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Urban.com.au today takes a closer look at the penultimate entry in the <a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-designs-revealed-at-future-cities-symposium">"Southbank by Beulah"</a> design competition - Beulah Propeller City - by Coop Himmelb(l)au and Architectus.

According to the architects, The Propeller City has been designed as a recognisable architectural landmark which attempts to redefine the residential, commercial, retail and public open-space environments of Melbourne via a new high-rise typology.

As part of this strategy, the design boasts a dramatic silhouette and formal composition unlike the typical extruded podium-tower typology prevalent throughout Melbourne's Southbank.

The public space is shared between an outdoor cinema and a huge public space which is called the "Red Carpet Area", which functions programatically as the reception area for the building.

The Red Carpet Area has been designed in the round with an access ramp which leading visitors along a double cone to reach the reception hall. Each of the two areas are capped with monumental roofs - the largest measuring 60 x 120m and cantilevering 85m.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/cooparchitectus_hero.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Beulah Propeller City proposal as viewed from City Road. Image: Coop Himmel(b)lau + Architectus"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="773" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/cooparchitectus_hero.jpg?itok=Ykwbeftw" title="The Beulah Propeller City proposal as viewed from City Road. Image: Coop Himmel(b)lau + Architectus" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Beulah Propeller City proposal as viewed from City Road. Image: Coop Himmelb(l)au + Architectus</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
Our vision for BEULAH PROPELLER CITY is the creation of a vertical city composed of multiple functions intertwined in a fluid gesture of vertically linked public spaces. The “Gestalt” of the structural, material and functional components of the design will create a memorable and unmistakable icon in the city-scape.

The concept of “public benefits”, which in the traditional sense generates the creation of a multifunctional building, is further developed and expanded: we create real public spaces within a multifunctional structure.

More than a tower. Its time to design a new typology for a highrise. 

- Coop Himmelb(l)au
</blockquote>

The design team approached the building form in the same manner an artist would a sculpture;  Beginning with the maximum possible building envelope, the client’s brief, planning regulations, the existing urban form, climate and views to and from site were all considered and informed the specific 'carvings' and manipulations which collectively resulted in the dynamic urban form.

The Propeller City is characterised by different districts which reflect their respective programmatic functions, with interfaces created  between these areas to promote and facilitate connections and shared spaces, which provides legibility and an identifiable trait.

Atria, terraces, community facilities and amenity spaces such as recreational and public areas for leisure, pleasure and circulation are all accommodated with the building envelope.

These spaces provide points of orientation or landmarks for visitors and residents within the building, encouraging interactions to assist in promoting the concept of community. 

The result of this approach is a unified composition of identifiable building elements comprising low, mid an high-rise volumes created by dividing the program of the building into its four main functional parts; public podium, office, hotel and apartment tower.

Through the design of the external primary structure, the internal construction elements are optimised and reduced to enable maximum flexibility for current uses as well as allowing for potential adaptability in the future.

This structure for future adaptability is a primary expression of the architectural design and one of the identifiable features of the building.

At its summit the tower is crowned with a propeller like structure accommodating the building's communal facilities, providing a unique visual element on Melbourne's skyline and representing a departure from the traditionally flat roof forms found throughout the city.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/coop_architectus_street_level.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Propeller City at street level. Image: Coop Himmel(b)lau + Architectus"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="773" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/coop_architectus_street_level.jpg?itok=Px20jcdH" title="The Propeller City at street level. Image: Coop Himmel(b)lau + Architectus" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Propeller City at street level. Image: Coop Himmelb(l)au + Architectus</figcaption></figure><h2>PROJECT DETAILS:</h2>

<ul>
<li>Value: AUD 2 billion</li>
	<li>GFA/ Area: 248,410 sqm</li>
	<li>Height: 92-storeys / 335m</li>
</ul>
<h2>CONSULTANT TEAM:</h2>

<ul>
<li>Structural Engineering: B+G Ingenieure, Bollinger und Grohmann GmbH​​</li>
	<li>Urban Planning: Ethos Urban</li>
	<li>Engineering/Structural Design/MEP: ARUP</li>
	<li>Energy Design: Brian Cody</li>
	<li>Placemaking: Village Well</li>
	<li>Landscape: TCL</li>
	<li>Retail: Benoy</li>
	<li>Cultural Consultant: Timmah Ball</li>
	<li>Urban Art: UAP</li>
	<li>Wayfinding: Büro North</li>
	<li>Cost Management: Rider Levett Bucknall</li>
	<li>Building Surveyor: du Chateau Chun</li>
</ul>
The winning design for the “Southbank by Beulah” competition will be announced on August 8th, 2018.

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Laurence Dragomir

Southbank by Beulah: Coop Himmelb(l)au & Architectus - The Beulah Propeller City

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As Apartments.com.au's series looking at each entry in the <a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-designs-revealed-at-future-cities-symposium">"Southbank by Beulah"</a> design competition draws to a close, the announcement of the winning design is expected to be imminent.

With that in mind let's take a look at OMA and Conrad Gargett's entry - The Base. As the name suggests the design has avoided the temptation of other designs in providing the tower with a crowning feature, instead opting to focus attention at its base.

According to the architects, The Base has been designed to function as a 24/7 mixed-use vertical city accommodating cultural, commercial, educational and social programmes supported by retail, and food and beverage tenancies. 

The Base follows the the site footprint and then tapers inwards to a slab 100m above the city. Within this volume, different programs are distributed strategically to create dynamic vertical movement, and are rendered distinguishable from both inside and outside through façade elements.

Open arches at street level, provide a contemporary re-interpretation of Melbourne's arcades, inviting the public into a sheltered extension of both the street life surrounding the building, and of Melbourne itself.

<blockquote>
The Base of the building is a 24/7 mixed-use vertical city in which many cultural, commercial, educational and social program elements have their unique spot bound together by the more generic program of retail and food &amp; beverage. In this vertical city, there are highways of movement through the large express escalators, shortcuts by elevators, and laneways to wander on through the normal escalators, stairs, and voids. The planning of the Base builds on the principle of large scale public invitation and open arcades after which a vertical wonderland of discovery awaits. It is a vertical sheltered extension of both the streetscape surrounding the building, and Melbourne itself.

The Base is the foundation of the project, giving it its 24/7 livelihood. It represents the urban experiment Melbourne is looking for – an urban living lab. We have deployed a strategy to stretch the boundaries of current policies in the Base for the benefit of the public good. The Base starts as the site and tapers back to a slab 100m above the city. In this tapered volume, the different program elements, clearly readable behind the facade, are distributed strategically to create large vertical movement.

- OMA
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/oma_conrad_gargett_01.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Base would rise to a height of 345m. Image: OMA + Conrad Gargett"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="870" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/oma_conrad_gargett_01.jpg?itok=GygnQi7h" title="The Base would rise to a height of 345m. Image: OMA + Conrad Gargett" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Base would rise to a height of 345m. Image: OMA + Conrad Gargett</figcaption></figure>The Base also includes the BMW Experience Centre which has been positioned on the corner of Southbank and City Road to mark the corner and due to its high visibility.

Although elevated above the ground to fit within the Base concept of providing a permeable and public street level, the BMW Experience Centre boasts an iconic feature – a cylindrical glass car lift – piercing through the ground and connecting the 1400 sqm basement storage and the mezzanine experience.

As one of the “special volumes” in the design team's concept, the experience centre is clad in a special façade – a dichroic glazing in the iconic BMW blue shade. The BMW logo appears in the moving lift platform that shuttles between basement and mezzanine levels. 

Moving upwards, the tower has been divided into three sections - office, hotel and residential. The office block comprises a variety of flexible floorplates that range between 1800-2200sqm  and sits right above the Base so that a significant number of lift banks are no longer required for the vertical transport in the hotel and apartments. The floor plates provide views of Southbank and City Road and include green areas on each floor on the corners facing the east and west ends which also act as visual buffers to future development at Hanover House.

The hotel block sits just above the office block and is the first upper tower programmatic segment twisting around the core. It consists of 17 floors including two amenity levels at the top and bottom of the block.

Two amenity levels at the top and bottom of the hotel block offer a variety of wellness, food and beverage, and recreational facilities, and the lower one also houses the check-in. Hotel guests can arrive at the drop off at ground level, be quickly escorted to the hotel lift bank in the central core in order to get to the calm and spacious atmosphere of the lower amenities/sky lobby for checking in. 

The residential portion of the tower has been strategically located at the top to maximise outlook and natural daylight. The gentle twist at the top of the residential component not only provides the tower with an iconic and elegant silhouette but also enhances the quality of the residences with views towards Port Philip Bay and the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The residential segment of the tower boasts particularly efficient floorplates due to the compact core layout – the efficiency of this part of the tower is 81%. Smaller units are fitted with winter gardens as extra amenity and daylight.

