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Revised plans for one of suburban Melbourne's largest developments that Apartments.com.au <a href="/news/malverns-super-development-site-subject-to-a-considerable-application">touched upon during August</a> are now available for public comment.

The site in question sits adjacent to Malvern Railway Station and has a principal address of 641-675 Dandenong Road. At 4,739 square metres the land holding was offered for sale during 2017, with Kokoda Property subsequently revealed as the purchaser.

Dubbed <a href="https://www.kokodaproperty.com.au/en/residences/malvern/">Malvern Collective</a>, Kokoda Property carries imagery of the initial design on its website. The Jackson Clements Burrows-designed development seen below has been replaced by a more modest revised application which sees lower than initially intended built form across the site.

The highly angular initial design for the scalene-shaped site has also been tempered to resemble more traditional buildings with a 'defined' roof.

<h2>641-675 Dandenong Road application summary</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/image89aq.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Dandenong Road perspective. Image: JCB Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="325" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image89aq.jpg?itok=2nJ7-Dtj" title="Dandenong Road perspective. Image: JCB Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Dandenong Road perspective. Image: JCB Architects</figcaption></figure><ul>
<li>4,739 square metre site with three street frontages</li>
	<li>Expected build value: $80 million</li>
	<li>Proposed: 17 and 10 storey buildings with the taller at 55.9 metres</li>
	<li>265 apartments: 94 x 1BR, 154 x 2BR, 16 x 3BR, 1 x 4BR</li>
	<li>5 level basement with option for a subterranean link to Malvern Railway Station</li>
	<li>Provisions for 371 vehicles and 203 bicycles</li>
	<li>Existing 'Angel Tavern' to be restored</li>
	<li>7 retail tenancies amounting to 1,137 square metres with ability to increase if required</li>
	<li>753 square metre commercial tenancy</li>
</ul>
Jackson Clements Burrows on Malvern Collective's form:

<blockquote>
The unique qualities of the site have determined the proposals siting, massing and overall form.

With interfaces to Glenferrie Rd, Dandenong Rd, Station Place and the rail corridor to the north, the lower podium is characterised by a series of articulated columns that set the rhythm of the pedestrian experience and whose datum closely aligns to that of the adjacent heritage buildings. The columns also fluctuate in depth to provide protection from traffic to the south, the summer sun to the north and visual privacy on the oblique approach.

The upper forms are conceived as a series of undulating peaks that strategically lower to sensitive interfaces and minimise overshadowing to the south. The chamfered forms allow the implementation of generous east and west facing terraces which offer select apartments ‘gardens in the sky’.

The mostly light coloured curtain walls and associated fins are articulated as the main facade element with the enclosed areas recessed back from the outer envelope. This provides permeability through the extremities of the building and a depth to the facade through the use of light and shadow.
</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/image92_8.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The initial Dandenong Road design cited via Kokoda's website"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="259" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image92_8.jpg?itok=bPqY5nnT" title="The initial Dandenong Road design cited via Kokoda's website" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The initial Dandenong Road design cited via Kokoda's website</figcaption></figure><h2>Kokoda Property true to their word when it comes to infill development</h2>

During 2017 Kokoda Property prompted calls for <a href="/news/kokoda-property-calls-for-in-fill-development-in-the-eastern-middle-ring">more in-fill development sites in what it calls "Melbourne’s undersupplied eastern middle-ring"</a> in order to fill the demand for quality apartments and townhomes in the leafy suburbs.

At the time Kokoda Property Sales and Marketing Director Sam Tucker spoke of the underlying demand for apartment developments across Melbourne's eastern middle-ring suburbs, driven by wealthy downsizers. This has been reflected in the recent projects undertaken locally by the developer.

Malvern Collective joins a boutique current apartment development dubbed The Mowbray at Camberwell's 553-555 Burke Road and the recently completed Trentwood at 25 Trent Street, Glen Iris as examples of kokoda Property's shift in focus to inner eastern Melbourne suburbs.

<h2>641-675 Dandenong Road development team</h2>

<ul>
<li>Developer: Kokoda Property Group (Malvern Development Partnership Pty Ltd)</li>
	<li>Architect: Jackson Clements Burrows Architects</li>
	<li>Urban Planning: Contour Consultants</li>
	<li>Landscape Plan: Tract Landscape Architects</li>
	<li>Cultural Heritage Statement: Archaeology At Tardis</li>
	<li>Traffic Impact Assessment: GTA Consultants</li>
	<li>Waste Management Plan: Leigh Design</li>
	<li>Utility Services: Intrax Consulting Engineers</li>
	<li>Noise and Vibration Consultants: Octave Acoustics</li>
	<li>Heritage Consultant: Lovell Chen</li>
	<li>Urban Design Consultant: Message Consultants</li>
	<li>Site Survey: Bosco Jonson</li>
</ul>
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silvermb

Malvern's mega development site curtailed but still imposing

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An amendment to North Sydney's planning scheme has been initiated in recent days as Legacy Property looks to capitalise upon a site located in a boom development corridor.

