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First covered on Apartments.com.au <a href="/news/what-the-fook-84-88-queensbridge-street-southbank">over two years ago</a>, <a href="http://88melbourne.com.au/">88 Melbourne</a> was officially launched by New Sky Group on 30 April, marking its first major foray into the Melbourne market.

The project has already proven popular with locals currently living within Southbank and interstate purchasers with buyers from Sydney in particular.

The $100 million 60-storey tower, located in the Southbank Entertainment Precinct is designed by RotheLowman in conjunction with KPDO.

Inspired by hand crafted jewelry and the art of origami, the building features a three-dimensional diamond patterned façade, that will shimmer during the day. This will be further accentuated in the evening sky by an integrated LED installation, the first residential tower in Melbourne to feature a full height LED lighting design.

<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/88m_03.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="88 Melbourne hero perspective. Image courtesy of New Sky Group"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="1114" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/88m_03.jpg?itok=-YWmatxh" title="88 Melbourne hero perspective. Image courtesy of New Sky Group" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>88 Melbourne hero perspective. Image courtesy of New Sky Group</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
88 Melbourne will have a sophisticated presence in the city and change the way people think of apartment living. It will be an iconic Melbourne address and a lasting moment in the evolution of local architecture and how we design for changing life-stages.
<cite>Chris Hayton, Principal, RotheLowman</cite>
</blockquote>

88 Melbourne will be Melbourne’s first apartment building to feature hand-crafted kitchen appliances by Sub- Zero and Wolf, the brand associated with professional chefs internationally including Heston Blumenthal, Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver.

At time of writing, 72 of 252 apartments within 88 Melbourne have been sold in the first 3 weeks, with 50% of the 1 bedroom apartments sold. Apartments range in size from 50-58sqm for 1 bedroom apartments, up to 88sqm for 2 bedroom and 113-158sqm for the 3 bedroom apartments with an average of five apartments per floor.

Penthouses occupy full floors and feature floor to ceiling heights of four metres.

Sales agent Matt George of Urban Activation said 88 Melbourne was a unique project for the city and with the introduction of stricter planning controls meant the chances of views being built out were less likely particularly above level 44. 88 Melbourne identified a gap in the market for owner-occupier driven apartment stock within the CBD and Southbank according to Matt.

<blockquote>
The city has not seen a CBD tower of this scale designed specifically with owner occupiers in mind before. While investors will undoubtedly be interested in this building, its residents will overwhelmingly reside here.

It reflects an evolution to a more New York urban style of living in Melbourne, as more and more families and empty nesters trade their family home for an urban pad with everything they need either in their building or on their doorstep.
<cite>Matt George, Urban Activation</cite>
</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/88m_amenities_level.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Level 8 recreational facilities. Image courtesy New Sky Group"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="321" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/88m_amenities_level.jpg?itok=7ynvjg42" title="Level 8 recreational facilities. Image courtesy New Sky Group" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Level 8 recreational facilities. Image courtesy New Sky Group</figcaption></figure>The AFR has reported that 88 Melbourne has received consent from Planning Minister Richard Wynne to increase its height by six floors to an overall height of 199 metres, or 208 metres to top of plant. Construction of 88 Queensbridge is expected to commence in late October / early November with an expected construction programme of two years.
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Laurence Dragomir

New Sky thinking: 88 Melbourne

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During my early years of studying architecture, I would often wander down to Spencer Street and watch what was once known as Spencer Street Station being transformed into what would be known as Southern Cross Station.

It can be argued that the station's redevelopment along with the ongoing construction down at the docks was the catalyst for the Spencer Street's evolution over the last decade, with every indication that it will stretch well into the next decade.

<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/southern-cross-station-melbourne-morning.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Where it all began; Southern Cross Station. Image courtesy of Wikipedia "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="243" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/southern-cross-station-melbourne-morning.jpg?itok=wxE7r6eo" title="Where it all began; Southern Cross Station. Image courtesy of Wikipedia " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Where it all began; Southern Cross Station. Image courtesy of Wikipedia</figcaption></figure>Like others on the SkyscraperCity site I would enjoy speculating as to what sites would be developed in what way. There was a general consensus 10 years ago amongst forumers that sites such as the former Age building, Savoy Tavern, Lonsdale Street Power Station and Australia Post's mail centre were capable of supporting significant high-rise development with the belief that Melbourne's first 300m+ tower would rise somewhere on Spencer Street.

While no tower has scaled the 300 metre mark thus far, there has been a steady rise in height since Elenberg Fraser's Liberty Tower first graced the corner of Spencer and Collins Streets upon completion during 2002. The tallest of these will be West Side Place's Tower 1 featuring a Ritz Carlton hotel and rising to a height of 270m.

Below we take a look at the projects completed and expected for Spencer Street.

<h2>Premier Tower | 134 Spencer Street | 68-storeys / 226m</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/134_spencer.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Premier Tower. Image courtesy of Elenberg Fraser."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="326" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/134_spencer.jpg?itok=aQnnI3HF" title="Premier Tower. Image courtesy of Elenberg Fraser." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Premier Tower. Image courtesy of Elenberg Fraser.</figcaption></figure>Dubbed the "Beyoncé" tower, the Elenberg Fraser-designed project for client Fragrance Group will be located on the corner of Spencer and Bourke Streets, and will accommodate 660 apartments and 160 hotel rooms within an undulating form.

The tower was initially proposed at 90-storeys and 294 metres before a reduced height of 226 metres was approved. This may not be the final height of the tower with the developer's seeking CASA approval to go taller still and apartments selling to level 76. Construction is expected to commence in October.

<h2>Victoria Police Centre | 311 Spencer Street | Height TBC</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/vic_pol_centre.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Victoria Police Centre. Image courtesy the Department of Finance and Treasury"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/vic_pol_centre.jpg?itok=-CurFhNK" title="Victoria Police Centre. Image courtesy the Department of Finance and Treasury" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Victoria Police Centre. Image courtesy the Department of Finance and Treasury</figcaption></figure>Designed by Woods Bagot, the new $300 million police headquarters has been designed to complement its $240 million neighbour which was completed during 2015.

Located alongside the near new Melbourne West Police Station, the Victoria Police Complex at 311 Spencer Street would consist of approximately 40,000sqm of office space. With the calling for construction tenders, Cbus Property and project partner Australia Post now look set to realise the project following extensive negotiations with the Victorian government.

Both the Melbourne West Police Station and Victoria Police Complex share an 11,750sqm site which was previously hosted Australia Post's mail centre.

<h2>West Side Place | Tower 1 | 81-storeys / 270m</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/the-ritz.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="West Side Place. Image courtesy of Far East Consortium"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="287" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/the-ritz.jpg?itok=L33KBfF2" title="West Side Place. Image courtesy of Far East Consortium" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>West Side Place. Image courtesy of Far East Consortium</figcaption></figure>Far East Consortium's next big development on the former site of The Age follows hot on the heels of their Upper West Side development directly opposite, with Cottee Parker Architects engaged to design the multi tower development.

Stage 1 comprising two towers of some 1370 apartments and a Ritz-Carlton, which will occupy the top 17 floors of the 81-storey Tower 1 and will feature 263 luxury hotel suites with quality finishes and furniture including state-of-the-art bathrooms, luxurious amenities and breathtaking views.

Sales for the first tower have been strong with rumours abound that it has already sold out, with attention now turning to Tower 2. Both towers, which share a communal podium are likely to be built concurrently.

<h2>Upper West Side | Four towers, 156-170 metres</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/4-upper_west-_side1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Upper West Side, Image courtesy of Cottee Parker"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="396" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/4-upper_west-_side1.jpg?itok=uc8phvmR" title="Upper West Side, Image courtesy of Cottee Parker" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Upper West Side, Image courtesy of Cottee Parker</figcaption></figure>With the final tower, Manhattan in the final stages of completion, the former Lonsdale Street Power Station site is effectively complete. Developed by Far East Consortium and designed by Cottee Parker the development sees 4 towers of 2,300 apartments rise around a host of substations with ground level retail weaving through the site.

The facades of the tallest towers have been designed to respond to primary streets; Lonsdale and Spencer Street with a colourful canvas of contrasting colours. The towers all share a communal rooftop garden atop the podium.

<h2>Neo200 | 41-storeys / 128 metres | Completed 2007</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/neopanorama.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Neo200 on Spencer. Image courtesy Hayball"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="340" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/neopanorama.jpg?itok=_vn2UWMB" title="Neo200 on Spencer. Image courtesy Hayball" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Neo200 on Spencer. Image courtesy Hayball</figcaption></figure>Designed by Hayball, Neo200 is a 41-storey building with 371 residential apartments, ground floor retail tenancies and entrances to both Spencer and Little Bourke Streets.

The building is distinguished by its yellow podium lights presenting to Spencer and Little Bourke Streets and its distinctive golden curvilinear foyer. Completed in 2007, Neo200 marked the first major residential tower for Spencer Street since Liberty Tower.