In response to the ambitious brief, the residential component is complemented by amenities ranging from fine dining, private party rooms, VIP movie theater, fitness, recreation, a wellness center, creche, gardens, and a pool at the base of the residential block.

An iconic feature for the entire tower, the side cuts in the residential block reveal double curved facades through the two glazed triangular skylights above the swimming pool and the gardens in the bottom amenity level. 

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/oma_conrad_gargett_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Base at street level. Image: OMA + Conrad Gargett"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="385" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/oma_conrad_gargett_0.jpg?itok=8Inyuffz" title="The Base at street level. Image: OMA + Conrad Gargett" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Base at street level with its sweeping arches. Image: OMA + Conrad Gargett</figcaption></figure><h2>PROJECT DETAILS:</h2>

<ul>
<li>Value: AUD 2 billion</li>
	<li>GFA/ Area: 255,000 sqm</li>
	<li>Height: 345m</li>
</ul>
<h2>CONSULTANT TEAM:</h2>

<ul>
<li>Engineering Consultant:  ARUP</li>
	<li>Traffic Engineer: AECOM</li>
	<li>Quantity Surveyor:  Rider levett Bucknail</li>
	<li>Visualisations:  MR.P</li>
</ul>
The winning design for the “Southbank by Beulah” competition will be announced on August 8th, 2018.
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Southbank by Beulah: OMA & Conrad Gargett - The Base

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As the announcement of the winning design in the <a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-designs-revealed-at-future-cities-symposium">"Southbank by Beulah"</a> design competition draws closer, Apartments.com.au is continuing its series looking at each entry, and today it's BIG and Fender Katsalidis turn with the aptly names 'Lanescraper'.

The design of the Lanescraper has been conceived as an evolution of the skyscraper beyond the notion of simply a vertical village by imbuing it with a local context and something uniquely Melburnian.

According to the design team, the high aspect ratio of the site indicated a dual core strategy would provide the greatest efficiency in terms of layout and reduce travel distances from the core to apartments - particularly at the upper floors.

The other benefit of splitting the cores is the opportunity for a finer-grained vertical subdivision of the programme, creating new possibilities for programmatic relationships within a single tower.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/lanescraper_hero.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Lanescraper takes the idea of a vertical village one step further. Image: BIG + FK"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="580" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/lanescraper_hero.jpg?itok=jTwmddp0" title="The Lanescraper takes the idea of a vertical village one step further. Image: BIG + FK" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Lanescraper takes the idea of a vertical village one step further. Image: BIG + FK</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
Our proposal is borne from a series of pragmatic responses to programmatic needs and constraints of context – and the opportunity to give form to a potential game changing building and experience in Southbank. We propose architecture as social infrastructure, a framework for the life and experiences that happen within and without.

- Bjarke Ingels, BIG
</blockquote>

The stacked blocks between the cores extend upwards and interlock to provide connectivity and structural rigidity, while allowing for shared spaces and relationships between various programmes. The result is a built form which appears as a zipper of diverse programmatic functions that setback from Southbank Boulevard and Power Street.

The tower tapers inwards and negotiates the space between the surrounding buildings, minimising adjacencies at the top and overshadowing of the public realm below.

As the name suggests, a series of laneways are distributed up the building between the two cores, each with a unique identity and experience based on its specific role and function, providing a continuous three-dimensional promenade of interconnected and multi-tiered public and social spaces for exploration and discovery.

The Lanescraper has been designed based on BIG &amp; FK's desire an architectural outcome that provides social infrastructure to the city both within the building and without.  

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/06_big_fender_katsalidis_sbank_streetview_image_by_big-bjarke_in.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Lanescraper along the City Road streetscape. Image: BIG + FK"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="399" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/06_big_fender_katsalidis_sbank_streetview_image_by_big-bjarke_in.jpg?itok=7Haz6ew_" title="The Lanescraper along the City Road streetscape. Image: BIG + FK" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Lanescraper along the City Road streetscape. Image: BIG + FK</figcaption></figure><h2>PROJECT DETAILS:</h2>

<ul>
<li>Value: AUD 2 billion</li>
	<li>GFA/ Area: 238,000 sqm</li>
	<li>Height: 356m</li>
</ul>
<h2>CONSULTANT TEAM:</h2>

<ul>
<li>Jan Gehl</li>
	<li>ARUP</li>
	<li>GTA Consultants</li>
	<li>Bloomimages</li>
	<li>Brick Visual</li>
</ul>
The winning design for the “Southbank by Beulah” competition will be announced on August 8th, 2018.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/282865992" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe>

<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://vimeo.com/282865992">BIG &amp; Fender Katsalidis, 'The Lanescraper', Southbank, Melbourne</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user1395824">BIG</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.
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Southbank by Beulah: BIG & FK - The Lanescraper

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With the dust settling on Pembroke's extensive upgrade of the T&amp;G Building at 161 Collins Street, Apartments.com.au thought it would be an opportune time to gain some insight from some of the brains behind the project.

Pembroke engaged architects Bates Smart to bring the property into the 21st Century, in response to the changing demands of the modern workforce, while maintaining the charm of one of Melbourne’s best-loved heritage buildings. Originally constructed in 1928, the 43,000 sqm building located on the corner of Collins and Russell Streets has been carefully restored and sensitively adapted to provide a more flexible, collaborative office experience.

Now fully leased, the T&amp;G Building provides office accommodation for the likes of Google and co-working group SPACES, who join longer term tenants VMIA, Accenture and IOOF across ten levels of A-Grade office space. 

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/google_melbourne.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Google's new office within 161 Collins Street. Image: Google"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/google_melbourne.jpg?itok=2YweAkOS" title="Google's new office within 161 Collins Street. Image: Google" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Google's new office within 161 Collins Street. Image: Google</figcaption></figure>Speaking to Apartments.com.au, <a href="/guides/weekly-podcast-episode-20-bates-smart-studio-director-tim-leslie-discusses-open-house-2018">Bates Smart Studio Director Tim Leslie</a> explained the design process, strategy and challenges associated with tackling such a high-profile, historically significant transformation.

He notes the building has had a long history of works to its fabric; built in 1928 it was extended in the 1930s and then doubled in depth during the '50s before Metier3 Architects doubled the footprint to 4,000 sqm and unified the floor plates in 1990.

According to Leslie, the brief presented to Bates Smart by Pembroke was for the design of a multipurpose office space to respond to the changing nature of workplace design with the atrium forming the 'heart' of the building. The adoption of a 'window wall' system in lieu of a curtain wall system to allow tenants the flexibility to create terraces that sit within the atrium but  are external to the workspaces. 

The other major challenge Bates Smart was tasked with was to untangle pedestrian and vehicular circulation through and around the site, says Leslie. The car park entry which previously dominated the Flinders Lane frontage - a remnant of a time before Melbourne's famed laneway culture took off - has been relocated to Russell Street, adjacent to the current exit ramp, exploiting the higher footfall on Flinders Lane. 

This has allowed for the creation of dual pedestrian entries - to Flinders Lane and Collins Street - each drawing on the character of their respective streets to provide a unique entry experience. The entry at Flinders Lane also provides improved north-south circulation through the site linking the site back to Hosier Lane and Flinders Street down to Fed Square.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/161_collins_may18_entries.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The building features two unique entry experiences to Collins Street and Flinders Lane. Image: Peter Clarke"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="192" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/161_collins_may18_entries.jpg?itok=PA5H7Lwl" title="The building features two unique entry experiences to Collins Street and Flinders Lane. Image: Peter Clarke" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The building features two unique entry experiences to Collins Street and Flinders Lane. Image: Peter Clarke</figcaption></figure>Apartments.com.au also spoke to Pembroke Vice President &amp; Head of Australia, Matthew Knight, about 161 Collins Street's revamp.

Apartments.com.au: The site could have quite easily accommodated a tower but Pembroke instead decided to work within the existing built fabric/envelope? What was the strategy there?

Matthew Knight: Circa 1928, the T&amp;G Building was the most prominent interwar office address in Melbourne – a place where Victorian business and commerce flourished, stamping its mark on the corporate landscape of the day. Once described as ‘Melbourne’s most beautiful building’ it was originally home to Temperance &amp; General, a Victorian-based life insurance company that amalgamated with National Mutual in 1983.

When Pembroke acquired the site in 2015, we wanted to carefully restore and adapt the original façade to provide a more flexible, collaborative office experience, whilst maintaining the charm of one of Melbourne’s best-loved heritage buildings. Together with the adjoining Richard Allen Building it remains one of Melbourne’s most significant business addresses.