253-267 Pacific Highway is subject to a Planning Proposal that would yield a substantial development across a 1,469 square metre corner site. Plans have been drawn up that seek to unlock the well positioned site's potential by way of a new mixed-use development.

Aided by PTW Architects and GM Urban Design and Architecture, Legacy Property hopes to establish a new site-specific height control and FSR control, resulting in a high-density, dual building outcome.

<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/image87_6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Pacific Highway perspective. Image: PTW Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="369" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image87_6.jpg?itok=QhSh9qqb" title="Pacific Highway perspective. Image: PTW Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Pacific Highway perspective. Image: PTW Architects</figcaption></figure>The result sees a conceptual building envelope spanning 67 metres with a smaller mid-rise reaching 22 metres.

Commercial, residential, retail and community uses are envisaged for the development. 89 residential apartments are included, as is 1,667 square metres of office space over four levels; 253-267 Pacific Highway holds a total Gross Floor Area of 10,477 square metres.

Public benefits are outlined and sees the inclusion of affordable rental housing (3 x 1 bedroom apartments and 1 x studio apartment) and the dedication of both office and community floor space for Council use.

349 square metres is expected to be seeded to Council as affordable office space for ‘start-up’ businesses whilst further space at ground level is earmarked for community facilities.

Continuous active edges will be provided to Pacific Highway and West Street. Church Lane as the least active of the site's three frontages will be widened and activated.

<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/image86_8.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Hero perspective. Image: PTW Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="360" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image86_8.jpg?itok=hd4KFLjn" title="Hero perspective. Image: PTW Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Hero perspective. Image: PTW Architects</figcaption></figure>253-267 Pacific Highway aside, Legacy Property has been an active player in the greater North Sydney development scene in recent years, having had dealing in the North Sydney - Crows Nest - St Leonards urban renewal corridor.

Miller Street in North Sydney, Oxley Street in Crows Nest and St Leonards' 617-621 Pacific Highway have all fallen under the Legacy Property umbrella, although the developer did not see any of the sites through to completion.

Two sites were divested after Legacy Property's successful attempts to create development uplift whilst the Crows Nest land holding was compulsorily acquired during 2016 in order to facilitate the new Crows Nest Metro Station. It too received the green light for 100 apartments over 13 levels prior to its acquisition.
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Legacy Property sees opportunity in North Sydney

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Toga Group is pushing through with the mass redevelopment of Redfern's Surry Hills Shopping Village.

After a competitive design process which saw a consortium headed by architecture firm SJB lead all comers, a detailed development application is in motion for the sprawling Redferm site on the corner of Cleveland and Baptist streets.

The heritage listed former Bank of NSW building at 397-399 Cleveland Street is to be retained and surrounded by 8 new buildings. In line with the site's existing use, a mass of retail is included, as is commercial office space, basement parking for 345 vehicles and 157 apartments.

A key plank of the design's success is the inclusion of extensive public domain works.

<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/image77_3.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Terrace houses fronting Marriott Street. Image: SJB"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="310" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image77_3.jpg?itok=a-1cn95I" title="Terrace houses fronting Marriott Street. Image: SJB" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Terrace houses fronting Marriott Street. Image: SJB</figcaption></figure><h2>A slow road</h2>

Toga Group first surfaced as the development partner of choice for the prominent 12,244.1 square metre development site during 2015, when Coles elected to maintain its presence onsite. When the site was listed for sale during 2014, the Wesfarmers-owned Coles exercised first rights over the shopping centre with an eye toward redevelopment.

The development process has now progressed to the point where a detailed development application landed with City of Sydney late last month. Initially touted as capable of handling 300 apartments, the expected 157 apartments are well short of initial intentions.

Coles and Toga Group's joint application has a construction value of $149 million.

Coles is making a habit of pursuing development opportunities on the eastern seaboard. The Surry Hills complex joins additional current Coles developments in <a href="/developments/lindfield-nsw-2070">Lindfield</a> in Sydney and <a href="/new-apartments/the-mark-441-glen-huntly-road-elsternwick">Elsternwick</a> plus <a href="/buildings/261-271-bridge-road-richmond">Richmond</a> in Melbourne.0

<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/image81a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Site overview. Image: SJB"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="332" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image81a.jpg?itok=2csuqkcG" title="Site overview. Image: SJB" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Site overview. Image: SJB</figcaption></figure><h2>Design prowess</h2>

Toga Group's Redfern site was subject to a competitive design process, with a trio of other design consortiums losing out to a team including SJB, Architect Prineas and Aspect Studios.

