high-rise buildings, more than any other city in Australia. Of those completed or topped out, the entire city (including metropolitan suburbs) has 63 buildings that reach a height of at least , of which 19 reach a height of at least – the second-highest number of skyscrapers in an Australian city,Sydney - The Skyscraper Center. Council on Vertical Urbanism. Retrieved 5 June 2016 as well as a further 14 buildings rising to at least in height currently under construction.

Although the tallest buildings in the city have historically been concentrated in the central business district and immediate surrounding areas such as and , suburbs within the Sydney metropolitan area have all seen a substantial surge in the development of high rises and skyscrapers in recent years, with major satellite centres such as , Parramatta, North Sydney, and Macquarie Park all witnessing or playing host to the construction of skyscrapers rising at or above . As a result, Sydney has the tallest building and most skyscrapers (reaching at least 150 metres) outside an inner-city area or core in Australia.

Sydney was one of the first cities in Australia and internationally to welcome the introduction of skyscrapers and high-rise office blocks in the mid–20th century, alongside cities in the United States, including New York City and Chicago. Witnessing a boom in the 20th century, Sydney has played host to various buildings which have been the tallest building in Australia including St James' Church, the Sydney Town Hall, the Garden Palace, the General Post Office, AWA Tower, AMP Building, 25 Martin Place and the Australia Square tower in 1967 at tall, which was Australia's first true skyscraper as defined as rising at least 150 metres high. Since 2020, Crown Sydney has been Sydney's tallest building and the 4th-tallest building in Australia, rising to a height of .

History

19th century Sydney played host to Australia's first tallest building in 1824 with the construction of St James' Church. Standing at a height of , it was commissioned by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1819, designed by Francis Greenway and constructed between 1820 and 1824 using convict labour. The partially complete Sydney Town Hall, built in Victorian Second Empire style, surpassed this height in 1878 with the completion of its clock tower that stood at a height of . This title was briefly held until the completion of the Garden Palace in 1879, standing at a height of . The Garden Palace likewise only held this title as tallest briefly, after its demise from a fire in 1882. Hence, the Sydney Town Hall once again became Sydney's tallest until 1891 with the completion of the General Post Office. Standing at a height of , the GPO was at the time described upon opening by the Postmaster General as a building that "will not be surpassed by any other similar structure in the southern hemisphere".

20th century

Towards the end of the 19th century and throughout the beginning of the 20th century, advances in building technology and design coupled with rising urban land values meant that high rise buildings became an attractive proposition in Sydney. Considered to be Sydney's first high-rise office building, Culwulla Chambers, was completed in 1912 and stood at a height of . Designed by Spain, Cosh and Minnett (with Rupert Minnett), the building consisted of 14 floors and cost £100,000 to build, equivalent of approximately $1 million in today's money. This new wave of construction of taller buildings consequently raised concerns over fire risks, namely the inadequate firefighting resources of the period that failed to reach such heights. The fire in the 8 storey Anthony Hordern & Sons building in 1901, which resulted in the death of five people, was notably one of the first cases to raise such concerns. In 1907, Alfred Webb, then the Superintendent of the Sydney Metropolitan Fire Brigade, described how it was "a suicidal policy to allow buildings of 100 feet to go up. Our extension ladders rise to a height of 80 feet, and it might be possible to add another 10 feet to them; but the effectiveness of their working is materially decreased as the height is added to." Additionally, public backlash against increased heights also became apparent during this period, primarily stemming from sentiments that taller buildings did not match the aesthetic of Sydney's streetscape and that they would become a source of increased overcrowding and congestion. As a result, the Height of Buildings Act was passed in 1912, which limited all new buildings to a height of . This restriction stunted the height of Sydney's buildings, lasting until 1957.

Despite these height restrictions, 1939 saw the completion of the AWA Tower, which finally surpassed the General Post Office's title as Sydney's tallest after 48 years. At a height of , the AWA tower also became the city's first building to surpass a height of , and would go on to stay as the tallest until 1962.

1960s and 1970s With growing demand for office space, the abolition of the height limit in 1957 saw a subsequent construction boom for taller buildings beginning in the late 50s through to the early 1960s. During this period, Sydney played host to the construction of various new towers that would subsequently stand as the tallest in the nation. In 1962, the modernist AMP Building was completed, becoming the tallest building in Australia at a height of . Shortly after, Australia Square was completed in 1967, also taking the title of tallest in Australia at . At its completion, Australia Square was the world's tallest lightweight concrete building and also the first skyscraper in Australia at least in height, the minimum height used by the Council on Vertical Urbanism (CVU) for a high-rise building to be a skyscraper.

Following this, the 1970s saw Sydney continue its construction boom and status as the city with the nation's tallest buildings. In 1976, the AMP Centre (now the Quay Quarter Tower) was completed, standing at a record height of . This title was short-lived, with the completion of the MLC Centre in 1977 (designed by Harry Seidler), which stood at a height of , the first building in Australia to surpass in height.

1980s and 1990s

Since 1981, the Sydney Tower has stood as the tallest structure in Sydney at , though as an observation tower, it fails to be classified as a building as defined by architectural standards set by the CVU. In 1992, the Chifley Tower became the tallest building in Sydney at a height of . The 1990s was also a period which saw the construction of numerous residential skyscrapers, starting with The Peak in 1996 at a height of , followed by the Century Tower in 1997 at a height of .