U: What was your brief to Bates Smart? Particularly when the building accommodates such a variety of different tenants with specific requirements, but also with a view towards the future and flexibility for tenants?

MK: Our brief to Bates Smart was to transform the ground plane by creating a building with two addresses through the upgrade of the Flinders Lane entrance, create an amenity rich atrium, upgrade the office floors and build brand new end-of-trip facilities for the high-calibre tenants.

As part of this brief, our goal was to deliver a modern state-of-the-art office environment that actively promotes a sense of community, supports high performance and enriches the city of Melbourne.

U: How important was creating two distinct addresses/entry experiences into the building from Collins Street and from Flinders Lane?

MK: The T&amp;G Building has a unique location situated on an entire city block between Collins Street and Flinders Lane. Our vision for the T&amp;G Building was to celebrate this unique aspect by enhancing the dual entrances to the building.

The Collins Street outlook delivers the classic corporate experience characterised by premium office buildings and high end-luxury fashion boutiques. In contrast, the Flinders Lane outlook captures everything that is quintessentially Melbourne – laneways, artisan eateries and the all-important Melburnian coffee. Tenants now have the flexibility to represent their brand by using either the creative or corporate entrance to the building.

U: Can you discuss the role of the atrium within the building as well as the different retail experiences that the building provides not just to tenants but also to visitors/passer-by?

MK: For the T&amp;G Building, Pembroke has created more than just a workspace – the building combines intelligent design that incorporates imaginative shared spaces and carefully managed amenities. A key feature is the atrium, which acts as a communal meeting area for tenants to work in a more casual setting. Positioned as a tenant lounge, the atrium has an on-site management team to support tenant’s needs, creating a premium experience for tenants and their guests.

A refreshed retail mix is planned for the atrium with new food, beverage and luxury retailer options set to open soon. This will be open to the wider Melbourne community and will complement the high-quality location at the ‘Paris-end of Collins Street’.

The T&amp;G Building is also home to some of the most well regarded names in luxury fashion – Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Versace and Max Mara. Situated on the outer ground floor, these flagship stores are open to the public, allowing us to showcase and open up the beauty of the T&amp;G Building to locals and tourists alike.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/peter_clarke_m11859_n25.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The building's central atrium space. Image: Peter Clarke"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/peter_clarke_m11859_n25.jpg?itok=9w1oyiFu" title="The building's central atrium space. Image: Peter Clarke" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The building's central atrium space. Image: Peter Clarke</figcaption></figure>U: What do you believe has led to the building's success in retaining and attracting new tenants?

MK: The T&amp;G Building has retained and attracted some of Australia’s highest-calibre brands by showcasing iconic design, adaptable workplaces and heritage integration, in one of the most prestigious business districts in Melbourne.

Following an extensive refurbishment, new tenants were welcomed to the building including Google, Treasury Wine Estates and Bottega Veneta, who joined long-standing tenants Accenture, IOOF, Gucci and Versace. Office tenants were also attracted to the 4,000 square metre floorplates, among the largest in the CBD, which provide a versatile space for companies to embrace new levels of flexibility, productivity and connectivity.

The building’s location is also a draw card, situated at the ‘Paris-end of Collins Street.’ It is also seamlessly connected to Melbourne’s commuter network including tram, bus, rail and bicycle lanes.

U: Would you say the building's heritage elements were a point of distinction between other commercial projects around town but also a major attractor for tenants (both workplace and retail, food &amp; beverage etc.)?

MK: The revitalisation of the Collins Street precinct has seen more and more commercial developments pop up in the area. By offering A-grade facilities in a world-class heritage building we have been able to provide a point of distinction from these other developments. The heritage façade coupled with a modern office environment is unique to the T&amp;G Building and we believe these features were a major selling point for tenants.
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Behind the facade: 161 Collins Street

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The next entry in the <a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-designs-revealed-at-future-cities-symposium">"Southbank by Beulah"</a> design competition that Apartments.com.au will be putting under the spotlight is MAD Architects and Elenberg Fraser's "Urban Tree" proposal.

Rejecting the typical notion of the Melbourne skyscraper found within the central city, MAD and EF's design instead favours an organic design which introduces a silhouette of natural forms – mountain, tree and cloud – into a dense urban environment.

According to the architects, the Urban Tree provides a distinct and iconic scheme for the Melbourne skyline, and one which celebrates Melbourne's parks and gardens by allowing citizens to connect with nature.

The design was informed by carefully studying the tower’s site and composition, and rather than maxing out the planning envelope, instead proposes a single tower strategy to avoid over-crowding and to maintain and allow sightlines from the surrounding high-rises while also maximizing the views from the residential and hotel programs on the upper floors.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/06_mad_southbank-by-beulah.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The podium is envisaged as a 'mountain village'. Image: MAD Architects and Elenberg Fraser "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="583" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/06_mad_southbank-by-beulah.jpg?itok=JKAZU960" title="The podium is envisaged as a 'mountain village'. Image: MAD Architects and Elenberg Fraser " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The podium is envisaged as a 'mountain village'. Image: MAD Architects and Elenberg Fraser</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
The future of our cities needs to have an emotional connection between humanity and nature.

Urban Tree will feature small, green foothills that lead pedestrians up to the ‘mountain village’, with amenities along Southbank Boulevard including a children’s playground, public artwork and a water feature.

- Ma Yansong, Founder &amp; Principal Partner, MAD Architects
</blockquote>

The podium is envisaged as a ‘mountain village’, with the typical massing of a retail/mall space reduced and a more intimate human-scale introduced. 

The urban spaces are stacked vertically and landscaped with lush green walls and trees to give visitors and residents alike, the feeling that they are in nature, rather than in the middle of a dense urban environment.

The tower rises up out of the mountain village like a tree, to a maximum height of 360m - hence the Urban Tree moniker.

Clad in transparent glass, it employs an innovative Glulam timber façade structure that mimics tree roots twisting upwards, reinforcing the tower’s organic shape. Sky gardens are interspersed throughout that vertically extend the urban green up the height of the tower.

The pinnacle of the tower is ‘the cloud’ - a cantilevered structure that accommodates the public amenities for the hotel including lobby, restaurant, bar, and observation deck, and offering expansive and all-encompassing views of Melbourne.

Composed of an ETFE membrane façade, it is lightweight and features varying degrees of transparency. Towards the edges, ‘the cloud’ becomes translucent, emulating a real cloud so that it gives the sensation of air and lightness, becoming a blur as it blends into the sky.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/09_mad_southbank-by-beulah.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Urban Tree will be topped at its pinnacle with 'the cloud' housing public amenities. Image: MAD Architects and Elenberg Fraser"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="367" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/09_mad_southbank-by-beulah.jpg?itok=sEl4y_nn" title="The Urban Tree will be topped at its pinnacle with 'the cloud' housing public amenities. Image: MAD Architects and Elenberg Fraser" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Urban Tree will be topped at its pinnacle with 'the cloud' housing public amenities. Image: MAD Architects and Elenberg Fraser</figcaption></figure>At street level, the tower maintains a cohesive design language drawing on and responding to the Southbank Boulevard transformation project.

The design team have proposed an inviting plaza landscape that integrates urban activation spaces, and revitalizes the street level in a way that encourages people to gather and linger. Conceived as a series of small, green foothills that lead pedestrians up to the ‘mountain village’, the scheme seeks to link the ground plane to the building.

MAD and EF introduce nature into the urban context, by remodelling the typical high-rises typically found in cities.

Materializing as a ‘mountain in the city’, the design establishes open connections between the interior and exterior spaces in the form of large terraces, gardens, and public art zones.

The winning design for the “Southbank by Beulah” competition will be announced on August 8th, 2018.
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Southbank by Beulah: MAD Architects & Elenberg Fraser - The Urban Tree

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<a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-designs-revealed-at-future-cities-symposium">Following last Friday's big reveal</a> of the six competing designs for Southbank by Beulah at the 'Future Cities' Symposium, Apartments.com.au will this week focus on each individual entry.

First up is MVRDV and Woods Bagot who believe the competition represents a shakeup for development in cities which are under increasing pressure to deliver good higher density living.

For those unfamiliar with MVRDV, the practice was founded in 1993 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries in the Netherlands. 

For their entry in the Southbank by Beulah competition, the MVRDV and Woods Bagot team have proposed "The Stack"  which has been designed as "a new kind of skyscraper” for Southbank. 

Disregarding the traditional tower and podium typology prevalent throughout Southbank, the Stack instead proposes a confident prism with public interface on all sides, according to the design team.