Design teams trumped for the Redfern site include Bates Smart/Chenchow Little/Luchetti Krelle, DKO Architecture/Archer Office/Hames Sharley/Tribe/Aspect Studio and the Woods Bagot/Alexander &amp; Co/Christopher Owen Landscape Design trio.

The Competitive Design Alternatives Report made not of the winning team's positive design outcomes.

<blockquote>
The Selection Panel also noted that the scheme included delightfully whimsical elements that provided a distinctive identity and character.

There was a genuine understanding of the character of the area and a lot of thought had gone into the design of the apartments, even down to the uniquely shaped windows. The planning strategy that enabled apartments to be no more than one stair flight from communal garden areas was also commendable.

There was considerable thought to materiality and detailing, with more intricacy and articulation to the lower levels and street frontages, supporting upper levels with less variety in material or colour. The design is also potentially suited to modularisation, although this would require further investigation.
</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/image7a9.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Non successful participants in the design competition"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="237" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image7a9.jpg?itok=nRlINv55" title="Non successful participants in the design competition" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Non successful participants in the design competition</figcaption></figure>
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Toga Group takes Redfern's Surry Hills Shopping Village down the development path

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Peak industry body Urban Taskforce Australia (UTA) last week went on the offensive, criticising aspects of Sydney's planning system which it believes leads to dull apartment design.

Far from the international design competitions which define many of inner Sydney's landmark towers, the criticism was levelled at many of greater Sydney's municipal councils 

At a recent forum dubbed Innovative Apartments, UTA's sentiment was that of disappointment in Sydney's 'tick a box' planning system. UTA maintains that the rigidity and increased regulations governing the design of apartment buildings has stymied innovative design outcomes.

UTA CEO Chris Johnson said in a pointed media release:

<blockquote>
Over the last decade the government rules and guides for the design of apartment buildings has become more complex, leading to a tick a box planning assessment process that is leading to less innovation and design diversity.

At a recent Urban Taskforce forum on how to balance regulation and innovation in the design of apartment buildings the Mayor of Burwood, John Faker, called for more innovation and diversity in design. Mark Raggett of Melbourne architects ARM Architecture demonstrated how a strong culture of architecture in Melbourne has made innovative design the accepted way to design apartment buildings.

The debate was timely as a growing negative attitude from community groups about apartments seems to be partly based on the dull look of many apartments that all look the same.
</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/image54_11.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A selection of Burwood apartment projects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="470" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image54_11.jpg?itok=a-xAvlwk" title="A selection of Burwood apartment projects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A selection of Burwood apartment projects</figcaption></figure>UTA makes note of the excessive number of controls and guidelines in place, plus as many as 25 specialist reports required by most councils that must demonstrate compliance prior to an application gaining approval.

Consequently the onus has shifted away from premier design outcomes to one of appeasement.

Architects at the Innovative Apartments forum made note that apartment design was being driven by an excessive number of rules which has neagted merit based assessment, with one unnamed architect going as far as to say that the rigorous approvals process was ‘taking away the soul of Sydney’.

Acting NSW Government Architect, Olivia Hyde, who also presented the the forum, outlining the NSW Government’s focus on design excellence through a number of publications, policies and design review processes. Hyde also noted that many councils were using guides as rules despite government documents saying this should not be the case.

UTA's emphasis on design would see "a special design excellence approval path that would bypasses the excessive number of rules that are forcing low common dominator designs rather than encouraging innovative solutions through merit assessment.

The state government must establish a pathway for innovative apartment building design that local councils can use to enrich their neighbourhoods.”

<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/image55_13.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="ARM Architecture's Orbis has been identified as a design benchmark"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="386" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image55_13.jpg?itok=R8aH0v5h" title="ARM Architecture's Orbis has been identified as a design benchmark" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>ARM Architecture's Orbis has been identified as a design benchmark</figcaption></figure>Lead image: Sydney Aerial Photography
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Urban Taskforce labels Sydney's apartment aesthetic as dull

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Apartments.com.au's Project Database has reached a noteworthy milestone, pushing past 3,700 listings in recent days.

This equates to 3,700 projects of differing uses that are currently active across Australia and which fall within four broad categories; Planning Assessment, Approved, Registration &amp; Sales or Under construction. Apartments.com.au's Project Database represents the country's largest publicly accessible database of live development projects.

The Project Database has seen rapid expansion over the course of 2018.

Reflective of the rebirth of this website from Urban Melbourne to Apartments.com.au earlier in the year, the Project Database is now an all-encompassing platform that includes all major cities across Australia, supplemented by a growing number of regional centres such as Gold Coast, Geelong and Newcastle. The 3,700 milestone is a quantum leap forward from the roughly 1,400 solely Melbourne projects within the database at the turn of 2018.

Incidentally the 3,700th database listing happens to be an application for property developer Mattioli Group's new Melbourne headquarters. Kavellaris Urban Design conceived the mid-rise at 226-232 High Street in Kew; it includes retail at ground level, commercial office space and a dual level four bedroom apartment.

