Repeat buyers are one of the strongest measures of confidence in any apartment development.

At <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/era-newcastle-west-124-126-bull-street-newcastle-west-nsw-2302">ERA</a> in Newcastle West, some purchasers are returning to <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/gwh">GWH</a> after living at the developer's One Apartments. Their decision to purchase again was driven by the quality of life they found after moving into their first GWH home.

Keith Wilton had spent years living in a house in East Maitland before deciding it was time for a change. Apartment living had always been on his radar, but he was selective about what he wanted.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FH_1EzB-1vs?si=XScVlP1ERsTDJoME" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

"I had some boxes I wanted to tick," he says.

Keith points to the open-plan design, generous outdoor areas and considered inclusions as key reasons One Apartments worked for him.

“One of those things was a nice indoor open plan area, but also I wanted a nice outdoor open area that I could entertain on in summer or Christmases or birthdays,” he says.

He also found value in the smaller details, from integrated appliances to shared resident spaces including the pool, cinema and rooftop areas.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356818]

After comparing several developments, he chose One Apartments because of GWH's longstanding local reputation and his own experience working with the developer on a commercial project more than a decade earlier.

"I knew that they were local, that the quality of the build was going to be up there. I'd looked at other apartment complexes around and close by, and I just knew that here was a better decision location wise."

Today, Keith says the move has completely changed how he experiences Newcastle.

"I enjoy living in this location because it's more of a lifestyle change. That Newcastle city living where you can walk to restaurants and bars and even beaches and parks and even shopping across the road."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356828]

Beyond the location, he says it's the sense of community that has surprised him most.

"Everyone loves living here because they chose to live here, but everyone looks out for each other. It's a real great community feel here."

For Aimee and Lyle Goodman, the journey started almost by chance.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tsioMLcnjas?si=zq-ys3JuWpfa5hFv" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

The couple happened to be having coffee in Newcastle when they noticed the site where One Apartments was about to begin construction.

"We were aware GWH was planning a development," Aimee says. "We made one phone call and things moved pretty quickly after that."

As busy business owners, they initially thought apartment living would simply reduce the maintenance that came with larger homes. Instead, it fundamentally changed how they spent time together.

"We actually catch up more as a family now," Aimee says.

"We've had homes with big yards and lots of space, but everyone ended up in different rooms. Here we'll have dinner together, the kids can play, and we spend far more quality time together."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356829]

Lyle says their confidence came from GWH's reputation within Newcastle's building industry.

"I know people who've worked across different apartment projects, and whenever GWH came up the feedback was always the same. They're rock solid. They're quality."

That confidence only grew throughout the buying process.

"One of the things that really impressed us with GWH was the whole process, was the communication," Lyle says. "It was consistent, it was regular, there was no problem if we had some weird questions, there was no problems in getting answers."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=351104]

Aimee says one moment stood out.

"The project actually finished on time. We realised we needed to hurry up and sell our house because everything was happening exactly when they said it would."

The positive experience at One Apartments ultimately gave all three buyers the confidence to purchase again with GWH, this time at ERA.

Their confidence reflects what many buyers are seeking in today's apartment market. Location remains important, but so too does certainty around delivery, quality and long-term liveability.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356822]

ERA builds on those foundations with 280 one, two and three-bedroom apartments across two landmark towers in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/newcastle-west-nsw-2302">Newcastle West</a>.&nbsp;

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/fk-australia">Fender Katsalidis</a>, the project will include more than 2,000 square metres of resident amenities, including a resort-style pool, gym, sauna, private cinema and rooftop entertaining spaces overlooking the harbour and coastline.&nbsp;

The development is also within walking distance of the Newcastle Interchange, Honeysuckle, Darby Street, the harbour foreshore, restaurants, retail and the city’s beaches, continuing the walkable lifestyle that existing GWH buyers say has transformed how they live.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=356826]

For Keith, the appeal remains straightforward.

"You feel at home even before you've moved into your home."

For Aimee, the change is measured in time.

“I just felt like I had more time,” she says.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135096 project_image_fid=351102]

Construction at ERA is now underway, with more than half of the residences already sold and limited two and three-bedroom apartments remaining in the East Tower release. Priced from $980,000 for two-bedroom residences and $1.46 million for three-bedroom residences, buyers can secure an apartment with a 10 per cent deposit, with premium homes offering ocean views from Level 8 and harbour views from Level 10.

ERA is also backed by Resilience Insurance's 10-year Latent Defects Insurance policy, providing protection against structural or waterproofing defects for 10 years after completion. The project is anticipated to be completed in early 2028.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=135096]

Joel Robinson

From ONE to ERA: Why buyers are choosing GWH again in Newcastle West

Virgate Property Group is preparing to commence construction of Verdé, its new apartment development in Melbourne's Arts Precinct at Southbank, following a strong run of sales that has seen more than half of the project's 173 apartments secured.

Verdé has attracted a broad mix of first home buyers, owner-occupiers upgrading from nearby inner-city suburbs and investors, with younger owner-occupier couples aged between 28 and 45 accounting for the strongest enquiry. Many are already living in Southbank, South Melbourne, Albert Park, Port Melbourne, South Yarra and the CBD.