The strength of the MVRDV and Woods Bagot partnership has been described by the team as the main factor in the innovation and design quality of the Stack.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/mvrdv_wb_sbb_media_image_02.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Stack's programme is expressed externally. Image: Woods Bagot + MVRDV"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="820" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/mvrdv_wb_sbb_media_image_02.jpg?itok=eLjUHx4x" title="The Stack's programme is expressed externally. Image: Woods Bagot + MVRDV" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Stack's programme is expressed externally. Image: Woods Bagot + MVRDV</figcaption></figure>MVRDV and Woods Bagot assert that the “next” skyscraper should be beautiful, if not wonderful, with the Stack described by the team as “mind-blowing and elegant”.

From the edge of the Yarra River, Southbank Boulevard will be transformed into an urban promenade. A wide pedestrian area with greenery, cafes and terraces becomes the welcoming heart of the district. The new building, the Stack, is located right at the starting point of this urban promenade. Footpaths are wide so that people can walk, wait and sit on the terraces to become "....a nice street.”

From the street all the way to the seventy-sixth floor, the site will be developed as a lifestyle precinct, with apartments, offices, a hotel, entertainment centre, technological display centres, retail, cultural precinct and public green spaces.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/mvrdv_wb_sbb_media_image_04.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Sky high amenities with the Stack. Image: MVRDV + Woods Bagot"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="410" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/mvrdv_wb_sbb_media_image_04.jpg?itok=feWzHqjE" title="Sky high amenities with the Stack. Image: MVRDV + Woods Bagot" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Sky high amenities with the Stack. Image: MVRDV + Woods Bagot</figcaption></figure><h2>What they say:</h2>

<blockquote>
Stacked neighbourhoods are connected from the bottom to the top and vice versa by lifts, stairs and escalators – these interconnections create a true vertical city. It’s diverse, mixed, green, sustainable, human, open. The Stack is a manifesto that shows that urban density is great and can contribute to our planet's survival.

The single mono typology towers that have plagued Southbank don’t offer the richness that Melbourne is known for. We’ve endeavoured to unlock that, infusing the public offering as an extension of our city to dramatically enhance and future proof high rise living.

-  Winy Maas, Co-Founder MVRDV
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
What makes our proposal different is how we’ve created a Melbourne-centric vertical urbanity. All of Melbourne’s great qualities and amenities are integrated through a sequence of interconnected public spaces, from the ground level all the way to its 359-metre peak.

- Will Hosikian, Woods Bagot Principal 
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
In another magnificent example of international collaboration, our studios have worked together with a spirit of generosity and mutual respect.

-  Ivan Turcinov, Woods Bagot Design Leader
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/mvrdv_wb_sbb_media_image_03.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Interior image of the public realm along City Road. Image: Woods Bagot + MVRDV"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="410" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/mvrdv_wb_sbb_media_image_03.jpg?itok=pekffAxq" title="Interior image of the public realm along City Road. Image: Woods Bagot + MVRDV" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Interior image of the public realm along City Road. Image: Woods Bagot + MVRDV</figcaption></figure><h2>Project details:</h2>

<ul>
<li>Value: AUD 2 billion</li>
	<li>GFA/ Area: 265,000 sqm</li>
	<li>Height: 77-storeys / 359m</li>
</ul>
<h2>Consultant team:</h2>

<ul>
<li>Arup: Structures, Sustainability, Vertical Transportation, Traffic, Services, Fire Engineering, Wind, Geotechnical</li>
	<li>Ratio: Planning</li>
	<li>Slattery: Quantity Surveyor</li>
	<li>McGregor Coxall: Landscape Architect</li>
</ul>
The winning design for the “Southbank by Beulah” competition will be announced on August 8th, 2018.
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Southbank by Beulah: MVRDV & Woods Bagot - The Stack

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The second instalment in Apartments.com.au's Southbank by Beulah series highlights UN Studio and COX Architecture's entry dubbed "The Green Spine" which celebrates and contributes to Melbourne's parklands and gardens.

The collaborative design proposal aims to establish the site as a new destination within Southbank, which forms part of the linear part network being delivered via the Southbank Boulevard project, connecting the Botanical Gardens with the Yarra River.

The project is both characterised and organised around the ‘Green Spine’ of vertically networked of cascading platforms, terraces and verandas, which begin at street level and wind their way up the tower's extremities.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/uns_green-spine_view-cityroad.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="To maximise solar permeability to City Road, the scheme is split into two towers. Image: UN Studio and COX Architecture"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="822" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/uns_green-spine_view-cityroad.jpg?itok=Vrhg2ZlP" title="To maximise solar permeability to City Road, the scheme is split into two towers. Image: UN Studio and COX Architecture" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>To maximise solar permeability to City Road, the scheme is split into two towers. Image: UN Studio and COX Architecture</figcaption></figure>COX Architecture and UN Studio’s distinct design considers nature, culture and well-being within the urban framework and is the product of the two firms’ collaborative, conceptual thinking of future living.

In addition to being fully integrated within the existing Melbourne network of cultural, entertainment, leisure and commercial venues on offer, with its variety of programmes and connectivities, the design further proposes a mixed-use building that is a city in itself.

The Green Spine is conceived as an environmental tool, adding a distinctly contemporary, Australian vernacular and striking presence to Melbourne’s skyline.

The Green Spine is created by splitting a single mass of the planning envelope to create two separate towers of varying height, revealing the "almost geological strata of their core layers as they rise above a light-filled canyon."

The towers that result on either side benefit from city views, access to daylight, strong permeability and vastly improved contextual links. The orientation of the Green Spine enables an extension of the public realm from the podium, sweeping up the towers, oriented towards the CBD and the Botanical Gardens at the top of the towers.

A host of programmes, including recreation, retail, offices, residential, hotel and exhibition spaces are integrated into the vertically stepped public infrastructure – an infrastructure that is formed by indoor-outdoor spatial frames that embed nature, public space and culture.

On a local level, the aim of the design is to provide porousness at street level, whilst simultaneously connecting the upper floors with the streetscape by expanding the public realm.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/unstudiocox_corner.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Green Spine as viewed from City Road &amp; Southbank Boulevard. Image: UN Studio and COX"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="410" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/unstudiocox_corner.jpg?itok=tMrk8Qjz" title="The Green Spine as viewed from City Road &amp; Southbank Boulevard. Image: UN Studio and COX" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Green Spine as viewed from City Road &amp; Southbank Boulevard. Image: UN Studio and COX</figcaption></figure><h2>What they say:</h2>

<blockquote>
What I thought was so great about the location is that on one hand it is closely related to the botanical garden and inner city and will be seen from so many parts of the city, but also that it so nicely connects to all this liveliness of Melbourne.

- Ben van Berkel, Founder UN Studio
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
Everywhere really, you continuously see this green, and it's a lively green - it twists around.

- Caroline Bos, Co-Founder UN Studio
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
Through the exploration of a series of massing forms, we came to the realisation that a singular tower form was going to be a serious impediment on the precinct and the connections from Southbank to the CBD.

So we evolved the design to look at the idea of two towers, with a great separation between those two towers, creating a permeability of light and views through the Southbank precinct.

- Pete Sullivan, Director COX   
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
The other key component to this is the way we integrate the Southbank Boulevard and the importance, I think, within this precinct creating amenity for the area is key.

- Phillip Rowe, Director COX
</blockquote>

<h2>PROJECT DETAILS:</h2>

<ul>
<li>Value: AUD 2 billion</li>
	<li>GFA/ Area: 253,485 sqm</li>
	<li>Height: 360m + 246m</li>
</ul>
<h2>CONSULTANT TEAM:</h2>

<ul>
<li>Future City, London: Cultural Placemaking</li>
	<li>Studio Drift, Amsterdam: Lead Artist</li>
	<li>Atelier 10, Melbourne: Sustainability and Well-being</li>
	<li>Grant Associates: Landscape Architect</li>
	<li>GTA Consultants: Traffic &amp; Accessibility </li>
	<li>ARUP, Melbourne: Engineering</li>
</ul>
The winning design for the “Southbank by Beulah” competition will be announced on August 8th, 2018.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/281931532" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe>

<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://vimeo.com/281931532">Southbank by Beulah, UNStudio, Green Spine</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/unstudio">UNStudio</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.
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Southbank by Beulah: UN Studio & COX Architecture - The Green Spine

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With its Southbank by Beulah ‘Future Cities’ Symposium sold out to a 1,000 strong crowd, <a href="/developers/beulah">Beulah International</a> handed over the stage to the 6 competing architectural teams to reveal their design responses for the <a href="/news">118 City Road</a> site.

Working to a maximum height of 360m above street level and accommodating a GFA of in excess of 250,000 sqm, each of the teams took a unique approach to site reflecting on its position adjacent to the soon to be greened Southbank Boulevard which links the Royal Botanical Gardens to <a href="/new-apartments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank's</a> promenade and the river beyond.