<h2>Liberty Tower | 27-storeys / 93 metres | Completed 2002</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/liberty3.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Liberty Tower. Image courtesy of Elenberg Fraser"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="287" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/liberty3.jpg?itok=I1KeAW-4" title="Liberty Tower. Image courtesy of Elenberg Fraser" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Liberty Tower. Image courtesy of Elenberg Fraser</figcaption></figure>Liberty Tower is located on the north eastern corner of the Collins Street and Spencer Street intersection. The tower was completed in 2002 and was the first project for Elenberg Fraser.

Zahava Elenberg and Callum Fraser who were both still architecture students at RMIT University were awarded the commission in 1998 by the City of Melbourne. The main façade comprises a grid of perforated aluminium screens, including a vertical crease running down the full length of the facade.

<h2>7-23 Spencer Street | 3 towers 89-112m</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/7-23spencerst.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="7-23 Spencer Street. Image courtesy of Elenberg Fraser"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="328" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/7-23spencerst.jpg?itok=VHMIFMPW" title="7-23 Spencer Street. Image courtesy of Elenberg Fraser" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>7-23 Spencer Street. Image courtesy of Elenberg Fraser</figcaption></figure>Having recently obtained approval from the Minister for Planning, owner Riverlee has looked to offload the site which can accommodate up to 1,076 dwellings.

The massive 8,500 square metre site sits on the edge of the CBD and on the north bank of the Yarra; a gateway position into the Southbank area. Demolition of the former Melbourne Convention Centre continues and the project looms as the next residential development to hold a Spencer Street address.
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The evolution of Spencer Street

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A few weeks ago it was reported that Charter Hall had acquired a future development site at 55 King Street for $78.5 million. The site neighbours the vacant 22,000-square-metre building at 555 Collins Street which owners Fragrance Group are looking to offload following failure to receive approval for a 90-storey 300 metre residential tower on the site.

The possibility of Charter Hall acquiring the site led me to wonder what the development potential of the combined sites may be, particularly now that Planning Scheme Amendment C270 looks set to be introduced by the end of the year.

<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/55k555c_existing.png" rel="gallery-all" title="55 King Street and 555 Collins Street in their present form."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="260" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/55k555c_existing.png?itok=lSExlysK" title="55 King Street and 555 Collins Street in their present form." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>55 King Street and 555 Collins Street in their present form.</figcaption></figure>What we know so far about Amendment C270 and how it might apply to a potentially consolidated 55 King Street and 555 Collins Street site:

<ul>
<li>Introduction of a floor area ratio (FAR) of 18:1.</li>
	<li>The maximum FAR in the central city can be exceeded if there is a demonstratable public benefit. The public benefits can take the form of public open space, office uses, public space inside the building or social housing contained within the building.</li>
	<li>Buildings up to 80 metres in height may be constructed up to one side or rear boundary if a minimum setback of five meters is met to to all other side and rear boundaries.</li>
	<li>By default podiums will be limited to 20 metres in height with the discretion to increase it to 40 metres to match existing streetscapes and on certain street corners.</li>
	<li>Towers will need to be set back at least five metres from the podium edge and likewise there will be a minimum side and rear setback of five metres for proposals which include a tower measuring 80 metres or less.</li>
	<li>For proposals which include a tower taller than 80 metres, side and rear setbacks of 6% of the overall height will be required.</li>
	<li>No additional overshadowing of the Northbank 15 metres from the river edge between 11am and 2pm on June 22nd.</li>
</ul>
As the above diagram illustrates the combined site area of both buildings is in the general vicinity of 3,720sqm. Applying the FAR of 18:1 yields a Gross Floor Area of 66,690sqm.

This means that the site extruded to the full extent of its boundaries would hold an 18-storey tower, however based on a 20 metre podium this would actually result in a building of 22-storeys with an overall height of 84 metres.

<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/55k555c_extruded.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Extruded site vs tower and podium typology."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="260" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/55k555c_extruded.png?itok=elUVj_vH" title="Extruded site vs tower and podium typology." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Extruded site vs tower and podium typology.</figcaption></figure>Working on the theory that Charter Hall might seek to develop the site into a commercial office tower, let's assume the floorplates can come down in size to allow for a taller tower with better views and a floor plate in the vicinity of 2,170sqm.

This allows for an additional five floors to be added but also requires an increased setback from the western boundary so based on a 104 metre tower that equates to a 6.2 metre setback. At 104 metres, this is only 12 metres taller than the existing Enterprise House building currently occupying the site.

<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/55k555c_increased_setbacks.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Increased setbacks to allow for a taller tower."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="451" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/55k555c_increased_setbacks.png?itok=ASr_27eB" title="Increased setbacks to allow for a taller tower." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Increased setbacks to allow for a taller tower.</figcaption></figure>The story is very different if a residential scheme were considered for the site. A tower of 48-storeys atop the 5-storey podium would yield a project with an overall height of 164 metres and 1000 sqm floor plates which is not too dissimilar to the likes of Victoria One, Lighthouse and Empire.

Pushing the tower as far north to the site as possible also deals with the overshadowing issue to Northbank.

<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/residential_scheme-01.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Comparison of residential tower to commercial tower opportunity"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="451" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/residential_scheme-01.png?itok=q-vVwTU2" title="Comparison of residential tower to commercial tower opportunity" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Comparison of residential tower to commercial tower opportunity</figcaption></figure>Based on this very brief study it would seem that we can still expect tall, thin residential towers albeit on much larger sites and employing a true tower and podium typology.

Commercial towers appear to be constrained by the requirement from tenants for larger floor plates, although this may see a shift back to smaller floor plates in order to allow developers to go taller with office buildings in the future meaning less bulk buildings with greater separation.
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An Amendment C270 case study: 55 King Street and 555 Collins Street

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At Apartments.com.au we're often provided with opportunities to meet and speak with designers and creatives from various streams of the urban industry. One such chat occurred recently when I sat down with <a href="http://www.brand-works.com.au/">BrandWorks </a>founders Eleena and Michael Tan. BrandWorks exists for the purpose of curating great ideas and people that will realise the vision of their clients, offering expertise in interior design, branding and retail strategy.

<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/milkcow_reduced.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="MilkCow. Image courtesy of BrandWorks"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/milkcow_reduced.jpg?itok=FQOHQESR" title="MilkCow. Image courtesy of BrandWorks" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>MilkCow. Image courtesy of BrandWorks</figcaption></figure>So how did BrandWorks come to be? To understand this we delved into the respective professional backgrounds of Michael and Eleena.

Michael studied commerce at the University of Melbourne with an interest in technology and the IT sector. The experience and exposure of working for big advertising agencies ignited Michael's creative spark - anything was tackled from design to copyright. 

Having first known each other when they were children, Michael and Eleena met again many years later as Eleena worked with Salvatore Malatesta - one of the pioneers of coffee in Australia. 

It quickly became evident that both Michael and Eleena shared a passion for good food, good branding and good interior design and the convergence of ideologies occurred as a result of this shared interest in branding and the customer experience. They were keen to explore how some of the concepts might translate into a cafe, for example, which led to the opening of Sensory Lab with Salavatore in David Jones, which became the starting point for the genesis of BrandWorks.

Eventually by way of word of mouth other people became aware of the work that Michael and Eleena were doing and began inquiring about engaging them dup on further projects which is how BrandWorks formally came to be.     

<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/eleena_mike.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Eleena and Mike, co founders of BrandWorks."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="216" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/eleena_mike.png?itok=D1CfQCvk" title="Eleena and Mike, co founders of BrandWorks." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Eleena and Mike, co founders of BrandWorks.</figcaption></figure>An initial client for BrandWorks was Rolld, helping to introduce and launch their brand into the market. This opportunity also acted as their first foray into the world of interiors, working initially with the architects to ensure their designs were in line with the branding that BrandWorks had established. This process was repeated over the first 19 stores. 

The success of Rolld in such a short time provided Michael and Eleena with momentum which led to more enquiries from potential clients and more work for their young office. 

Another well known early project for BrandWorks was the <a href="http://grainstore.com.au/">Grain Store</a> located at 517 Flinders Lane, which they helped open in 2013. Prior to Grain Store, the building housed a floundering computer store and was located in a largely deserted area of Melbourne's western CBD. The building owner had undertaken a refurbishment program of the upper floors converting the spaces into New York-style loft offices.

<blockquote>
BrandWorks was engaged to develop a new food concept to breathe life into an unloved area, on the west-end of Flinders Lane. We presented feasibility studies to the landlord to ensure the concept would work, and tapped into the area’s rich history of grain and stock warehousing to craft the brand.

The interiors were a collaborative effort between BrandWorks and Betty &amp; Wolff, with each detailed handpicked and sourced from around the world to articulate The Grain Store’s heritage. Adorned on the walls, menus and seating are hand painted art works and screen-printed designs, all made by BrandWorks.  
<cite>BrandWorks</cite>
</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/grain-store_0005_layer3.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Grain Store on Flinders Lane. Image courtesy of BrandWorks"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="388" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/grain-store_0005_layer3.jpg?itok=MYvEWoRv" title="The Grain Store on Flinders Lane. Image courtesy of BrandWorks" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Grain Store on Flinders Lane. Image courtesy of BrandWorks</figcaption></figure>The Grain Store's success carried through to an adjacent 400sqm cafe which was also empty at the time but backed onto a laneway. The building owner was struggling to work out what to do with it. Eleena and Michael suggested that rather than trying to fill the space with one large tenant, that the space should be subdivided into a number of smaller tenancies, creating a retail precinct.