<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/image99_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Number 3,700. Image: Kavellaris Urban Design"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="346" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image99_4.jpg?itok=Iszo8REO" title="Number 3,700. Image: Kavellaris Urban Design" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Number 3,700. Image: Kavellaris Urban Design</figcaption></figure>Reflecting the growing dominance that higher density housing has assumed across the nation, 3,290 or 88% of projects in the Apartments.com.au Project Database are residential.

Thereafter 286 commercial projects are included, as are 186 hotel or serviced apartment developments. The latter category has mushroomed over the course of 2018, as developers capitalise upon the favourable conditions in the market for short stay accommodation.

It is though residential that is the undisputed king of the database. Despite certain markets such as inner city Melbourne and Brisbane which are at the bottom of their respective apartment cycles, Apartments.com.au is still keeping tabs on 539 separate apartment and major townhouse developments across Australia which are at Registration &amp; Sales.

Whilst 3,700 is a hefty database figure, hundreds of further projects have been identified and will be added through to the end of 2018. Particular focus will fall on Brisbane and surrounds over coming months in order to make Apartments.com.au's Project Database more accurately reflective of the considerable backlog of approved developments evident across Brisbane.

Next stop 4,000!
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Urban.com.au's Project Database reaches 3,700 active developments

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Two projects touted by their respective developers as being exceptional developments in waiting have instead been put on the market as permitted opportunities.

In <a href="/new-apartments/north-melbourne-vic-3051">North Melbourne</a>, <a href="/developers/fridcorp">Fridcorp</a> has chosen not to develop <a href="/new-apartments/3-15-shiel-street-north-melbourne">3-15 Shiel Street</a>, which until recently had been dubbed Wild Apartments. In light of approval being granted during May, Fridcorp along with joint venture partners Daniel Besen and Wingate had expected to launch the project to market this year.

The associated media release at the time of approval specified an expected September sales campaign launch with construction slated to begin in the first quarter of 2019. Despite earlier intentions of seeing the project to fruition, <a href="https://www.cbremelbourne.com.au/properties/3-15-shiel-street-north-melbourne/">CBRE City Sales has been instructed to move the 1,311 square metre site on</a>.

Approval is in place for the $65 million residential project in North Melbourne’s evolving Arden Urban Renewal precinct. <a href="/architects/fraser-partners-0">Elenberg Fraser's</a> design for Shiel Street includes 82 one, two and three bedroom apartments over nine levels, supported by 70 basement car parks and an extensive rooftop terrace.

During May Fridcorp founder and director, Paul Fridman said “North Melbourne is a new market for Fridcorp but, together with Daniel Besen and Wingate, we saw an opportunity with the Victorian Planning Authority’s proposed Arden precinct to deliver quality medium-density housing in Melbourne’s inner-ring that will provide long-term investment potential and growth for owner-occupiers and investors."

Fridcorp picked up the North Melbourne site from fellow developer <a href="/developers/samma-property-group">SPEC Property</a> during 2016 and went about reworking the previously permitted design onsite with Elenberg Fraser.

<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/image105_2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="3-15 Shiel Street. Image: 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/image105_2.jpg?itok=40vCl4BK" title="3-15 Shiel Street. Image: Elenberg Fraser" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>3-15 Shiel Street. Image: Elenberg Fraser</figcaption></figure>Also offered for sale is <a href="/developments/abbotsford-vic-3067">Abbotsford's 329 Johnston Street</a>.

The <a href="/architects/fieldwork">Fieldwork-designed</a> application had initially sought a mixed-use outcome incorporating retail, medical suites, offices and 41 serviced apartments in a building veiled in expanded mesh. In order to gain approval the design was trimmed to seven levels, with the serviced apartment component dropped in favour of an increased net leasable area of 6,517 square metres.

Based on a cross laminated timer design, 329 Johnston Street was to have provided a carbon-neutral construction method with an abbreviated construction time frame.

Dubbed <a href="https://329johnston.com/">Sol House</a>, Pirovich describes 329 Johnston Street as "seeking to achieve Passive Haus, giving future occupiers of the building a happier and healthier place to work, rest and play. As part of the new development we are setting the building back at ground level and ceding over 200 square metres of the site to the public realm."

Savills have instead been appointed to market the 1,912 square permit approved corner 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/image112_3.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="329 Johnston Street. Image: Fieldwork"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="386" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image112_3.jpg?itok=iOdx7cKQ" title="329 Johnston Street. Image: Fieldwork" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>329 Johnston Street. Image: Fieldwork</figcaption></figure>Pirovich joins fellow developer <a href="/developers/alpha-14-property-group">Alpha14 Property Group</a> in offering for sale a permitted commercial site within City of Yarra.