The teams initially pitched their respective designs for the site to Beulah International across two days at the recently installed Beulah Pavilion situated at Queensbridge Square, Southbank.

Designed by Samson Tiew from <a href="/architects/one-design-office">One Design Office</a>, the pavilion will act as an exhibition space for all of the design entries now that they have been publicly revealed.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/southbank_pop_up_pavilion.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Samson Tiew's pop-up pavilion for Beulah International. Image: Beulah"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="228" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/southbank_pop_up_pavilion.jpg?itok=LKHAchxh" title="Samson Tiew's pop-up pavilion for Beulah International. Image: Beulah" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Samson Tiew's pop-up pavilion for Beulah International. Image: Beulah</figcaption></figure>Below is a summary of each of the designs;

<h2><a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-big-fk-the-lanescraper">BIG + FK - 'The Lanescraper'</a></h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/54b6eb4e85df98fa8a5cf9a915846f0e.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Lanescraper by BIG + FKA. Images: BIG "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="580" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/54b6eb4e85df98fa8a5cf9a915846f0e.jpg?itok=PFnb8dRX" title="The Lanescraper by BIG + FKA. Images: BIG " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Lanescraper by BIG + FKA. Images: BIG</figcaption></figure>Celebrating <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic">Melbourne's laneways</a>, 'The Lanescraper' introduces a series of laneways rising up the height of the tower providing spaces for various programmatic uses and assisting in reducing the visual mass while also providing areas of respite.

<h2><a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-coop-himmelblau-architectus-the-beulah-propeller-city">COOP HIMMELB(L)AU + architectus - 'The Propeller City'</a></h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/57cd5cc9f84cc869dfa9edc0747109ac.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="COOP Himmelb(l)au + Architectus' The Propeller City. Images: COOP Himmelb(l)au"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="363" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/57cd5cc9f84cc869dfa9edc0747109ac.jpg?itok=peJzkIqL" title="COOP Himmelb(l)au + Architectus' The Propeller City. Images: COOP Himmelb(l)au" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>COOP Himmelb(l)au + Architectus' The Propeller City. Images: COOP Himmelb(l)au</figcaption></figure>The Propeller City concept is named so because of its propeller-like element which crowns the building and can be programmed as penthouses, or potentially a restaurant or function space.

At ground level on the corner of Southbank Boulevard and City Road's the BMW Experience centre draws on COOP Himmelb(l)au's BMW Welt in Munich as an invitation for the public to enter and explore the building.

<h2><a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-mad-architects-elenberg-fraser-the-urban-tree">MAD Architects + elenberg fraser - 'The Urban Tree'</a></h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/03_mad_southbank-by-beulah-768x500.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Urban Tree by MAD Architects + Elenberg Fraser. Image: MAD Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="378" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/03_mad_southbank-by-beulah-768x500.jpg?itok=CHg1nBaW" title="The Urban Tree by MAD Architects + Elenberg Fraser. Image: MAD Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Urban Tree by MAD Architects + Elenberg Fraser. Image: MAD Architects</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
Defying the typical glass, box-like buildings of Melbourne that appear detached from the city’s historic parks and natural local terrain, MAD’s organic design introduces a silhouette of natural forms – mountain, tree, cloud – into the dense city center, offering a distinct and iconic scheme for the skyline, that reconnects citizens with nature.

The pinnacle of the design is ‘the cloud’ – a cantilevered structure that houses the public amenities for the hotel (lobby, restaurant, bar, and observation deck), and offers 360° views of Melbourne. 

- MAD Architects
</blockquote>

 

<h2><a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-mvrdv-woods-bagot-the-stack">MVRDV + Woods Bagot - 'The Stack'</a></h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/mvrdv_wb_sbb_media_image_01.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Stack by MVRDV + Woods Bagot. Image: Woods Bagot"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/mvrdv_wb_sbb_media_image_01.jpg?itok=5QAuHCCs" title="The Stack by MVRDV + Woods Bagot. Image: Woods Bagot" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Stack by MVRDV + Woods Bagot. Image: Woods Bagot</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
MVRDV and Woods Bagot have proposed a “new kind of skyscraper” for a landmark mixed-use site in Melbourne’s Southbank. The Stack is one of six invited entries in an architectural competition organised by the site’s owners Beulah International, a Melbourne-based developer known for its commitment to excellence in local design.

Eschewing Southbank’s typical model of podium and tower – a typology that has always promised but seldom delivered – the Stack is a confident prism with public interface on all sides.

- Woods Bagot
</blockquote>

<h2><a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-oma-conrad-gargett-the-base">OMA + Conrad Gargett - The Base</a></h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/oma_conrad_gargett.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Base by OMA + Conrad Gargett. Image: Mr.P"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="549" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/oma_conrad_gargett.jpg?itok=60TfboMU" title="The Base by OMA + Conrad Gargett. Image: Mr.P" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Base by OMA + Conrad Gargett. Image: Mr.P</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
At a height of 345m and total GFA of 255,000 m2, the project would be the largest building that OMA designed after CCTV.  

OMA’s design proposes a tower stemming from a base that acts as a 24/7 mixed-use vertical city with cultural, commercial, educational and social program elements bound together with the more generic programs of retail, food and beverage.

In this vertical city, there are highways of movement through large express escalators, shortcuts by elevators, and laneways to wander on through normal escalators, stairs, and voids.

The Base follows the outline of the site and then tapers back to a slab 100m above the city

- OMA
</blockquote>

<h2><a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-un-studio-cox-architecture-the-green-spine">UN Studio + COX - 'The Green Spine'</a></h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/unstudio_cox.png" rel="gallery-all" title="The Green Spine by UN Studio + COX. Image: COX "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="517" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/unstudio_cox.png?itok=jUDyOmQC" title="The Green Spine by UN Studio + COX. Image: COX " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Green Spine by UN Studio + COX. Image: COX</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
Cox Architecture and UN Studio have imagined ‘The Green Spine’ for International design competition ‘Southbank by Beulah’.

The distinct design is the product of the two firms’ collaborative, conceptual thinking of future living. Characterised by twisting cascades of greenery that appear to be cut out from the tower forms, Cox Architecture and UN Studio’s submission considers nature, culture and well-being within the urban framework.

- COX Architecture
</blockquote>

The Southbank by Beulah designs will be exhibited at the Beulah Pavilion until August 1, located in front of the Red Stair Amphitheatre in Southbank.

The winning design for the “Southbank by Beulah” competition will be announced on August 8th, 2018.

Editor's note 06/08/2018: Links have been added to each individual entry as they are published on the site. Click on the heading of each to open the corresponding article.
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Southbank by Beulah designs revealed at Future Cities Symposium

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As Open House Melbourne 2018 draws ever closer, a number of architectural practices will be throwing open the doors to their offices, allowing the public a glimpse at their working environments and providing them with a better understanding of the work architects do.

For the 2018 program the following architects are opening up their offices:

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.openhousemelbourne.org/melbourne/buildings/archier-studio-hardwick-building">Archier Studio</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.openhousemelbourne.org/melbourne/buildings/architects-warehouse">Idle Architecture Studio</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.openhousemelbourne.org/melbourne/buildings/building-no2">Wolveridge Architects</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.openhousemelbourne.org/melbourne/buildings/cox-architecture-studio">COX Architecture</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.openhousemelbourne.org/melbourne/buildings/fieldwork-studio">Fieldwork</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.openhousemelbourne.org/melbourne/buildings/phooey-architects-carpet-couch-and-office">PHOOEY Architects</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.openhousemelbourne.org/melbourne/buildings/orica-house">Bates Smart</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.openhousemelbourne.org/melbourne/buildings/techne-architecture-interior-design-office">Technē</a></li>
	<li>K2LD</li>
</ul>
But the focus for today's piece will be K2LD’s newly refurbished office space over three levels at <a href="https://maps.google.com/?q=49+Exhibition+Street,+Melbourne&amp;entry=gmail&amp;source=g">49 Exhibition Street, Melbourne</a>.

K2LD is an Architectural and Interior Design studio that has a wide range of expertise across a diverse portfolio of project types such as individual houses and community precincts, through to multi-unit developments, educational projects and large-scale commercial projects. K2LD believes that no built outcome is identical and their key focus is on the design journey and the establishment of ongoing client relationships.

In late 2017, K2LD moved from its humble office into a new larger studio space. The new studio not only caters for the practice’s growing team but is a showcase and exemplar of the work of K2LD Architects and Interiors.

The new studio also sees some of K2LD’s closest business partners and companies come together and share the space, bringing together a melting pot of creativity, skills, and ideas.

The design of the office focused on the theme of integration, collaboration, functionality and intimate creativity, coupled with an aesthetic vision around the use of strong dark lines against a neutral palette and splashes of greenery.