This precinct which occupies part of Katherine Place, was master branded as "The Archway" with the owner providing BrandWorks with the direction to curate the spaces - to go out and find the tenants rather than going through leasing agents.

Due to BrandWorks ability to incubate many smaller up and coming concepts they were able to reach out to people and pick a very niche group of retailers for the spaces. In doing so BrandWorks reduced the risk to the owner while also adding value to the precinct at large with a focus on the precinct being open all day to service the residents which live in the area.  

The Archway now houses the following tenants, some of which BrandWorks also assisted with branding and/or interior design. 

<ul>
<li>Altius Coffee</li>
	<li>T by Luxbite (in 20sqm) </li>
	<li>Hunters Roots </li>
	<li>Mr Huang Jin</li>
	<li>Delhi Streets </li>
	<li>5 and Dime</li>
</ul>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" name="Meet the Inhabitants: The Archway | City of Melbourne" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VBLjpcWNa94" width="100%"></iframe>

Michael and Eleena's experience on The Archway retail precinct led them down the path of retail strategy and curation after generally only focusing on branding during the early days of BrandWorks. They're of the opinion that retail within a building or development from many perspectives is largely neglected, but if it was given due consideration from the beginning that it could actually contribute to and aid apartment sales.

Part of BrandWorks' retail strategy revolves around getting in early and developing a precinct identity and personality which provides a drawcard that then allows you to go to market but also curate the retail offering accordingly.  

I asked Michael and Eleena how early in the process would be an ideal point to become involved in the retail strategy for a development and their response was that in an ideal scenario it would be before the project went to sales and marketing. 

Eleena says generally what occurs is a building may be 2-3 years from completion, making it difficult for retailers to commit three years into the future but you can give them option of negotiating terms. This also provides potential apartment purchasers with some level of understanding as to what they can expect in terms of retail tenants within the building. 

BrandWorks have in other instances also been engaged to review the retail allocation prior to a project being lodged to town planning. A big danger according to Michael is that a number of retail outlets may be provided, but generally people are more attracted to retail precincts which offer communal areas allowing people to buy food from different retailers but still sit together.

Michael and Eleena cite the Emporium as a good example of where this is a very successful outcome from a retail point of view. 

As for their dream project? Michael and Eleena would love for BrandWorks to be involved in the Queen Victoria Market Renewal project. 

<blockquote>
It would be a testament to all the beautiful things that Melbourne is known for. Ideally you'd get a good mix of retailers there and we'd love to see a little bit more niche retailers. It's great to see Market Lane there already, but to have a few more iconic Melbourne brands there like Mörk Chocolate, Matcha Maiden and those kind of smaller retailers that have come onto the scene and grown.

The Queen Vic Market's a major attraction for tourists so why not explore and discover Melbourne with the Market as your first port of call. Where it becomes about curating the best of the best and having well known Melbourne operators in there.
<cite>Michael and Eleena Tan, co founders of Brandworks.</cite>
</blockquote>

 
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Profiling a success story: Talking BrandWorks with Eleena and Michael Tan

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A new cultural program launching in Melbourne this week seeks to raise awareness and celebrate one of architecture’s most derided and misunderstood movements - Brutalism. 

Running from May 6 – 29, Brutalist Block Party is a series of workshops, talks, dining events and social situations which seeks to activate a concrete-fronted warehouse located at 122 Roseneath Street, Clifton Hill.

The event series is presented by <a href="http://assemblepapers.com.au/">Assemble Papers</a> and <a href="http://www.openhousemelbourne.org/">Open House Melbourne</a>, and includes a produce market, ping-pong, conceptual dining and architecture talks. The program unfurls amidst a specially commissioned spatial installation by Practise Studio Practise, dubbed Brutalist Bollards and Pillars of Contention.

Apartments.com.au met with Rachel Elliot-Jones, Creative Producer of Assemble Papers and the Brutalist Block Party and Pino Demaio, Creative Director of Assemble, about Assemble's involvement in the 3 week event and the opportunity it presents for interim activation of the brustalist building on site at Roseneath Street prior to development.

<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/bbp_weekly-produce-market_cr-tom-ross_01_web.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Brutalist Block Party - weekly produce market"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="386" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/bbp_weekly-produce-market_cr-tom-ross_01_web.jpg?itok=Ku82858Q" title="Brutalist Block Party - weekly produce market" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Brutalist Block Party - weekly produce market</figcaption></figure>According to Rachel Elliot-Jones the overarching premise for the series of events was to provide as many different access points as possible so that it's not considered as an event exclusively targeted towards "archi-nerds." Speaking on behalf of archi-nerds the world over Rachel surmised that they would gladly flock to any program based around Brutalism so it's more about spreading the word to the uninitiated, rather than preaching to the converted.

The diversity and accessibility of the various events was also a conscious and deliberate consideration when organising the program for the event series. Additionally the event series is viewed as a community activation project, something that's very relevant to the area and something that excites and invites people into the warehouse space, particularly those in the surrounding community.

The event series has been considered as a site specific response to the concrete-fronted warehouse which currently occupies the site, celebrating the heritage but also involving facets of the community in the program with a number of contributors from within the City of Yarra or Clifton Hill community. 

<blockquote>
With Brutalist Block Party we beckon a new appreciation of Brutalism. It is a program designed to engage and inspire the wider community – not just those with a penchant for post-war 
architecture.

We're very keen to celebrate this architectural style but we already appreciate Brutalism; aesthetically and from a social perspective.

So it's about providing the opportunity for people who don't otherwise have an interest in architecture or Brutalism to experience it through music, performance, a dining series and throught the talks which will be very accessible as well.   
<cite>Rachel Elliot-Jones, creative producer of Assemble Papers and Brutalist Block Party</cite>
</blockquote>

Both Pino and Rachel acknowledged that Brutalism tends to cop a bad rap particularly in the media, as well as the lack of Brutalist buildings on the Victorian Heritage Register.

There are currently four on the register with a number of others being considered for inclusion with former Planning Minister Matthew Guy previously weighing in on the inclusion of the former Hoyts Cinema on Bourke Street and Total House car park on Russell Street, describing them as "ugly buildings." 

<blockquote>
People use the term brutalist architecture to legitimise ugly buildings, but I don't think we should be saving ugly buildings in Melbourne.  
<cite>Then Planning Minister Matthew Guy</cite>
</blockquote>

Love it or hate it Brutalism is generally considered in the context of form or aesthetic but there's also a social agenda affiliated with the movement that is sometimes forgotten, says Rachel. One of the talks during the series looks at a number of contemporary buildings which may be classified as new Brutalism, not necessarily in terms of their form or aesthetic relative to the style but rather from the positive social agendas they are promoting.

This member of Apartments.com.au in particular is looking forward to Brutal Pong this Friday night and will be dressed in the appropriate attire - headbands and sweatbands to feature prominently.

<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/bbp_hotel_hotel_presents_the_sounds_of_brutalism_cr_hotel_hotel_under_construction._photo_by_lee_grant_web.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Hotel Hotel presents the sound of Brutalism."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="464" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/bbp_hotel_hotel_presents_the_sounds_of_brutalism_cr_hotel_hotel_under_construction._photo_by_lee_grant_web.jpg?itok=Y-QuJV9l" title="Hotel Hotel presents the sound of Brutalism." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Hotel Hotel presents the sound of Brutalism.</figcaption></figure><h2>PROGRAM</h2>

OPENING NIGHT: BRUTAL PONG WITH CHAPTER MUSIC - Friday, May 6 
A very brutal beginning. Take up a paddle in the Brutal Pong tournament – presented by Archipong – with sound curation by much-loved Melbourne local record label institution Chapter Music. Tonight also marks the opening of The Brutalist Bar and the unveiling of Brutalist Bollards and Pillars of Contention.

WEEKLY PRODUCE MARKET - Saturday, May 14 &amp; 21 
A rotating, mixed-bag market of local producers featuring everything from fresh bread and veggies to artisan gelato and honey from the hive. Come fill a basket and meet the people who make, bake and grow the best that Melbourne has to offer.

UTOPIA CITY: BRUTALIST EDITION WITH BECI ORPIN - Saturday, May 7 
Build your own béton brut! Designer Beci Orpin will guide kids (big and small) in a collaborative city-building workshop using textures and materials inspired by Brutalist buildings.

OTIS. BRUTAL. - Saturday, May 7 &amp; 14, Sunday, May 8 &amp; 15 
Otis. Brutal. is a series of conceptually concrete dining events built on the foundations of gratifying food, honest wine, moving music and evocative installations.

POLYFELT STRING GARDEN WORKSHOP WITH POP PLANT - Saturday, May 14 
The brutal basics of indoor plant happiness. Pop in to our Pop Plant-laden talks pavilion for a family-friendly how-to from PP co-founder Maxi Walker. Maxi will chat through a range of common house plants and give hot tips on their care, as well as taking you through some easy planting activities. Once you’ve got that down, he will help you make a mini polyfelt string garden creation.