21st century A height restriction implementation persisted in Sydney's building regulations well into the early 2010s. However, this height restriction was lifted in 2016, allowing buildings to be built as high as on condition that public spaces were not overshadowed. This was further raised to at the end of 2019.

Sydney's most recent residential tower, 505 George Street, will rise 270 metres, comprising 80 storeys much of it serviced apartments. As the tower penetrates Sydney Airport's Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) it will require an Aeronautical Impact assessment approval, which it received in 2020, although construction has yet to start as of 2024.

The current tallest building in Sydney, and the fourth-tallest in Australia, is Crown Sydney, completed in 2020 and standing at a height of , overtaking the Chifley Tower's previous title as the tallest in Sydney standing at a height of .

Tallest buildings This list ranks completed buildings in Sydney that stands at least tall, including new buildings which have fully reached their architectural height. All structures are measured to the highest architectural detail, including spires.Sydney + Parramatta Building List (Completed; Arch. Topped Out; Struct. Topped Out) — The Skyscraper Center. Council on Vertical Urbanism. Retrieved 13 May 2020.

Note: Sydney Tower is defined as a structure, as opposed to a building. It is included here for comparison purposes, but is not counted in any figures or totals.

Rank Name Image Height m (ft) Floors Year Location Purpose NotesN/ASydney Tower–1981100 Market Street CBDObservation and telecommunicationsObservation and telecommunications tower, not a habitable building. Included for comparison purposes.1Crown Sydney75 20201-11 Barangaroo Avenue BarangarooMixed useTallest building in Sydney since 2020, 4th-tallest building in Australia. Completed in December 2020. 2Salesforce Tower562022180 George Street CBDCommercialTallest commercial building in Sydney since 2022. Completed in November 20223One Sydney Harbour (Tower 1)72202488 Barangaroo Avenue BarangarooResidentialTallest residential building in Sydney since 2024. Designed by Renzo Piano 4 Chifley Tower 50 1992 2 Chifley Square CBD Commercial Tallest building in Sydney from 1992 to 2019. Originally 241 m until a 3 m lightning rod was added in 2000. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox."Chifley Tower" - The Skyscraper Center. Council on Vertical Urbanism. 21 January 2015 5 Citigroup Centre 50 2000 2 Park Street CBD Commercial Designed by Crone Partners 6 Deutsche Bank Place 39 2005 126 Phillip Street CBD Commercial The second-tallest building in the world with fewer than 40 floors. 160 m to roof. Designed by Norman Foster.755 Pitt Street56202755 Pitt Street CBDCommercialStructurally topped out8Greenland Centre 672021115 Bathurst Street CBDResidentialCompleted in March 2021. Tallest residential building in Sydney from 2021 to 2022=9One Sydney Harbour (Tower 2)68202488 Barangaroo Avenue BarangarooResidentialDesigned by Renzo Piano = 9Meriton World Tower 75 2004 85 Liverpool Street CBD Residential Tallest residential building in Sydney from 2004 to 2020. Part of the World Square complex. Designed by Nation Fender Katsalidis. 11 25 Martin Place 60 1977 19 Martin Place CBD Commercial 244 m to antenna and 227 m to roof. Tallest building in Sydney from 1977 to 1992. Designed by Harry Seidler. 12Governor Phillip Tower 61 1993 1 Farrer Place CBD Commercial 254 m to antenna and 227 m to roof. Designed by Denton Corker Marshall."Governor Phillip Tower". Council on Vertical Urbanism136 & 8 Parramatta Square 5720226-8 Parramatta Square ParramattaCommercialTallest building in Parramatta. Designed by Johnson Pilton Walker 14 Latitude 45 2004 680 George Street CBD Commercial 190 m to roof. Part of the World Square complex. 15 Aurora Place 41 2000 88 Phillip Street CBD Commercial More commonly known as Aurora Place but officially RBS Tower. 188 m to roof. Designed by Renzo Piano."Aurora Place" - The Skyscraper Center. Council on Vertical Urbanism168 Phillip Street6620258 Phillip Street, ParramattaResidentialTallest residential building in Parramatta. Topped out in June 2025. 17International Tower 1 50 2016 100 Barangaroo Avenue Barangaroo Commercial Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners."International Towers Tower 1" - The Skyscraper Center. Council on Vertical Urbanism.18Quay Quarter Tower 54 1976/2022 50 Bridge Street CBD Commercial Originally built as the AMP Centre in 1976 at ; the tallest building in Sydney upon completion. Redeveloped from 2018. Designed by 3XN Architects.19180 George Street(North Tower)672023180 George Street ParramattaResidentialTallest residential building in Parramatta20One Circular Quay 60 2026 1 Alfred Street CBD ResidentialStructurally topped out in April 2025 21ANZ Tower 46 2013 161 Castlereagh Street CBD Commercial Designed by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp=22Trilogy - Tower C592025100 Talavera Road Macquarie ParkResidentialTallest building in Macquarie Park. Topped out in August 2025 =22 259 George Street 48 1982 259 George Street