This has resulted in a large hub with central kitchen-and-dining space, where staff gather at lunch or after work for various events and celebrations.

Additionally, concepts of fluidity, seamlessness and personalisation are optimised in this new space inspired by the works of Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier.

Alongside the hub are a variety of different sized meeting rooms, designed to promote engaging design critiques and client meetings of varying sizes.

The expansive boardroom dismisses notions of sterility in such formal environments and is softened via its materiality in the form of boomerang lights, plush carpeting, sheer linen drapes and timber ceilings.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/k2ld2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="K2LD's newly refurbihsed space"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="410" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/k2ld2.jpg?itok=X0GmBQtI" title="K2LD's newly refurbihsed space" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>K2LD's newly refurbished space. Image: Supplied</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
As designers, we have the ability to greatly influence how a person experiences and moves through space, and as such we deliberately set the tone of the boardroom to debunk the traditional corporate ambience that would be expected,says

- Tisha Lee, K2LD Director
</blockquote>

The neutral background and supportive materiality, continues through the entirety of the office, allowing for different stories to be created while bespoke furnishing and objects complement the space. 

The transparent and inclusive environment of the office allows for activity-based working through formal and informal break-out areas, large open-plan zones and a central kitchen and dining hub which acts as the Studio’s focal point, much like a kitchen in the heart of the home.

A unique gallery space on level one also allows for gatherings and talks, and offers an opportunity for artists to exhibit their work, promoting multiple layers of creativity within the organisation.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/k2ld1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="K2LD's office will open its doors Saturday as part of OHM 2018. Image: Supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="835" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/k2ld1.jpg?itok=DCJPYAIu" title="K2LD's office will open its doors Saturday as part of OHM 2018. Image: Supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>K2LD's office will open its doors Saturday as part of OHM 2018. Image: Supplied</figcaption></figure><h2>Open House Melbourne 2018 Program:</h2>

Photography Restricted: Yes

Open: Sat 10am - 4pm

What's Open: Level 2 hub, office space and board room. Level 1 meeting rooms and gallery space

Tour Details: Tours at 10am, 10:30am, 11am, 11:30am, 12pm, 12:30pm, 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm, 2:30pm, 3pm, 3:30pm, running for 20minutes, in groups of 10

Special Programming: Hands on activity for kids including colouring and take home materials.

Building Type: Workplace

Access: Pram accessible, Fully accessible

Tour Type: Guided, queue
</body></html>

Open House Melbourne 2018: K2LD's 49 Exhibition Street offices

<html><body>
The Victorian State Government has today released the<a href="https://vpa-web.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ARDEN-VISION_2018_WEB.pdf"> final Vision for the Arden urban renewal precinct</a>, which represents the first step in establishing the Arden precinct.

The Arden precinct currently occupies 50 hectares of former industrial land bound by Macaulay Road, Dryburgh Street and the Moonee Ponds Creek, which is set to become a mixed-use precinct providing housing and employment opportunities.

Minister for Planning Richard Wynne, Minister for Major Projects Jacinta Allan and Lord Mayor Sally Capp were on hand at the site of North Melbourne Station to release the Vision.

Arden is envisaged as a new jobs hub supported by affordable housing and directly serviced by the new North Melbourne Station (formerly Arden Station) which is currently underway as part of the $11 billion Metro Tunnel project.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/fogarty_street_arden.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Artists impression of the Fogarty Street boulevard. Image: Arden Vision"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="409" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/fogarty_street_arden.jpg?itok=2mq3y1rp" title="Artists impression of the Fogarty Street boulevard. Image: Arden Vision" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Artists impression of the Fogarty Street boulevard. Image: Arden Vision</figcaption></figure>The new North Melbourne Station will connect Arden which is situated on the doorstep of the city to Parkville, the CBD and Melbourne’s booming western suburbs.

The Vision outlines a plan to transform Arden into a major employment and residential destination accommodating up to 34,000 jobs and housing options for up to 15,000 people.

<blockquote>
Arden will be a new destination for Melbourne, setting the standard for urban renewal. It will contribute to a future Melbourne that is not only the world's most liveable city, but also one of the most forward-looking.  

...

The precinct will have its own civic heart and character. It will remain connected to its Aboriginal and industrial heritage as it changes to support a diverse resident and worker population. It will become a new neighbourhood of Melbourne with quality and affordable housing, a thriving network of open spaces, active transport links, and adaptable community facilities, schools and work spaces.

Arden will be at the forefront of sustainable development, embracing new ways to live, learn, work and travel in an energy efficient district.  Water will be safely managed to become a visible feature in the landscape, while green spaces, trees and water will help the precinct become a cooler, greener version of the city.

The Moonee Ponds Creek corridor will be revitalised as a new green spine for Melbourne. It will be a celebrated waterway with a valued environmental and cultural heritage, serving recreational, biodiversity habitat and active transport functions. The creek corridor will be an essential link for Arden and neighbouring urban renewal precincts.

- The Vision for Arden excerpt
</blockquote>

The Vision is the result of the extensive community consultation undertaken since 2016, and provides a set of actions to guide the redevelopment of Arden.

Actions include providing an accessible precinct for young and old, facilitating the change from an industrial precinct to an innovation precinct and delivering a strong investment in community infrastructure.

A future Arden will be environmentally sustainable with well-connected open spaces, and cycling and walking paths, for the local community to enjoy.

The State Government and City of Melbourne will now work together to prepare detailed planning for the precinct. Local community members and businesses will have the opportunity to have their say as planning for this vital project for Melbourne continues.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/arden-precinct-civic-heart-680x450.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Artist's Impression of Arden Precinct's Civic Heart. Image: Victorian Planning Authority"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="384" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/arden-precinct-civic-heart-680x450.jpg?itok=x0RhmngV" title="Artist's Impression of Arden Precinct's Civic Heart. Image: Victorian Planning Authority" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Artist's Impression of Arden Precinct's Civic Heart. Image: Victorian Planning Authority</figcaption></figure><h2>Arden Vision at a Glance:</h2>

Arden will:

<ul>
<li>Create a new destination for Melbourne that is a great place to live, learn, work and visit</li>
	<li>Accommodate more than 34,000 jobs and 15,000 residents by 2051</li>
	<li>Deliver a major transport hub around the new North Melbourne Station</li>
	<li>Enhance the Moonee Ponds Creek corridor to become a valued asset for existing and new communities and the natural environment</li>
	<li>Create two new urban boulevards which will create a civic heart for Arden</li>
	<li>Build on Parkville’s growing role as a technology, life sciences, health and education precinct</li>
	<li>Provide at least 6 per cent of all new housing in the precinct as affordable for low to moderate income households</li>
	<li>Reinforce natural and built heritage to create a new character for the precinct</li>
	<li>Be developed under urban design guidelines that build on Arden’s evolving character</li>
	<li>Be protected by innovative solutions to manage flooding, make better use of water and expand spaces for recreation and biodiversity</li>
	<li>Deliver innovative community hubs and two to four new schools.</li>
</ul>
<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/northmelbourne_laurenstreet_1024x576.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="North Melbourne Station will be a catalyst project for the Arden Precinct. Image: Metro Tunnel"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="326" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/northmelbourne_laurenstreet_1024x576.jpg?itok=_Gm4xp0p" title="North Melbourne Station will be a catalyst project for the Arden Precinct. Image: Metro Tunnel" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>North Melbourne Station will be a catalyst project for the Arden Precinct. Image: Metro Tunnel</figcaption></figure><h2>What they say...</h2>

<blockquote>
We’re getting on with growing Arden to be a great place to live and an exciting place to work and visit. Matthew Guy botched inner city planning. We’re getting it right to create jobs, and deliver the public transport, homes and services Victorians need.

-  Richard Wynne, Minister for Planning
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
The Metro Tunnel will be in the heart of the Arden precinct – making it a great place to live and work, and connecting it to the rest of our city and state.

- Jacinta Allan, Minister for Major Projects 
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
We’re looking forward to partnering with the Victorian Government, together with our community, to put in place the right planning, infrastructure and community needs to deliver the Arden Vision.

- City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Cr Sally Capp
</blockquote>
</body></html>

Final Vision for the Arden Precinct released

Lewis Land's latest apartment release within its <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/harbour-shores-biggera-waters-564-oxley-drive-biggera-waters-qld-4216">Harbour Shores</a> masterplan is targeting one of the Gold Coast's fastest-growing buyer groups, with almost a third of apartments at Solis priced below $1 million.

The seven-storey building at Biggera Waters will comprise 91 apartments, including 24 one-bedroom residences starting from $778,000, a price point Lewis Land says is aimed squarely at first home buyers struggling to enter the Gold Coast market.