TALK — UTOPIA / DYSTOPIA: BRUTALISM IN FILM - Wednesday, May 18 
Jonathan Meades states that “Brutalism is the decor of dystopian films, literature and comics, just as gothic is for horror. Books and films have of course impinged on the way Brutalist buildings have been judged down the years, assisting in their condemnation.” Does Utopia even make a guest appearance?

HOTEL HOTEL PRESENTS: THE SOUNDS OF BRUTALISM -  Friday, May 20 
Hotel Hotel has commissioned two new works to be unveiled tonight. One for the eyes and one for the ears – a short film of Brutalist buildings, co-directed by Coco &amp; Maximilian and U-P, and an accompanying sound piece by Speak Percussion that interprets them aurally. Together they work to observe and orchestrally arrange Brutalism.

TALK — NEW, NEW BRUTALISM: ARCHITECTURE FOR THE PEOPLE - Wednesday, May 25 
Emerging in the 1950s, New Brutalism offered affordable modern housing, improved community amenities and an honesty of material after a period of architectural frivolity. We take a look at contemporary Melbourne projects that could be classified as the New, New Brutalism: projects that progress positive social agendas.

WHOLEY DAY - Saturday, May 28 
Wholey Day is a new market from the creators of Flour Market bake sale, bringing together 20 of the most exciting local vendors in whole foods, raw, vegan, organic and gluten-free produce. This is a place to explore the most creative and delicious interpretations of healthy living.

THE ASSOCIATION OF BRUTIFICATION WITH PRACTISE STUDIO PRACTISE - Saturday, May 28 
Join Practise Studio Practise family Lauren Stephens, Laura Clauscen and Fred Mora in a Brutification workshop. Household objects will undergo a Brutalising assembly line, redefining them as objects of intrigue and desire.

For futher information about the event visit: <a href="http://www.brutalistblockparty.com.au/">brutalistblockparty.com.au</a>
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Assemble Papers and Open House present the Brutalist Block Party

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Developer <a href="/developers/far-east-consortium">Far East Consortium</a> has unveiled its expansive green rooftop garden atop its 2,500 apartment Upper West Side development. Spanning over 4,000sqm, and situated 25 metres above the street, the rooftop has been developed to create a new benchmark for green inner-city spaces.

Urban.com.au was invited on a tour of the development by the project team.

<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/img_1772.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Upper West Side rooftop garden."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_1772.jpg?itok=4GbaslxS" title="Upper West Side rooftop garden." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Upper West Side rooftop garden.</figcaption></figure>Located in the heart of <a href="/new-apartments/melbourne-vic">Melbourne’s CBD</a>, on the site of the former Lonsdale Street powerstation, Upper West Side’s communal rooftop represents almost one acre of landscaped podium rooftop gardens, lounge areas, barbecue spaces and ‘The Bouldering Cave’, an innovative horizontal rock-climbing wall area.

A resort-style pool will be added to the mix upon completion of the Manhattan building and its associated podium, thus completing the expansive rooftop area. While a fifth tower aptly named '<a href="/buildings/the-fifth-605-lonsdale-street-melbourne">The Fifth</a>' will complete the rebranded Rose Lane frontage to the development, it is seen as a stand-alone project independent of Upper West Side with its own podium and rooftop.

Designed by <a href="/architects/cottee-parker-architects">Cottee Parker Architects</a> in conjunction with njr and associates, Upper West Side’s green rooftop amenity represents an investment in excess of $3.5 million and includes a range of soft and hard landscaping features to enable greater recreational opportunities for residents, setting a new standard for inner-city living.

There are 40 species of trees and plants with the trees ranging in age from 8-25 years. Water is drawn from the rainwater collected on the rooftop and grey water from the Midtown tower's showers.

<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/img_1776.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The gardens draw on rainwater collected from the rooftop and grey water."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_1776.jpg?itok=nTRzkHGr" title="The gardens draw on rainwater collected from the rooftop and grey water." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The gardens draw on rainwater collected from the rooftop and grey water.</figcaption></figure>Architect Shane Williams of Cottee Parker Architects describes Upper West Side’s rooftop space as a garden in the sky, designed to allow residents and their visitors the opportunity to relax in a space as close to a natural environment as possible despite living in an apartment building.

<blockquote>
When designing Upper West Side’s outdoor rooftop spaces, we carefully considered how each plant would establish over the next 10 to 20 years, choosing plants that had colour, vibrancy and variety, with fruit-bearing, flowering and edible vegetable species included to ensure we could create a as well as sensory- pleasing garden for residents.

Each rooftop space varies in size, weaving in and out between buildings, with the various podiums and tower roofs not only offering various levels of quiet and intimacy for residents but also designed to capture optimum rainfall, to in turn irrigate and cultivate all on-site planting.

Urban forestation is very topical at the moment and we were keen to embrace this as much as possible with Upper West Side.

In addition to notably lowering peak temperatures caused by hard-surface heat radiation, the rooftop design will retain storm water flow for continued plant growth.
<cite>Shane Williams, Lead architect, Cottee Parker Architects</cite>
</blockquote>

Another key point of difference to Upper West Side is ‘The Bouldering Cave’: an area devoted solely to a set of rock climbing walls. Strategically positioned, the walls have an organic appearance and are crafted with a cementitious material, while the floors manufactured with a recycled rubber material, to allow residents to feel they are climbing on actual cliff faces.

The space also serves the dual purpose of providing wind mitigation to the inner rooftop garden areas.

<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/upper_west_side_-_the_bouldering_cave.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The 'Bouldering Cave'. Image courtesy of Far East"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/upper_west_side_-_the_bouldering_cave.jpg?itok=mzQpq1ug" title="The 'Bouldering Cave'. Image courtesy of Far East" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The 'Bouldering Cave'. Image courtesy of Far East</figcaption></figure>Other amenities include bocce fields, outdoor lounge areas, communal kitchen/barbecue and dining spaces, a 25-metre indoor lap pool and sauna, a fully equipped gymnasium and a shared function/study area.

<blockquote>
We believe Upper West Side has set a new benchmark for green living in Melbourne’s CBD. Just because we are building apartments rather than traditional quarter-acre blocks, doesn’t mean we can’t also deliver on dynamic green spaces for our residents, too.

With such a growing number of apartment buildings, comes a requirement to deliver adequate green spaces and amenity. The rooftop gardens and creative amenity spaces at Upper West Side highlight just how far we can take it.

The response from our residents reinforces Far East Consortium’s development direction towards creating expansive garden spaces within each of our projects.

The success of the project really comes down to the shifting trends in the CBD apartment market – green spaces are essentially the way of the future.
<cite>Craig Williams, Executive Director, Far East Consortium</cite>
</blockquote>

With Manhattan racing towards completion and The Fifth well out of the ground, both Far East and Cottee Parker's attention now turns to the mammoth $2.5 billion West Side Place development.

Located across the road on the former site of The Age, the project represents a further evolution and development of some of the key aspects of Upper West Side. The project is officially due to be launched on the 4th of June but has already attracted strong interest from prospective purchasers.

Stage 1 of the project comprises 1370 apartments across two towers and featuring a 263 room Ritz Carlton Hotel, sky lobby and associated hotel facilities, in addition to ground floor retail and food and beverage.

<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/1_west-side-place-update.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="West Side Place. Images courtesy of Cottee Parker"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="253" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/1_west-side-place-update.jpg?itok=Ub2EEUSb" title="West Side Place. Images courtesy of Cottee Parker" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>West Side Place. Images courtesy of Cottee Parker</figcaption></figure>
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Moving on up: Upper West Side unveils its rooftop garden

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Box Hill continues its evolution into a high density activity centre with a fresh town planning application under assessment for a 30-storey residential tower at 820 Whitehorse Road, rising to a height of 99.78 metres.

Designed by Fender Katsalidis for Longriver Group, the proposal seeks to join a growing list of high rise residential towers in the area such as SkyOne (36-storeys / 122.8m) and <a href="/buildings/east-central-tower-820-whitehorse-road-box-hill">Whitehorse Towers</a> (36-storeys / 115m + 26-storeys / 83m). The site in question is currently occupied by a 3-storey office building.

<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/box_hill_towers.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="SkyOne and Whitehorse Towers. Images courtesy Golden Age Group and Peddle Thorp"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="249" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/box_hill_towers.jpg?itok=OzeM_YKl" title="SkyOne and Whitehorse Towers. Images courtesy Golden Age Group and Peddle Thorp" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Whitehorse Towers and SkyOne. Images: Peddle Thorp and Golden Age Group</figcaption></figure>What is proposed begins with a grided timber podium with an overall height of 29.5 metres, to be built to the full extent of each boundary. Level 6 forms the rooftop of the podium and is dedicated in part to residential amenities such as a 60sqm pool with associated outdoor seating and landscaping, casual and formal dining spaces, theatre, gym and sauna/steam room.