Alpha14 Property Group had advanced <a href="/developments/collingwood-vic-3066">Collingwood's 71-93 Gipps Street </a>to construction tender with the intent of beginning construction on the 1,579 square metre site this year. Instead the site and Hayball-designed office building have been listed for sale with Colliers, incorporating an approved net leasable area of 8,426 square metres.

It is likely that the offering of both permitted and prospective office-driven development sites within City of Yarra will increase due to the torrent of commercial applications currently within the municipality.

<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/image111_6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" style="text-align: center;" title="Gipps Street opportunity. Image: Hayball"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image111_6.jpg?itok=guQSDWLm" title="Gipps Street opportunity. Image: Hayball" width="580"></a>

<figure><figcaption>Gipps Street opportunity. Image: Hayball</figcaption></figure>
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Fridcorp and Pirovich opt to drop their respective development opportunities

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Melbourne-based Chapter Group has underlined its aggressive expansion plans by announcing the acquisition of four separate development sites.

In light of the recent launch of the developer's super luxury <a href="/buildings/ukiyo-2-porter-street-prahran">Ukiyo Prahran</a> apartment project, Chapter Group's unveiling of the four new opportunities is a vote of confidence in Melbourne's apartment sector. Covering Fitzroy, Toorak, Windsor and Armadale, the new prospects carry a combined end value in excess of $400 million.

Fitzroy's 411-421 Smith Street shapes as the largest of the quartet, and will be developed in unison with Abacus Property Group and Crema Group.

The Smith Street holding is a renovated two-storey brick complex leased to Kathmandu &amp; Bellroy, with leases through to 2022. Expected is a mixed-use residential, commercial and retail development spanning the roughly 1,800 square metre site and holding an end value in the $100 million range.

<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/image68a.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="411-421 Smith Street. Image: TCI Teneketzis"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="343" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image68a.jpg?itok=vI_ggWwo" title="411-421 Smith Street. Image: TCI Teneketzis" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>411-421 Smith Street. Image: TCI Teneketzis</figcaption></figure>Also on the agenda is a site on Toorak's Malvern Road. Having already partnered with developer Sin Heng Chan on <a href="/buildings/the-springfield-30-springfield-avenue-toorak">The Springfield</a> nearby, the duo have nabbed a 1,450 square metre site at 727-729 Malvern Road with intentions of creating 11 high-end apartments within a build valued at $12 million.

Further sites on Windsor's High Street and Armadale which both run in excess of 2,000 square metres in size are also in the developer's pocket.

According Chapter Group's media statement, the site purchases and intended developments are "congruent with Chapter Group’s vision of providing Melburnians with thoughtful homes that deliver design excellence, outstanding quality and unparalleled liveability. Chapter Group Director Dean Lefkos says " Our aim is to build high-quality projects in super prime locations that will provide residents with long-term gain, as opposed to projects and sites that will simply afford us short-term success.

These suburbs are recognised for their unparalleled lifestyle offering and demonstrated strength in capital growth year on year. Pricing expectations have also favoured within our parameters in recent months with vendors recognising the current environment and more prepared to agree to a reasonable deal."

The quartet of sites is also a boon for K2LD Architects; the practice is responsible for all of Chapter Group's projects to date, and have been nominated as architects for the above sites according to the developer's website.

<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/image70_12.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Ukiyo Prahran hero perspective. Image: Chapter Group"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="338" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image70_12.jpg?itok=fxOFyLgD" title="Ukiyo Prahran hero perspective. Image: Chapter Group" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Ukiyo Prahran hero perspective. Image: Chapter Group</figcaption></figure>In a further sign that Chapter Group is confident in the prospect's of Melbourne's high-end residential sector, Ukiyo Prahran is due to launch its sales campaign.

On the Porter Street, Percy Street and High Street corner, Ukiyo consists of 12 half and full floors apartments, with the top three levels of the ten level building earmarked as penthouses. Ukiyo holds an end value of $40 million and falls into a pocket of Prahran that is seeing a strong level of residential activity, with developers ITUM and SP Setia also pursuing current apartment developments.

Chapter Group's Prahran project also sees retail at ground level plus two full floors dedicated to commercial space.

Ukiyo's living options are split between  2, 3 and 4 bedroom configurations.

<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/image71_8.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Ukiyo Prahran interior. Image: Chapter Group"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="323" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image71_8.jpg?itok=90O-nvFt" title="Ukiyo Prahran interior. Image: Chapter Group" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Ukiyo Prahran interior. Image: Chapter Group</figcaption></figure>
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Chapter Group launches Ukiyo Prahran, adds four new development sites to its portfolio

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Five significant and very distinct projects across Melbourne now share a common link in that they have all called for construction tenders in the past week.

The sporting, commercial, residential and retail developments have a combined construction value in excess of half a billion dollars, with their combined end value comfortably pushing past the billion dollar mark. Further projects of significant size and stature are also currently at construction tender, with the latest five underlining the still robust nature of Melbourne's construction scene.