<img alt="Harbour Shires" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e7486e37-22f6-4c92-b212-9b0622070b8f" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-08%20at%209.09.34%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=W8MJwJUCf6HkIyl_EVSksnd.QI6MZryY" />

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/lewis-land-group">Lewis Land</a> Head of Development Michael Long said the developer deliberately allocated a significant proportion of the project to more affordable apartment types.

"First home buyers have been priced out of many parts of the Gold Coast, and we saw a clear opportunity to address this and play our part in a longer-term housing solution," Long said.

"That's why 24 of the 91 apartments being delivered at Solis have been designed and priced for the city's next generation of homeowners, quality one-bedroom apartments, half of which include an additional multipurpose room to maximise space and flexibility.

"This approach places 30 per cent of apartments in Solis under $1 million, and with close proximity to Harbour Town's future light rail extension connecting residents to the city's major employment and knowledge hubs, it's a win for buyers looking to secure their first property."

<img alt="Sores" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="550526d3-73ba-4710-9739-c5f4294a30ef" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-08%20at%209.09.29%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=cQQdXHt9wS0UXwZEm5Py5bH_3kAmzyhu" />

Designed by BDA Architecture, Solis will deliver a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with residences ranging up to 232 sqm. Apartments feature generous balconies and contemporary finishes, while residents will have access to Harbour Shores' lagoon pool, clubhouse, tennis court, gym, yoga studio and sauna.

The focus on first home buyers resonated with purchaser Holly Humphreys, who said she and her boyfriend spent more than a year searching for their first property before shifting their attention from houses to apartments.

"We fell in love with the first house we bid on and got our hopes up, but after repeated knockbacks we learned not to get too attached," Humphreys said.

"We offered at the high end of price guides, but sales kept going even higher. That's where we really struggled and we needed to re-evaluate our budget and our expectations. Standalone houses were off the table, and we pivoted to apartments and townhouses."

Humphreys said it was encouraging to see developers recognising the growing demand from first home buyers.

"There's a growing number of young buyers looking to enter the market earlier because they understand that getting in now can make a real difference as prices continue to rise," she said.

"It's fantastic to see a developer recognise this and then actively take measures to deliver an apartment with us in mind."

Solis is the first development planned within the second stage of the Harbour Shores masterplan, with early works expected to commence in September 2026.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=113271]

Joel Robinson

Lewis Land targets first home buyers at latest Harbour Shores release, Solis

Luxury apartment developer Abadeen has recorded $19.25 million in apartment sales across two of its Lower North Shore developments in the lead-up to the end of the financial year, headlined by the sale of a $6.75 million penthouse at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/koyo-crows-nest-5-rodborough-avenue-crows-nest-nsw-2065">KOYO in Crows Nest.</a>

The transactions also included the sale of a newly completed three-bedroom apartment at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/park-residences-cremorne-2-sutherland-street-cremorne-nsw-2090">Park Residences in Cremorne</a> for $6.35 million, with the residence selling shortly after the project's first public inspections following completion.

The sales come as completed, owner-occupier-focused apartments continue to attract strong demand across Sydney's Lower North Shore, particularly from buyers looking for certainty and immediate occupancy.

The penthouse at KOYO spans 491 sqm across a single level and was designed by architect Koichi Takada. The development is one of Abadeen's flagship boutique projects in Crows Nest.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108800 project_image_fid=370093]

Abadeen Executive Chairman and Founder Justin Brown said buyer activity lifted noticeably in the lead-up to the end of the financial year.

"We saw a clear increase in enquiry levels, inspection numbers and buyer engagement across our completed projects leading into the end of the financial year," Brown said.

"Buyers have become far more decisive over the past six months. The combination of improving confidence, limited supply and the ability to physically inspect completed residences is creating strong competition for premium apartments in the best locations."

Brown says the&nbsp;response to Park Residences following completion has been particularly strong.

"Buyers want certainty and are responding positively to the opportunity to walk through a finished product, inspect the quality firsthand and move in immediately," Brown suggested.

"Projects such as Park Residences and KOYO demonstrate that when the product is exceptional and the location is irreplaceable, buyers are prepared to act quickly."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=114246 project_image_fid=370116]

Abadeen CEO Joe Tack said quality continued to differentiate projects in the current market.

"Today's buyers are incredibly discerning," Tack said.

"They are seeking larger floorplans, premium finishes, walkability, lifestyle amenity and confidence in the developer delivering the project. Well-designed boutique developments continue to outperform because they offer something genuinely difficult to replace.

"The enquiry we are seeing across our completed and recently completed Lower North Shore portfolio is very encouraging, and we expect this momentum to continue into spring."

The sales follow increased enquiry across Abadeen's Lower North Shore portfolio which also includes <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/northcote-collective-naremburn-2-northcote-street-naremburn-nsw-2065">Northcote Collective in Naremburn</a> which also completed recently.

KOYO penthouse headlines Abadeen's $19.25 million EOFY sales flurry

The City of Sydney has approved plans for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/billbergia">Billbergia Group</a> and Metrics Credit Partners’ $3.5 billion Castlereagh Place project in the heart of the Sydney CBD

The towers will be among the tallest in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/sydney-nsw-2000">Sydney</a>'s CBD, with more floors than any other residential tower in the city.&nbsp;

The 6,000 sqm site was acquired by the joint venture partners in 2024. It is the largest amalgamated land parcel in the Sydney CBD and comprises eight individual sites fronting Castlereagh, Pitt and Liverpool Streets.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/castlereagh-place-sydney-324-348-pitt-street-sydney-nsw-2000">Castlereagh Place</a> will transform an underutilised city block into a landmark mixed-use destination, anchored by two 82-storey towers comprising 607 luxury residences above an 8-level podium housing a 209-room luxury hotel. A 1,000 square metre civic park on ground level features a curated mix of food, beverage and retail.

The plans have been refined over the past year to rebalance the residential and hotel offering, and reconfigure the retail footprint to create a stronger, more dynamic dining experience.

A three-level flagship building on the prominent corner of Pitt and Liverpool Streets will be the gateway to the Castlereagh Place lifestyle precinct. Set to become a Sydney icon, the building is capable of housing multiple hospitality venues.

“Castlereagh Place is designed to be the City's next great urban oasis - an energetic mixed-use precinct that pulses with life, day and night,"&nbsp;said Joseph Kinsella, Group Director of Billbergia.

"It will bring the vibrancy of places like Barangaroo and Darling Quarter into a more accessible, central destination at the very heart of Sydney."

Kinsella said the project will build on&nbsp;Sydney’s growing laneway culture with the City’s largest network of new activated lanes - an expanded, next-generation take on precincts like Angel Place, Palings Lane and Ash Street in Wynyard.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134477 project_image_fid=374401]

Castlereagh Place has been designed by architects <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/fjc-studio">fjcstudio</a> in collaboration with Trias Studio, Aileen Sage and Polly Harbison Design, joint winners of an international design competition in 2018.&nbsp;

Signature design elements from the original scheme remain unchanged, while the public domain has been significantly enhanced, delivering 60 per cent more open-to-sky space.

Pedestrian access will also be enhanced through new laneways linking Pitt, Liverpool and Castlereagh Streets, drawing people into a new civic park with outdoor seating, landscaping and integrated public art.

With activated laneways supported by strong hospitality offerings, Castlereagh Place is tipped to become a vibrant new dining destination in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.

It marks the largest undertaking to date for the Billbergia and Metrics Credit Partners partnership. Together they are developing other underutilised Sydney sites into mixed-use precincts, including the $2.2 billion Concord Central and the $1.3 billion Chatswood Grand Residences.

Metrics Managing Partner and Group CEO Andrew Lockhart said Castlereagh Place is a landmark project that will redefine Sydney’s skyline.

"As the tallest residential high-rise development, the revitalised site will offer panoramic views across the CBD and surrounds. We are excited to partner with Billbergia to reinvigorate an underutilised site and create a sophisticated and contemporary mixed-use offering situated in the heart of Sydney.”

Total apartments within the towers have increased to 607 dwellings, with a focus on larger floorplans. Aligned to growing market demand, Castlereagh Place now comprises 299 three-plus-bedroom apartments, 198 two-bedroom units and 110 one-bedroom configurations.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134477 project_image_fid=374402]

Resident amenities will include an exclusive residents club containing a gym, rooftop pool, dining rooms, co-working spaces, library, golf simulator, games room, cinema room, and access to an exclusive concierge service. There will be around 500 basement car spaces below the towers.

The development will also include a state-of-the-art wellness centre, set to feature a bathhouse with magnesium pools, hot/cold plunge pools and premium amenities.