The timber pergola aesthetic of the podium was first adopted on Republic Tower and subsequently employed in some form or another on other Fender Katsalidis-designed projects such as Fulton Lane, Australia 108, Melbourne Quarter and 16-22 Claremont Street.

The tower element, in contrast, features a concrete lattice wrap which recedes in density as the tower transitions upwards, further revealing the glazed skin underneath. The intended tower has three major setbacks creating a tiered silhouette on the skyline and the illusion of an erosion of tower form and shell.

The orthogonal nature of the building form and facade articulation also displays strong similarities to the ATO building diagonally opposite and a departure from the curvilinear forms of SkyOne and Whitehorse Towers.

<blockquote>
Being above the typical viewing cone of people passing by, the tower is conceived as more of an urban form. Whilst materiality and grain of the podium is heightened, by contrast that of the tower is reduced.

Recognising the prominence of the north western corner of the site, the building quarter in that location rises some metres higher than the other elements, thereby acknowledging that important view to Box Hill, and further articulating the skyline of the building. At the top of the building the southern elements step down to further accentuate the skyline articulation and to protect residential properties south of the building from overshadowing.

Within the broad structuring of that urban scale articulation is a filigree of smaller concrete elements wrapping themselves around the primarily glazed facade of the tower. That filigree is visually denser at the base of the tower, and becomes sparser and thinner as it climbs up the buildings. In doing so the materiality of the tower is responding to a key characteristic of the topography of this locale: the variegated skyline of the bounding ridges in Box Hill and north in Doncaster.

Those ridges can be perceived as having a visually dense base which at its skyline transforms to a lacework of leaves.
<cite>Fender Katsalidis Architectural Statement</cite>
</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/image5_5.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="An earlier iteration of 820 Whitehotrse. Image: Longriver"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="342" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image5_5.jpg?itok=V9xyoJ2R" title="An earlier iteration of 820 Whitehotrse. Image: Longriver" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>An earlier podium iteration of 820 Whitehorse Road. Image: Longriver</figcaption></figure>820 Whitehorse Road seeks to accommodate 301 apartments comprising 45 x 1 Bedroom, 249 x 2 Bedroom and 1 x 3 Bedroom apartments, in addition to 6 duplexes providing a degree of housing diversity although it could be argued that more 3 bedroom apartments should be considered.

There are 272 car spaces in total, contained predominantly within two basement levels and throughout the 5 level podium. Vehicular access to the car park is via Fairbank Lane which also includes a number of ancillary services along its frontage. There is also provision for 92 bicycle spaces within the development.

A retail wrap in the form of a 152sqm cafe and 66sqm alfresco dining area, and a 434sqm auto showroom seeks to activate Whitehorse Road and Young Street . The remaining podium levels contain a wrap of apartments, concealing podium car parking for the most part. These podium apartments all feature outdoor balconies providing the streets with a level of passive surveillance.

<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/820_whitehorse_road_dual.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="820 Whitehorse Road. Planning images: Fender Katsalidis "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="343" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/820_whitehorse_road_dual.jpg?itok=CfioIJ5f" title="820 Whitehorse Road. Planning images: Fender Katsalidis " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>820 Whitehorse Road. Planning images: Fender Katsalidis</figcaption></figure>Lodged with Whitehorse City Council during February 2016, the development team behind 820 Whitehorse Road includes:

<ul>
<li>Fender Katsalidis Architects: Architectural plans</li>
	<li>Ratio Consultants: Traffic Impact Assessment Report</li>
	<li>Urbis: Planning</li>
	<li>David Lock Associates: Urban Design Statement</li>
	<li>Wood and Grieve Engineers: Sustainable Management Plan</li>
	<li>Leigh Design Pty Ltd: Waste Management Plan</li>
	<li>MEL Consultants Pty Ltd: Wind Assessment Report</li>
	<li>Development site sale transaction handled by Savills in September 2015.</li>
</ul>
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A new order: 820 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill

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With much commentary at the moment centred around the state of the Melbourne inner city residential market and hints of an oversupply of apartments, it is an opportune time to focus on the commercial market; namely new Melbourne office projects on the not too distant horizon.

The current crop, either awaiting tenant pre-commitments or on the cusp of commencing construction, range from campus style accommodation to upwards of 40-storeys in the middle of the CBD. Developer heavy hitters Mirvac, Lend Lease, CBUS, Brookfield, Charter Hall and QIC are all actively spruiking their projects with a large number also boasting a Collins Street addresses.

Currently, the largest commercial projects under construction within City of Melbourne are found within Walker Corporation's Collins Square project, with three towers under construction ranging in height from 75m to 147m.

Mirvac's 2 Riverside Quay project at Southbank and Grollo Equiset's 535 Rialto forecourt redevelopment are also becoming reality. Combined, these developments will add in excess of 150,000sqm of office space to the central 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/under_construction.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Collins Square and 2 Riverside Quay Under Construction. Images courtesy Ryan Seychell"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="219" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/under_construction.jpg?itok=sLaJFE02" title="Collins Square and 2 Riverside Quay Under Construction. Images courtesy Ryan Seychell" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Collins Square and 2 Riverside Quay Under Construction. Images courtesy Ryan Seychell</figcaption></figure>But what of the next crop of Melbourne office towers? Below is a summary of each and its current status as understood by Apartments.com.au:

<h2>72-82 Collins Street | 36-storeys | 187m | 45,000sqm | QIC | Woods Bagot</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/82c_podium.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="72-82 Collins Street. Images courtesy of Woods Bagot"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="249" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/82c_podium.jpg?itok=eMcaxuyo" title="72-82 Collins Street. Images courtesy of Woods Bagot" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>72-82 Collins Street. Images courtesy of Woods Bagot</figcaption></figure>Boarded up and with Brookfield Multiplex appointed as the head contractor last year, one would assume this particular project would be commencing its skyward ascent, however this has not been the case.

The project has undergone a redesign, particularly at street level, creating a much more cohesive and sophisticated street presence. While no prospective tenants have been announced for the 45,000sqm of space, another contributing factor in the project's delay has been laneway ownership being transferred from the City of Melbourne to QIC only recently.

<h2>447 Collins Street | 41-storeys | 143m | approx. 54,000sqm | CBUS | Woods Bagot + SHoP</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/447-close_up.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="447 Collins Street. Images courtesy of Woods Bagot and 7news"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="187" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/447-close_up.jpg?itok=J6tY75_x" title="447 Collins Street. Images courtesy of Woods Bagot and 7news" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>447 Collins Street. Images courtesy of Woods Bagot and 7news</figcaption></figure>With Planning Minister Richard Wynne and developer CBUS Property reaching an agreement following the initial rejection of the scheme, the dual tower project featuring a 2,000sqm city park in addition to residential, retail and hotel still requires formal approval of amended documentation before it can commence.

It is expected that the remainder of the site will be cleared by September and a display suite established on site for the project's sales and marketing campaign.

With an expected end value of $1.3 billion dollars, this project will have a massive impact on the heart of the city. Final metrics will be confirmed upon submission of the revised scheme.

<h2>477 Collins Street | 38-storeys | 165m | 54,000sqm | Mirvac | Grimshaw</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/477_foyer.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="477 Collins Street. Images courtesy of Grimshaw"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="202" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/477_foyer.jpg?itok=vdL4tAO1" title="477 Collins Street. Images courtesy of Grimshaw" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>477 Collins Street. Images courtesy of Grimshaw</figcaption></figure>Approved near on one year ago, the 165 metre Premium Grade tower is Mirvac's flagship Melbourne project and will hold approximately 54,000sqm of leasable floor area with 2,461sqm of leasable retail space and end of trip facilities included to support a sizeable work populace. The Olderfleet buildings along Collins Street will be retained and integrated into the new development.

The project is currently awaiting pre-commitment from a tenant or tenants before it forges ahead but is expected to be well underway during 2017.

<h2>664 Collins Street | 12-storeys | 50m | 26,000sqm | Mirvac | Grimshaw</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/664c.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="664 Collins Street. Image courtesy of Grimshaw"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/664c.jpg?itok=Zdo6Jch5" title="664 Collins Street. Image courtesy of Grimshaw" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>664 Collins Street. Image courtesy of Grimshaw</figcaption></figure>The sister building to 699 Bourke Street, the Collins Street building will be the new home for Pitcher Partners who signed on as a tenant for 10,000sqm during late 2015. Latest indications suggest construction is expected to begin by the end of the year, thus finishing the overall redevelopment of Southern Cross Station.

<h2>Wesley Place | 34-storeys | 148m | 55,000sqm | Charter Hall | COX</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/130l.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Wesley Place. Image courtesy of COX"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="306" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/130l.png?itok=ksEwuSC4" title="Wesley Place. Image courtesy of COX" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Wesley Place. Image courtesy COX</figcaption></figure>Having initially received support from Council, the $450 million project was formally approved by Planning Minister Wynne last week. Initially owned by Leighton Porperties, Charter Hall acquired the site during planning and will be looking for further tenants after the church signed on for 55,000sqm in the project.