The five projects expected to become reality are outlined below:

Poly Centre Melbourne

<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/image47_13.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image: Poly Australia"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="880" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image47_13.jpg?itok=-x7Pg9aC" title="Image: Poly Australia" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image: Poly Australia</figcaption></figure>Poly Developments Australia looks set to make good on earlier indications that it would initiate construction of Poly Centre Melbourne at 1000 La Trobe Street this year.

Having appointed agents Colliers International and JLL to land tenants for the 33,000 plus square metre office tower, a construction tender for the development was released yesterday. Both Colliers International and JLL are also handling leasing duties for sister Sydney development, <a href="/developments/sydney-nsw-2000">Poly Centre Sydney</a>.

With approval already in place, architect Woods Bagot looks to have reworked the outer expression of the tower, which would account for a portion of land within the wider Digital Harbour precinct.

Melbourne Park Stage 3

<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/image46_13.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image: NH Architecture and Snøhetta"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image46_13.jpg?itok=pZ12_EOt" title="Image: NH Architecture and Snøhetta" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image: NH Architecture and Snøhetta</figcaption></figure>Announced last year, the third and final stage of Melbourne Park's transformation is due to become reality.

A build value of in excess of $200 million reflects Stage 3's stated of $271.55 million. With Stage 2 works on the new Rod Laver Arena eastern entry pod all but complete, NH Architecture and Snøhetta have jointly conceived the final stage which includes a new multi-purpose 5,000-seat show court/arena, central public terrace, function and media centre, broadcast studios and logistics hub.

Expected to make pedestrian access around the sporting precinct far easier, the works are set to create 600 jobs during construction and underpin thousands more jobs in our tourism and hospitality industry upon completion.

Wills Place

<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/image52_8.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image: Shangyi Property"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="399" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image52_8.jpg?itok=4AykAuNX" title="Image: Shangyi Property" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image: Shangyi Property</figcaption></figure>With a sales campaign that began during mid 2015, Wills Place has the peculiarity of being the project that has spent the longest time in the Apartments.com.au Project Database without advancing to construction.

That though is set to change with a fresh construction tender looking to add the 35 level residential tower component behind a classic 1930’s heritage facade at 17 Wills Street in the northern section of Melbourne's CBD. Shangyi Property is backing the tower with CHT Architects creating the building which is slated to include 200 apartments.

CHT Architects' design replaces an earlier scheme onsite that would have included a unique and substantial void in the tower form for use as an elevated park.

Richmond Plaza

<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/273_20-12-2017_3343_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image: SJB"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="341" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/273_20-12-2017_3343_1.jpg?itok=rIckl0-o" title="Image: SJB" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image: SJB</figcaption></figure>The long approved Richmond Plaza redevelopment has sparked to life with Coles Group Developments initiating a construction tender.

Coles is already undertaking a mass redevelopment of their <a href="/new-apartments/the-mark-441-glen-huntly-road-elsternwick">Elsternwick location</a>, with Richmond now poised to follow. Approximately 300 apartments are included within the SJB-designed scheme, as is commercial space and in excess of 7,000 square metres of retail opportunity.

The ground plane of the sprawling site will be opened via the inclusion a series of laneways and new access points.

Prospect Apartments

<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/image55_12.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Image: Hayball"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="734" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image55_12.jpg?itok=ATkNtVlR" title="Image: Hayball" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image: Hayball</figcaption></figure>Irrepressible Box Hill is also due for another major residential tower as R&amp;F Property Australia initiates a tender for the delivery of Prospect Apartments.

Having secured the site with a permit in place, the Chinese-backed developer went about reworking the project as evidenced by new architect Hayball's tower above. As many as 193 apartments are included within the 25 storey tower, with 2,860 square metres of predominantly office space accounting for the podium levels.

R&amp;F Property Australia's move on their Box Hill site follows on quickly from the launch of the first stage of Footscray's <a href="/buildings/live-city-124-188-ballarat-road-footscray">Live City</a>; that development will yield as many as 1,500 apartments for the developer.
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Billions worth of new construction activity beckons for Melbourne

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Construction works on Western Sydney University's new purpose-built vertical campus in Liverpool wrapped up in the second quarter of 2018. The 10-storey build at 100 Macquarie Street was undertaken by Binah Constructions and can now accommodate thousands of students over the course of an academic year.

The latest in a national shift toward vertical education facilities, Western Sydney University's project was a joint design effort between Mosca Pserras Architects and Woods Bagot.

Part of the University’s ‘Western Growth’ initiative, 100 Macquarie Street is located within the fastest growing area in the Sydney region. In addition to providing learning outcomes, the 16,820 square metre facility will also providing opportunities for local enterprise and institutions to grow in conjunction with the university.