&nbsp;

According to fjcstudio, the towers will feature distinctive yet elegant architectural design reflecting Sydney’s geometry and urban character, with a network of through-site links and intimate public spaces activating the streetscape.

"Castlereagh Place is a city-making project of significant scale and ambition," said Richard Francis-Jones, Design Director at fjcstudio.

"It will create a rich urban complex of public open spaces, landscaped gardens, and vibrant laneways. Defining these new public spaces and the important streetscape of Castlereagh Street is a sequence of fine-grained, diverse retail and hotel architecture designed in collaboration with Aileen Sage, Polly Harbison Design and Trias.

“Rising above the tree-lined, human-scale streetscape are two slender residential towers that will transform the city skyline and look towards the Harbour, Hyde Park, and the Royal Botanic Garden.”

Demolition and early construction works have commenced onsite at Castlereagh Place.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134477]

Billbergia, Metrics, approved for $3.5 billion Sydney skyscrapers

International developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/spg-land">SPG Land</a> is preparing to re-launch its long-awaited $1.5 billion <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/paradiso-place-surfers-paradise-103-ferny-avenue-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Paradiso Place</a> development at Budds Beach, bringing a new price point to the Surfers Paradise apartment market.

The developer will release one-bedroom apartments from $825,000 and two-bedroom apartments from $1.24 million in the three-tower development.

According to Urbis, the starting price for the two-bedroom apartments is more than $400,000 below the weighted average sale price for comparable two-bedroom apartments in Surfers Paradise during 2025, which was pinned at $1.7 million.

&nbsp;

Urbis reported quarterly average sale prices for new two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments ranged from around $1.2 million to $1.7 million throughout 2025, peaking in the December quarter.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=106566 project_image_fid=185853]

Paradiso Place is now moving into its formal sales campaign, with a limited early-release opportunity available ahead of the public launch.

The development will comprise 845 apartments across three towers rising 40, 41 and 44 storeys from a 1.15-hectare site spanning an entire city block. The towers will sit above a new retail precinct.

"Paradiso Place represents a rare opportunity in today's market, offering premium apartments at a price point that is significantly more competitive than anything else currently available," SPG Land Sales Director Brad McMahon said.

"When you look at comparable new developments across Surfers Paradise, Main Beach and the Southern Beaches precinct, buyers are typically paying hundreds of thousands more for a similar product.

"The scale of this project and the developer-builder construction model allows us to unlock efficiencies that smaller developments simply cannot achieve. We are passing those benefits directly to buyers, while still delivering a five-star residential experience with an unmatched lifestyle."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=106566 project_image_fid=374280]

Each of the three towers designed by Rothelowman will have its own podium, connected by an elevated skybridge network to create a beachside village for residents. The resident amenity has been designed to rival a five-star hotel, with private dining rooms, resident lounges and entertainment spaces.

McMahon said the pricing strategy was a deliberate response to the current market.

"What Paradiso Place offers is a unique balance, genuine value within a premium market. Buyers are not compromising on quality, design or amenity, they are gaining access to it at a more competitive price point at a time when prices across the Gold Coast continue to reach new highs."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=106566 project_image_fid=362498]

Located around 100 metres from the beach and within walking distance of the Surfers Paradise North light rail station, Paradiso Place occupies one of the Gold Coast's most tightly held beachfront precincts.

Construction is continuing to progress, with eight of the project's 112 foundation piles now complete. Excavation has also commenced on the first diaphragm wall panel, with the first concrete poured on 15 June, marking a key milestone in the project's early works program.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=106566]

SPG Land launches $1.5 billion Paradiso Place at attractive price point

Luxury developer-builder <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/lowe-living">Lowe Living</a> has achieved a new Victorian benchmark for an off-the-plan apartment, with the sale of two penthouses at its ultra-exclusive Maison Savoy development in Brighton.

The two penthouses achieved a combined sale rate of $49,926 per sqm. Both transactions eclipsed the previous identified Victorian off-the-plan price-per-square-metre benchmark, set by the 449 sqm apartment at Como Toorak, which sold at $46,659 per sqm.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=140818 project_image_fid=366473]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/maison-savoy-brighton-150-esplanade-brighton-vic-3186">Maison Savoy</a>, Lowe Living's redevelopment of the former Brighton Savoy Hotel on absolute beachfront land at 150 The Esplanade, Brighton, has gained significant momentum since launching just eight weeks ago. Around 30 per cent of the project's 19 residences have already been secured, generating approximately $45 million in sales.

"Securing two of the three penthouse sales at this stage, within eight weeks of launching to market speaks to the confidence our clients place in Lowe Living," Lowe Living co-founder Emma Lowe said.

"They know we'll be with them through every stage of the journey, and that assurance is something we've worked hard to earn and never take for granted."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=140818 project_image_fid=366474]

Lowe said Maison Savoy was conceived as a genuine alternative to a prestige Brighton home, combining house-scale proportions with the convenience, security and lock-up-and-leave appeal of apartment living.

Lowe Living co-founder Tim Lowe said the early sales success demonstrated the resilience of Melbourne's prestige market and highlighted the growing demand for house-sized apartments among ultra-high-net-worth buyers.

"The Melbourne market has definitely been tested in recent years, with interest rates and global economic factors all creating a period of uncertainty across the real estate sector. The sales success at Maison Savoy however demonstrates that confidence remains exceptionally strong at the top end of the market.

"The prestige market is being driven by long-term lifestyle decisions rather than short-term market sentiment, which continues to create a level of certainty that befits an absolute beachfront property in a blue-chip location like Brighton.

"Brighton's fundamentals remain among the strongest in Melbourne, with limited new supply, enduring demand from an overwhelmingly local owner-occupier market, and a rare combination of beachfront amenity and proximity to the CBD."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=140818 project_image_fid=374378]

According to Cotality, Brighton remains one of Melbourne's most tightly held prestige suburbs, with an average ownership tenure of 15.3 years for houses and 12.3 years for units, while more than 73 per cent of homes are owner-occupied.

Tim Lowe said selling two of the project's three penthouses so early in the campaign was an uncommon result.

"This sales result is a reflection of quality and understanding the local market. It's incredibly rare to transact the penthouses so early in a sales campaign in any project so to have sold two of the three penthouses at Maison Savoy so soon after launch, all in-house without any external sales agency appointed, is reflective of our careful consideration of our buyers' needs and lifestyle.

"This is knowledge that is accumulated not just from data and demographic analysis, but via a deeply embedded understanding of how this type of buyer wants to live and feel in their home. We pride ourselves on getting to know our clients personally, and over the last 10 years we have been able to refine our product offering by talking one-on-one with our clients about their design and floorplan preferences.

"Being a fully integrated developer-builder with an in-house design and sales team allows us to lead every part of the process and ensure the highest quality of product and service at every touchpoint. It's a really important part of our DNA and the recent sales success at Maison Savoy indicates that our clients and purchasers are resonating with this point of difference.

"It reinforces that demand remains strong for thoughtfully designed residences that offer rarity, lifestyle and long-term value in tightly held locations, which ultimately validates Maison Savoy's positioning as creating a new benchmark for house-scale, wellness-led apartment living on Brighton's beachfront."

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The residences at Maison Savoy start from 295 sqm, with most enjoying uninterrupted views across Port Phillip Bay. The project sits moments from the Brighton Bathing Boxes, Royal Brighton Yacht Club, Middle Brighton Baths and Church Street's retail and dining precinct.

A key feature of the development is its private residents-only bathhouse, curated by the founder of Aurora Spa &amp; Bathhouse and modelled on traditional European bathing rituals and the award-winning Sorrento bathhouse.

The wellness offering includes a hydrotherapy pool, salt room, sauna, steam room, cold plunge pool, foot activation zone and a Vichy rainfall bed, one of only a handful in Australia. Residents will also have access to a Technogym studio, lounge spaces and a dedicated concierge service offering everything from morning coffee delivery and restaurant bookings to dry cleaning and home coordination.

"Wellness-led design has become a defining factor for luxury buyers," Emma Lowe said.

"Purchasers increasingly value homes that enhance wellbeing through thoughtful design, private amenity, privacy and liveability."

The penthouse purchasers are now undertaking a bespoke customisation process curated personally by architect Pete Kennon and the Lowe Living team, one of the developer's signature service offerings.

Construction on the $160 million transformation of the former Brighton Savoy Hotel site commenced last month, with completion expected in early 2028. The project has secured funding from NAB alongside development partner Monark.

Just one penthouse remains available, along with a limited number of two and three-bedroom residences starting from $3.75 million.

Lowe Living currently has eight projects on the market across Melbourne and recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, having grown a $1 billion development pipeline alongside a $350 million construction pipeline.

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Laurence Dragomir

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