Charter Hall are confident of securing these by the end of the year, allowing construction to begin during 2017. Interestingly Charter Hall also owns the adjoining site at 150 Lonsdale Street which is currently occupied by an office building and carpark with redevelopment potential.

<h2>405 Bourke Street | 39-storeys | 161m | 61,500sqm | Brookfield | Woods Bagot</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/view-from-yarra.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="405 Bourke Street. Image courtesy Brookfield Multiplex"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="345" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/view-from-yarra.jpg?itok=7WvcNpjI" title="405 Bourke Street. Image courtesy Brookfield Multiplex" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>405 Bourke Street. Image: Brookfield Multiplex</figcaption></figure>With the current incarnation of the project first appearing on Apartments.com.au during our early days of 2013, the project appears no closer to commencing with tenants yet to be secured and very little news on its prospects. Developer Brookfield will naturally be hoping to snare a tenant as soon as possible.

<h2>Melbourne Quarter | 12-storeys + TBC | 56m + TBC | 24,303sqm + TBC | Lend Lease | DCM</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/mq_overall.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Melbourne Quarter. Images courtesy of Lend Lease"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="163" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/mq_overall.jpg?itok=ZGZBR5NH" title="Melbourne Quarter. Images courtesy of Lend Lease" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Melbourne Quarter. Images courtesy of Lend Lease</figcaption></figure>Approval of the first stage of Melbourne Quarter was provided last month, after Lend Lease secured engineering firm Arup for the building known as One Melbourne Quarter in December of last year.

The first stage features a commercial building of 25,000sqm and a 2,000sqm sky park to be built above Collins Street. Construction of Melbourne Quarter is expected to begin later this year, beginning with One Melbourne Quarter and the Skypark.

The next stage, construction of C2 / Two Melbourne Quarter, the North-South Link and the City Room, are expected to be lodged soon following pre-application meetings. C2 will be the tallest building on the site and is expected to be similar in height to the KPMG building at Collins Square.

<h2>55 King Street (+ 555 Collins Street) | Charter Hall</h2>

And finally according to Fairfax media, Charter Hall have purchased a future development site at 55 King Street for $78.5 million. The site neighbours the vacant 22,000-square-metre building at 555 Collins Street which owners Fragrance Group are looking to offload following failure to receive approval for a 90-storey 300m residential tower on the site.

If acquired by Charter Hall and combined with 55 King Street, this would create the opportunity for a development of significant size. The potential for this site will form the topic of another Apartments.com.au article.
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Office towers to the fore

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City of Melbourne's Future (Planning) Committee convened last week to consider the merits of the tri-tower residential development that forms part of developer Lend Lease's $1.9 billion Melbourne Quarter development fronting Collins Street. The Committee resolved to provide conditional support for the Fender Katsalidis-designed towers, with final approval from Planning Minister Richard Wynne likely to follow as the development does not overshadow Southbank and has its own planning controls in place.

This follows the Minister's approval of the first stage of Melbourne Quarter last month which features a commercial building of 25,000sqm and a 2,000sqm sky park to be built above Collins Street. Lend Lease secured engineering firm Arup for the building known as One Melbourne Quarter.

<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/skypark.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Skypark and One + Two Melbourne Quarter. Images: Lend Lease"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="288" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/skypark.jpg?itok=2YxWz-hO" title="Skypark and One + Two Melbourne Quarter. Images: Lend Lease" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Skypark and One + Two Melbourne Quarter. Images: Lend Lease</figcaption></figure>The proposal for the Flinders Street neighbourhood comprises two residential towers of 136 metres known as R1 and R2 and a shorter 58m building adjacent to the Batman’s Garden park. While Council are generally supportive of the height and form of the towers, which are in keeping with the approved development plan, there is a degree of concern that a uniform and singular visual expression will result in a greater visual dominance and mass on the skyline.

<blockquote>
While the general bulk, height, setbacks and scale of the proposed buildings are supported, there is concern about the uniform materials, in particular to R1 and R2. To limit the visual dominance of the two towers it is recommended that there be a greater differentiation between R1 and R2 through a combination of variations in height, podium / tower distinction, diversity of materials and varied upper level setbacks  
<cite>Future Melbourne Committee Report</cite>
</blockquote>

As per the recommendations of the report a variation in height and facade articulation and materiality looks to be a likely outcome. Further to this the applicants have been asked to provide additional 3D renders and 1:50 detailed elevations for the lower sections of the towers to ensure that the buildings are designed with an active and engaging interface with the public realm. 

The towers feature a diverse mix of housing options with a total of 595 x 1 bedroom, 1014 x 2 bedroom, 27 x 3 bedroom apartments and 6 x studio apartments. Despite this, council have also raised concerns about the layouts of some apartments and the quality of amenity to them, namely  borrowed light to the certain studio apartments and ‘saddlebag’ bedrooms.

<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/image29_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Render and plan for Melbourne Quarter's residential emelent. Image: Lend Lease"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="282" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image29_4.jpg?itok=xk1ibpRm" title="Render and plan for Melbourne Quarter's residential emelent. Image: Lend Lease" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Render and plan for Melbourne Quarter's residential emelent. Image: Lend Lease</figcaption></figure>Meanwhile, rumours abound that Lend Lease are also in negotiations with hotel operator W Hotels for the Melbourne Quarter site. 

Should a hotel eventuate within Melbourne Quarter it would also add further diversity to the precinct. Melbourne Quarter would be the third (known) site investigated by W Hotels after previously considering the Savoy site at 134-160 Spencer Street and the failed development on the site of the Palace Theatre.

Construction on the Melbourne Quarter development is expected to begin in earnest later this year, beginning with One Melbourne Quarter and the Skypark. The next stage, construction of C2 / Two Melbourne Quarter, the North-South Link and the City Room, are expected to be lodged soon following pre-application meetings.

<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/img_2181.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Lend Lease on the move on Collins Street"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_2181.jpg?itok=oSdTRPmb" title="Lend Lease on the move on Collins Street" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Lend Lease on the move on Collins Street</figcaption></figure>Melbourne Quarter's emergence follows on from Lend Lease's successful residential cluster further west along Collins Street. 888 Collins Street is the area's tallest building and has seen its final facade elements added whilst the sizeable 839-889 Collins Street has made rapid progress dureing the early stages of 2016.

Combined these two projects contain in excess of 1,300 apartments, with Melbourne Quarter likely to yield another 1,600 dwellings.
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Lend Lease's Melbourne Quarter granted City of Melbourne support

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DADo (Design | Architecture | Docos), the film society of the Robin Boyd Foundation, has announced its 2016 season launching next Wednesday the 20th of April. The society is dedicated to the screening of documentaries + films on architecture, design + urbanism.

The 2016 program celebrates three partnerships with some of Melbourne’s keenest advocates of good design in Open House Melbourne, Assemble Papers and Open Journal.

Session 3 builds upon Assemble Papers’ focus on Small Footprint Living with the award-winning film documenting bold architecture projects on the remote Fogo Island in Newfoundland. The film embraces the excitement of living on the edge in relation to nature and contemporary design.

Session 4 showcases the deep love felt for the often-disparaged Brutalism movement to tie in with Open House Melbourne’s 2016 theme, ‘What’s the Beef with Brutalism.’ The feature film, Precise Poetry: The Architecture of Lina Bo Bardi marks the Brazilian architect’s 100th birthday by considering the sociopolitical constraints and personal events that would lead to the timelessness of her work.

Session 5 is partnered with Open Journal to celebrate the joy of living in good design. The session features a series of residents and their homes, including Penelope Seidler, Xavier Corbeo and Tim Ross. The night culminates in James Goldstein presenting the famous Sheats House by John Lautner, recently gifted to the Los Angeles County Art Museum (LACMA).

<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/dado_02.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title='Still from "Il Capo, 2010. Image coourtesy DADo'><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="313" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/dado_02.jpg?itok=Ndosu6uK" title='Still from "Il Capo, 2010. Image coourtesy DADo' width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Still from "Il Capo, 2010. Image coourtesy DADo</figcaption></figure>DADo's mission is to bring the best in documentaries and films on architecture, design and urbanism to Walsh Street, the house designed by Robin Boyd for his family in 1958. The aim of the films is to explore the relationship between film and the built environment and to promote a wider community appreciation and engagement with design.

While DADo’s focus is primarily on documentaries, they also screen feature-length and short films stretching from the Russian avant-garde to the present.  Screenings include themes such as modernism, architectural process, urbanism, aesthetics versus functionality, gender and utopianism.  Some films will be imported into Australia exclusively for members-only screenings, others will be classic favourites.  All films are either in English or with English subtitles.

Each screening features an invited guest speaker to kick off the conversation with their unique perspective on the film subject. Guest speakers include prominent architects and designers, academics, artists, film critics, and individuals whose interests and experience intersect with a particular film.

The DADo season is curated by a volunteer committee of keen architecture film enthusiasts made up of architects Fooi Khoo, Siew-Fung Then, artist Rose Nolan and landscape architect Vincent Chan Kun Wa. This year the committee welcomes two new members, Laura Phillips, Editor of Neometro’s Open Journal and Paris Thomson, founder of motion production studio SIRAP.