The weekend passed saw Western Sydney University hold an open day onsite, showcasing 100 Macquarie Street's focus on nursing, social sciences, social work, anthropology, community welfare, criminology and policing programs.  Learning spaces are also intertwined with ancillary facilities such as a library, student hub, symposium space and student services area.

<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/image36_6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="100 Macquarie Street in an evening glow. Image: Woods Bagot"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="423" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image36_6.jpg?itok=56nPeAyA" title="100 Macquarie Street in an evening glow. Image: Woods Bagot" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>100 Macquarie Street in an evening glow. Image: Trevor Mein</figcaption></figure>Whilst Mosca Pserras Architects provided base building design input, Woods Bagot were tasked with creating a wider brief and subsequent interior design that "exemplifies a blended learning approach through a highly connected and collaborative environment, delivering a dynamic and brand-aligned City Campus for 2,500 students."

As Woods Bagot’s regional Education sector leader, Alan J Duffy provided in depth commentary on the new Liverpool landmark.

<blockquote>
The design delivers a vertical campus building that both enables and exemplifies creativity, choice and critical thinking for the next generation of social science and nursing and midwifery graduates.

Now that the building is open and in use, it is a privilege as designers to see the students using the space in a way that actually extends how it was intended – customising and using space in their own way.

Just as the Georges River connected communities over time in the Liverpool catchment area, the internal stairs connect campus occupants between floors, encouraging interaction and collaboration. The meandering activity along the bold, vibrantly red stair will be visible from the streetscape, exemplifying the idea of learning on display and creating positive presence.

This is a world-leading campus for Liverpool that not only gives our students an enriching and unparalleled learning experience, but one that is embedded in the economic, social and civic life of the city.
</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/image37_11.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The signature red staircase. Image: Woods Bagot"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="870" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image37_11.jpg?itok=qojA9mSg" title="The signature red staircase. Image: Woods Bagot" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The signature red staircase. Image: Trevor Mein</figcaption></figure>Woods Bagot's wider design concept for the new campus centered around the idea of “connectography”, the melding of globally-minded, technology-driven “connectivity” with that of “geography”, which in 100 Macquarie Street's case references the location of Liverpool and its relationship back to the City.

This notion of connectography permeates the design, with organic forms and circulation pathways key design focuses. Each floor contains flexible learning spaces, connected via a distinctive and voids which form a continuous meandering vertical link; this in turn encourages informal meetings and social congregation. 

The project's most visible design feature is the fire engine red angular staircase which sits directly behind the transparent double glazed facade. The stair in part emphasises the vertical nature of the design where "the community can visually connect with the internal activities occurring in the building." 

Wood Bagot's all-encompassing design approach extends to the ground plane where further flexible spaces can accommodate orientation days, public announcements, industry presentations and pop-up events, in turn fostering greater engagement with the community .

<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/image38_11.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Facility in use. Image: Trevor Mein"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image38_11.jpg?itok=OO1qPz8n" title="Facility in use. Image: Trevor Mein" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Facility in use. Image: Trevor Mein</figcaption></figure>
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Profiling Woods Bagot's role in Western Sydney University's new Liverpool campus

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Gold Coast's latest tower in waiting could provide future residents with ultimate flexibility.

Britannia Ave Project Pty Ltd is pushing for dual land use recognition for 36-38 Brittania Avenue, Broadbeach, allowing the project to be considered as both as a typical residential development and as a short-term accommodation development. Applied to each of the tower's 88 apartments, the dual recognition would effectively allow future buyers ownership of their given apartment(s) plus the sanctioned flexibility to offer the property for short and medium-term leasing.

The bid to secure two residential land uses for the tower is opposed to having "the building operate as a traditional ‘hotel’ style development." 

Dubbed Encore Broadbeach, 36-38 Brittania Avenue's apartment mix consists of 22 three bedroom and 66 two bedroom apartments. Spanning 25 storeys, the 88 apartments incorporate some 198 bedrooms, with 96 car parking spaces to service the 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/image26_11.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Broadbeach's latest addition by HHH Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="1053" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image26_11.jpg?itok=Pk9gBtxm" title="Broadbeach's latest addition by HHH Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Broadbeach's latest addition by HHH Architects</figcaption></figure>Design duties fell to Hamilton Hayes Henderson Architects for the 1,214 square metre site.

Reflective of the likelihood that a proportion of dwellings will always be in use as short stay accommodation, 36-38 Brittania Avenue is laden with amenities. Across podium levels two and three, communal features include a pool, residents’ lounge, reading terrace, gym, multiple formal dining areas, a trio of  BBQ areas, yoga lawn and landscaped areas over both levels.

From an overall design perspective, Hamilton Hayes Henderson Architects considers the tower as unique and almost ethereal. "The tower form sits above the lower floors like an extra-terrestrail object - a colourless minimalist abstracted repetitive form above a coloured complex decorative three storey building.