DADo is a not-for-profit organisation that is a member of the Federation of Victorian Film Societies and affiliated with the Australian Council of Film Societies.

The full program for 2016 can be viewed at  http://robinboyd.org.au/dado/ 

<h2>Where:</h2>

‘Walsh Street’ 290 Walsh Street, South Yarra, VIC 3141, Australia

Screenings will take place at ‘Walsh Street’, home of the Robin Boyd Foundation and former home of Robin and Patricia Boyd.  All screenings will take place in the Living Room.

Doors open at 6:30 pm; program starts promptly at 7pm.

The entrance is by the red gate and steps leading up to the front door.  .

Walsh Street is a short walk from the No.8 Tram stop at the corner of Domain Road and Park Street or the 246 Bus route along Punt Road.

<h2>The Robin Boyd Foundation</h2>

The Robin Boyd Foundation continues the work and spirit of Robin Boyd through an active, innovative and ongoing series of public learning programs developed to increase individual and community awareness, understanding and participation in design.

The Foundation aims to deepen understanding of the benefits of design through:

<ul>
<li>Design Awareness</li>
	<li>Design Literacy</li>
	<li>Design Advocacy</li>
</ul>
The Foundation has been established in conjunction with Robin Boyd’s family. It is a separate legal entity, a registered charity with its own constitution, with members representing the Boyd family, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Victoria Chapter), the three faculties of architecture at University of Melbourne, Deakin University and RMIT University, and others with expertise, interest and commitment to the advancement of design.

https://robinboyd.org.au/
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DADo Film Society launches its programme for 2016

Longstanding Gold Coast and Canberra developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/morris-property-group">Morris Property Group</a> is continuing to roll on with its Glitter Strip apartment pipeline, seeking to return to Mermaid Beach with a new 68-apartment development.

Morris, founded by Barry Morris in 1978 and one of the Gold Coast’s most prolific apartment developers over the past two decades, has filed plans for a 12-storey mixed-use building at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/36-seabeach-avenue-mermaid-beach-qld-4218">34-36 Seabeach Avenue</a>, on the prized eastern side of the Gold Coast Highway.

The 1,227 sqm site occupies a prominent corner position at Seabeach Avenue and the Gold Coast Highway, opposite the Mermaid Plaza retail and office precinct and around 140 metres walking distance from the future Mermaid Beach South light rail station.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/fraser-partners-0">Fraser &amp; Partners</a> has designed the project, which will comprise 68 apartments across a mix of 48 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom residences.

The building will rise 12 storeys, reaching a maximum height of 36 metres, with the apartments accounting for a total of 156 bedrooms. The development application also seeks approval for short-term accommodation across the 68 apartments, while two office tenancies are proposed at ground level.

The plans show 108 car spaces across the development, with parking accommodated at ground level and within a three-level basement accessed from Seabeach Avenue.

<img alt="Seabeach Avenue and the Gold Coast Highway" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c2175c99-12fd-4a3c-9be1-89bbf258a90d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-20%20at%202.59.41%E2%80%AFPM_0.png?VersionId=iNLzWcE6gaAE76rafhEXfHve.4g4Se0p" />

Resident amenity will be concentrated on level two, where Fraser &amp; Partners has designed a recreation deck with a swimming pool, 90 sqm pool terrace, outdoor barbecue area and gym.

The broader communal offering will also incorporate landscaped spaces, with the planning documents noting the amenity has been designed to provide areas for recreation, social interaction and outdoor living.

The proposal would continue the transformation of the Gold Coast Highway corridor through Mermaid Beach ahead of the arrival of the light rail.

The site is zoned Neighbourhood Centre and sits within the Mermaid Beach/Broadbeach Light Rail Corridor neighbourhood plan. While the prescribed building height is 24 metres, the site is identified within an Urban Neighbourhood context providing for a 50 per cent height uplift to 36 metres.

Planning documents describe the stretch of the Gold Coast Highway between Broadbeach and Nobby Beach as increasingly characterised by medium and high-rise development, with the proposed Morris tower joining projects including Ventura, The Alfred, Oceans and Otto.

<img alt="Seabeach Avenue and the Gold Coast Highway" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="911f193f-e381-4a55-be08-58be87fcf978" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-20%20at%202.59.48%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=oxVvLJaY.SOXEdXrIcogfyEXDfvCmmpM" />

The development would mark Morris Property Group's latest investment in Mermaid Beach, where it has already delivered two apartment projects.

Otto, at 1 Bondi Avenue on the western side of the Gold Coast Highway, comprises 70 apartments across nine storeys. The project was completed in 2019 and includes a residents' gym, recreation deck and swimming pool.

Morris also developed Oceans at 46 Ocean Street, a nine-storey, 70-apartment build-to-rent development completed in 2019. Oceans was the group's first build-to-rent project and incorporates commercial space at ground level.

The two existing Morris projects sit further north along the same Gold Coast Highway corridor as the proposed Seabeach Avenue development. Fraser &amp; Partners' planning analysis specifically identifies both Otto and Oceans among the established built-form precedents surrounding the site.

<img alt="Seabeach Avenue and the Gold Coast Highway" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="14925119-7b71-4812-8149-340317512c7c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-20%20at%203.00.15%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=aEJqYuw_nTCjcin17BSD0piB1EFotTlj" />

Mermaid Beach represents only part of Morris' considerable Gold Coast footprint.

The family-owned developer has been particularly active in neighbouring Broadbeach, delivering projects including Sierra Grand, Eclipse, Synergy, Qube, Koko, Opus and Malo, while its current pipeline includes Maison and the two-tower Crest development.

Further south, Morris has also developed a string of projects in Burleigh Heads, including Element, Boardwalk and Sandbar, while Essentia expanded its footprint north into Surfers Paradise.

The Seabeach Avenue application has been lodged by PMM Broadbeach Pty Ltd and seeks a development permit for a Material Change of Use for multiple dwellings, short-term accommodation and office uses. Zone Planning Group prepared the planning application, with Fraser &amp; Partners commissioned as architect.

The project comes as the developer continues to expand its Gold Coast pipeline while retaining a significant presence in Canberra. Morris now has more than $2.5 billion of development in its national pipeline and has delivered more than 7,000 homes during its near five-decade history

Joel Robinson

First look: Morris Property Group returns to Mermaid Beach with new Seabeach Avenue apartment development

<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/fortis&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787272340808000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3hvFB2uWTRfEyEcpTSnnK9" href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/fortis" target="_blank">Fortis</a>&nbsp;is continuing its stronghold on Sydn​ey’s eastern suburbs apartment market, launching&nbsp;in September&nbsp;its latest boutique&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/double-bay-nsw-2028&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787272340808000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0GI5S9-wNeiLUnM-d1uYkw" href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/double-bay-nsw-2028" target="_blank">Double Bay</a>&nbsp;development,&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/55-william-double-bay-55-william-street-double-bay-nsw-2028&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787272340808000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2YNouJQcFjiTTgVHbgDLA-" href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/55-william-double-bay-55-william-street-double-bay-nsw-2028" target="_blank">55 William</a>.

55 William presents&nbsp;just eight north-facing&nbsp;two-bedroom, three-bedroom and full-floor&nbsp;residences to the market, priced from $4.5 million.

The upcoming launch comes just weeks after Fortis secured approval for the $80 million development, its third eastern suburbs approval in two months. Construction is already underway, with completion targeted for 2028.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152579 project_image_fid=376250]

55 William adds to a growing concentration of Fortis projects in and around Double Bay, a market the developer has become increasingly active in over recent years.

Fortis previously completed the nine-residence Marmont on New South Head Road, while it is currently developing a mixed-use residential and retail project at 12 Cross Street. Its wider Double Bay footprint also extends into commercial and retail development.

The developer's broader Sydney residential pipeline is particularly concentrated across the eastern suburbs, with projects spanning Doub​le Bay, Ro​se Bay, Wo​ollahra, Dar​ling Point, Poi​nt Piper and Eli​zabeth Bay.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152579 project_image_fid=376253]

At 55 William, Fortis has again turned to MHN Design Union, the architecture practice behind several of its eastern suburbs projects, while London-based 1508 London has been appointed to handle the interiors and Wyer &amp; Co the landscaping.

The six-level building will comprise a combination of two and three-bedroom apartments, including a garden residence, full-floor apartments, a sub-penthouse and penthouse. Each residence will have secure basement parking and private outdoor space.

A rooftop terrace for all residents, along with select apartments, enjoys views across Double Bay Harbour and toward the Sydney skyline.

Ceiling heights will reach up to three metres&nbsp;in select residences, while the kitchens will feature natural stone and integrated Gaggenau appliances.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The boutique nature of the project reflects the type of stock Fortis has increasingly targeted across Sydney's eastern suburbs, where larger apartments and smaller buildings are being pitched primarily toward local owner-occupiers and downsizers.

Fortis Group General Manager Ed Eve said the developer continues to see demand from buyers wanting to remain in the eastern suburbs but move into newer, lower-maintenance housing.