The simple 'black' and 'white' form visible against the sky can be read as a continuous white ribbon that climbs around the dark glass pillar."

<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_19.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Aerial overview of the Brittania Avenue site"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="374" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image29_19.jpg?itok=vt8cDBUJ" title="Aerial overview of the Brittania Avenue site" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Aerial overview of the Brittania Avenue site</figcaption></figure>Submitted with Gold Coast City Council only last week, 36-38 Brittania Avenue is the latest in a string of residential towers to hit planning within the municipality of late. Last week Apartments.com.au <a href="/news/bassar-group-to-test-broadbeachs-luxury-apartment-market-depth">reported on developer Bassar Group's bid</a> to add to Broadbeach's skyline with a luxury residential tower, and <a href="/news/pointcorp-adds-a-luxury-burleigh-heads-project-to-its-boom-portfolio">Pointcorp's push to realise a mid-rise tower</a> in Burleigh Heads.

The upswing in planning submissions for high density residential projects in locations such as Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, Southport and Burleigh Heads is reflective of the confidence in which developers are currently eyeing the Gold Coast region.

A decision on the merits of Britannia Ave Project Pty Ltd's application is expected during November.
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Dual purpose on Broadbeach; Gold Coast's latest tower unveiled

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

Joel Robinson

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

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

Billbergia, Metrics, approved for $3.5 billion Sydney skyscrapers

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

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

For more than three decades, Hyecorp has been delivering residential projects across Sydney's Lower North Shore, building a portfolio centred on design-led apartment living in some of the city's most established neighbourhoods.

Hyecorp recently launched the latest in its long line of apartment developments, Celine, a 29-storey tower on Archer Street in Chatswood. Like the majority of the developer's projects, Celine caters to a broad buyer demographic, offering a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments, all designed with owner-occupiers in mind.

Functionality and flexibility are often buzzwords in the new apartment market, but they sit at the core of Hyecorp's design philosophy.

Hyecorp Joint Managing Director Stephen Abolakian says the developer understands it isn't designing apartments for today's needs alone, but for how buyers will live several years into the future.

"When we launch our projects we need to be aware that these developments aren't finished for several years," Abolakian says.

"That home office in the here and now might be a nursery by the time the project completes for a prospective buyer, so we need to think about how the apartment spaces function for future uses so there's longevity in the ownership."

Celine's architects, Fuse, followed the same philosophy, saying the design extends well beyond aesthetics.

"Celine focuses on timeless architectural form and functionality, with a strong emphasis on light, proportion and materiality. The design responds to the urban context of Chatswood while delivering calm, highly liveable interiors that feel both contemporary and enduring. The floorplans have been carefully resolved to maximise usability and outperform typical market offerings in terms of efficiency and liveability."

Most apartments incorporate multipurpose rooms designed for flexibility. Each includes an integrated desk and a standard Murphy pull-down single bed, allowing the space to transition from a home office or study to guest accommodation as needs change. The layouts have also been designed to maximise natural light, storage and overall functionality.

One and two-bedroom apartments feature Miele appliances, while three and four-bedroom residences are appointed with integrated Gaggenau appliances and Taj Mahal stone benchtops.

Buyers who purchase early in the construction process can also take advantage of Hyecorp's "Live Your Way" interior design service, allowing them to personalise finishes and tailor elements of their home to suit their own lifestyle. It's a feature designed to appeal to owner-occupiers who want their apartment to feel uniquely theirs from the day they move in.

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While flexible floorplans have become a hallmark of Hyecorp's apartment design, the developer has also continued to place significant emphasis on resident amenity.

As buyers increasingly expect more from apartment living, shared spaces have evolved beyond a gym and barbecue area. They are now an extension of the home, providing spaces to relax, exercise, entertain and connect with neighbours.

At Celine, the resident amenity has been designed with a focus on wellness, centred on the level six podium. An infinity-edge swimming pool, spa, sauna and fully equipped gym are complemented by barbecue facilities and a residents' lounge, creating a range of spaces for relaxation, recreation and social connection above the streets of Chatswood.

Practical conveniences have also been integrated throughout the building, including EV charging provisions, smart parcel lockers, bicycle storage, a pet wash station and dedicated car wash bays, reflecting the project's focus on making everyday living as seamless as possible.

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"Celine has been designed to deliver a refined residential experience that reflects the evolution of Chatswood into a premium urban centre,"&nbsp;Abolakian says.

"With over 30 years of experience delivering projects across Sydney's Lower North Shore, Hyecorp brings a deep understanding of what local buyers value. Every detail has been considered to balance luxury, functionality and long-term liveability. This is not just about apartments, but about creating a lasting residential address for discerning buyers."

Hyecorp, vertically-integrated builder-developer, is anticipating construction commencement later this year.

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Mark Baljak

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