“We're seeing continued demand from local owner-occupiers and downsizers looking for high-quality homes that allow them to remain in the eastern suburbs, close to the lifestyle and community they know,” Eve said.

55 William is also one of the early projects to respond directly to the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms. Fortis had previously secured approval for just two townhouses on the 599 sqm site before revising the scheme to eight apartments following the planning changes.

Situated one street back from Double Bay's water's edge, the project enjoys an enviable harbourside setting within walking distance of Double Bay Village and the ferry wharf.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152579 project_image_fid=376252]

Fortis has increasingly made the eastern suburbs a major focus of its Sydney pipeline. Beyond Double Bay, it recently completed the 14-residence Piper in Point Piper and has projects underway or planned across Rose Bay, Woollahra and Darling Point.

The developer recently secured approval for Verano in Rose Bay, a six-level development comprising 21 two, three and four-bedroom apartments, also designed by MHNDU.

55 William&nbsp;is soon to be release to the market with VIP appointments commencing early September,&nbsp;with residences priced from $4.5 million.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152579]

Fortis continues eastern suburbs push with 55 William launch

UAE-based developer Arada has unveiled plans for a $2 billion twin-tower apartment development in Broadbeach, marking its first move into Queensland as it continues its rapid expansion across Australia.

Arada will develop 952 apartments across two towers on a prominent site opposite the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the project targeted for completion ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The project represents Arada's largest commitment to the Australian market since arriving in the country in 2024 and significantly expands a local pipeline that has now grown to eight projects and more than 5,000 homes.

It will also be the first major Queensland project delivered by Roberts Co since the tier-one contractor was acquired by Arada Group in 2025.

Plus Studio has designed the Broadbeach development, which will comprise one, two and three-bedroom apartments across two towers connected by a landscaped podium.

A significant resident amenity offering will include lagoon and lap pools, a gym, sauna and steam room, alongside a mist room, infrared room and salt scrub facilities. Communal terraces, private dining areas, a library, residents' lounge and work-from-home spaces are also planned. Around 1,200 sqm of retail and hospitality space will occupy the ground floor.

The site puts Arada in one of the Gold Coast's most active apartment markets, directly opposite the convention centre and within walking distance of Pacific Fair, The Star Gold Coast and Broadbeach's dining and retail precinct.

It also has immediate access to the Gold Coast light rail network and sits just a few blocks from the beach.

Arada Group Chief Executive Ahmed Alkhoshaibi said Broadbeach represented an opportunity for the developer to expand beyond its initial NSW pipeline.

“Broadbeach is a world-class address that gives us the canvas to create a community of exceptional design and lifestyle quality that genuinely enriches the daily lives of the people who call it home,” Alkhoshaibi said.

“This is our first development outside New South Wales, and it reflects our growing ambition to grow in key urban markets around the country.”

Alkhoshaibi said bringing Roberts Co into the project would give Arada greater control over the development and construction process.

“Delivering this project through Roberts Co, our own tier-one construction business, means we can bring the quality, pace and accountability that our buyers expect.”

The move into Broadbeach comes as Arada accelerates its Australian expansion following its entry into the market two years ago. The developer has assembled a pipeline of eight projects comprising more than 5,000 homes, while the acquisition of Roberts Co last year gave the group its own Australian construction capability.

Globally, Arada has a development portfolio valued at $50 billion comprising more than 55,000 homes across the UAE, United Kingdom and Australia.

The Gold Coast is emerging as the next major market for the developer, with strong population growth and infrastructure spending ahead of the 2032 Games continuing to underpin significant apartment development across the coastal strip.

Arada plots $2 billion Broadbeach towers in major Queensland move

Sydney’s downsizer market is changing, with a growing cohort of buyers prioritising the right home over simply finding a smaller one.

Coronation Property Head of Sales Cam Porter says the traditional idea of downsizing does not necessarily reflect what many buyers are now looking for, particularly those moving from established family homes across Sydney.

Instead, he says they are increasingly becoming “right-sizers”, seeking lower-maintenance homes without sacrificing the space, amenity or quality they have become accustomed to.

“We are increasingly seeing buyers who are not motivated by the idea of simply moving into a smaller property,” Porter says.

“They are right-sizers. They want a home that is easier to manage and better connected, but they still expect generosity, quality and a floorplan that supports the way they live.”

It is a subtle but important distinction in a market where apartment developers are increasingly targeting established owner-occupiers.

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For many of these buyers, moving from a house to an apartment is not driven by a desire to dramatically reduce their living space. Instead, the appeal is in removing some of the maintenance associated with a larger home while retaining generous living areas, storage and enough flexibility to accommodate family and friends.

Coronation’s sales team is seeing buyers place particular importance on natural light, practical storage and additional rooms that can be used as guest bedrooms, home offices or secondary living spaces.

Kitchens and dining areas are also playing an increasingly important role, particularly for buyers who regularly entertain or have children and grandchildren visit.

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“These buyers still want their home to feel generous,” Porter says.

“They may want less maintenance, but they are not looking for less life.”

The challenge for the broader housing market is providing enough of the right stock to encourage that move.

While much of the discussion around Sydney’s housing shortage has centred on the number of homes being delivered, Porter says the diversity of those homes is equally important.

Older homeowners can remain in large family houses for longer when they cannot find an appropriate alternative in the neighbourhoods where they have built their lives.

“The decision is rarely as simple as wanting fewer bedrooms,” Porter says.

“People are weighing up their connection to a neighbourhood, the space they need for family, the quality of the home and whether it will continue to work for them over the long term.”

It also has implications beyond the downsizer market. Providing suitable apartments for smaller households can free up established houses for families who need the additional bedrooms and land, creating greater movement through the housing market.

<h2>Lillian targets the next stage of apartment buyer</h2>

It is a buyer Coronation is targeting at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/lillian-erskineville-9-metters-street-erskineville-nsw-2043">Lillian</a>, its new collection of apartments, terraces and penthouses at Erskineville Village.

Designed by Silvester Fuller, Lillian has been shaped around larger living spaces, natural light and flexible floorplans, alongside landscaped areas, wellness amenity and communal spaces for residents.

The development will form part of Coronation’s broader Erskineville Village precinct, which will combine new homes with green space, retail, hospitality and new pedestrian connections.

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McPherson Park will sit at the centre of the precinct, creating a significant new green space alongside the project’s retail and hospitality offering.

For Porter, the opportunity is to give buyers another housing option without forcing them to leave the part of Sydney they already know.

“People should be able to change the type of home they live in without having to change their entire life,” he says.

“For many buyers, Lillian offers the opportunity to remain connected to the Inner West and the city, while gaining access to a more convenient, walkable and considered way of living.”

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Coronation will explore the changing <a href="https://lillianresidences.com.au/news/lillian-x-space-x-downsizers-event-27-august/">right-sizer market at an event on August 27</a>, bringing together experts across property, design and lifestyle.

Held in partnership with SPACE, Poliform and Downsizer.com.au, the event will include a property market outlook from economist Michael Blythe alongside discussion around the considerations facing buyers planning their next move.

Attendees will also be able to learn more about the residences and amenity planned at Lillian Erskineville.

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From downsizing to right-sizing: What Sydney buyers want from their next home

Family-owned builder and developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/omaya">Omaya</a> is bringing its 27-storey The Maybelle development to market, with the 229-apartment tower rising alongside Ismay Reserve near North Strathfield.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-maybelle-21-parramatta-road-homebush-nsw-2140">The Maybelle</a> will comprise one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with its height providing elevated outlooks towards the Sydney skyline and Harbour Bridge, while other residences will look across neighbouring Ismay Reserve.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/squillace-architects">Squillace Architects</a>, the tower combines its parkside setting with proximity to the established retail, dining and transport amenity around North Strathfield.

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Residences will feature open-plan living spaces and a choice of two interior schemes, while communal amenity is spread across two elevated levels of the building.

Level 8 will be home to the Garden Pavilion, a full-floor resident space incorporating communal entertaining and breakout areas, seating and recreation spaces. Further up the tower, a landscaped Sky Terrace on Level 14 will provide another communal area with panoramic views towards the Harbour Bridge and Sydney skyline.

At ground level, the development sits directly alongside Ismay Reserve, where lawns, walking paths, children's play areas, picnic spaces and recreational facilities extend the green space available immediately around the project.

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The Maybelle is also within walking distance of North Strathfield and the Bakehouse Quarter, which provides a mix of cafés, restaurants, shops and everyday services.

Existing rail and bus services provide connections across Sydney, while the future North Strathfield Metro and access to the M4 will add to the transport options available around the precinct. Walking and cycling routes also extend via Powells Creek towards Sydney Olympic Park and its sporting, entertainment and parkland precincts.

Families are also well positioned for access to a broad selection of established schools and education options across Strathfield and the surrounding Inner West.

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Omaya has operated in Sydney for more than 35 years, managing projects from acquisition and design through to construction and delivery. The family-owned company is both developer and builder of The Maybelle.

Apartments start from $560,000, with the development protected by 10-year Latent Defects Insurance.

Construction is well underway, with completion expected by the end of 2026 and move-in anticipated from Q1 2027.

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Laurence Dragomir

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