"Verdé is located in one of the most desirable pockets of southern Melbourne," Blair Property Group Director Darren Blair, who is managing sales at Verdé, said.

"It's within walking distance of the Arts Centre, Royal Botanic Gardens, Albert Park Lake, and Southbank's restaurants and retail. It's a great lifestyle location with strong amenity and liveability, which made it a very attractive choice for the project."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=4661 project_image_fid=372549]

Virgate was already familiar with the precinct, having previously delivered the successful Domain House development in neighbouring South Melbourne. That experience gave the developer confidence to acquire the Coventry Street site and continue expanding its presence in Melbourne's inner south.

"We had been keeping an eye on the site and the broader precinct for a few months before deciding to move forward with the acquisition," Virgate said.

The project was ultimately secured in 2020 following feasibility studies, planning assessments and due diligence, with the brief centred on delivering "a high-quality, considered design that feels both refined and fit for purpose."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=4661 project_image_fid=314259]

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/bruce-henderson-architects">Bruce Henderson Architects</a>, Verdé comprises 173 one, two and three-bedroom apartments priced from $599,000. The architecture is distinguished by a faceted glass façade that responds to both the site's outlook and Melbourne's changing light conditions.

According to Bruce Henderson Architects, the coloured glazing gives the building a distinctive identity while also providing privacy and solar shading, with residences oriented to capture views across the bay, city skyline and surrounding parklands.

Inside, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/designoffice">DesignOffice</a> has created interiors focused on natural light, efficient planning and enduring materials. Apartments feature engineered oak flooring, natural stone benchtops, floor-to-ceiling glazing and SMEG appliances, while a restrained material palette aims to complement the expansive outlooks rather than compete with them.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=4661 project_image_fid=372550]

Resident amenity has also been designed around everyday functionality rather than occasional use. Facilities include a concierge-serviced lobby, residents' lounge with fireplace, library and co-working space, gym, terrace garden with barbecue facilities, ground-floor café, and package delivery management.

The project's location continues to be one of its strongest drawcards. Positioned on Coventry Street, Verdé sits within walking distance of the National Gallery of Victoria, Arts Centre Melbourne, Royal Botanic Gardens and Albert Park Lake, while Southbank's dining precinct, Sturt Street trams and the new ANZAC Station are all nearby. The surrounding education catchment also includes Melbourne Grammar, Melbourne Girls Grammar, Mac.Robertson Girls' High School and several major university campuses.

The sales team says buyers have responded particularly well to the combination of location, design quality and long-term liveability.

"They're responding really positively to the quality of the design, premium resident amenities and the uninterrupted views. Many also appreciate the location and how connected it is to everything they need."

The ability to secure stamp duty savings before completion has also been a key factor for purchasers, alongside the opportunity to personalise finishes ahead of settlement.

With construction set to commence soon and more than half the apartments already sold, Verdé enters its next phase as one of the Arts Precinct's more established apartment developments, offering remaining buyers an opportunity to secure a residence before construction advances further. Expected completion is scheduled for late 2027.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=4661]

Virgate's Verdé Southbank moves toward construction as sales fly past halfway stage

Downsizer-focused apartment development Kooyongkoot in Hawthorn has been recognised at the 2026 Better Future Melbourne Design Awards, taking home Gold and Silver awards in two categories.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kooyongkoot-hawthorn-1-kooyongkoot-road-hawthorn-vic-3122">Kooyongkoot</a>, currently being delivered by developer PQD and designed by Cera Stribley, received Gold in the Interior Design – Proposed category and Silver in the Architecture – Proposed category.

The dual recognition reflects the design approach behind the boutique development on prestigious Kooyongkoot Road, where the focus has been on creating homes for downsizers seeking the space, quality and functionality of a detached house within a low-rise apartment building.

Rather than maximising apartment numbers, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/pqd">PQD</a> and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cera-stribley-architects">Cera Stribley</a> limited the development to just 18 residences, allowing for larger floorplans, greater privacy, generous landscaping and expansive communal spaces.&nbsp;The majority of the apartments also benefit from corner aspects, allowing for dual sources of natural light.

Now around 70 per cent complete and on track for completion in November 2026, Kooyongkoot will comprise a mix of garden residences, ter​race apartments, sub-penthouses, and is crowned by two half-floor penthouses with direct lift access and private rooftop terraces.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=102717 project_image_fid=355297]

The Silver Award for Architecture recognised the way the building responds to its prominent corner position at the ent​rance to Hawthorn's Scotch Hill precinct, one of Melbourne's most established residential neighbourhoods.

Rather than competing with the grand homes that line Kooyongkoot Road, the architectural approach focused on restraint and longevity, using curved brickwork, generous landscaping and carefully considered proportions to integrate with the existing streetscape.

"The form feels fluid and timeless, as though shaped by the landscape itself – architecture that belongs, rather than competes," said Chris Stribley, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Cera Stribley.

The judging submission also highlighted practical innovations throughout the building, including lift cores servicing only nine homes each, a central landscaped lightcourt designed to bring daylight and ventilation into the building, and fully enclosed private storage rooms with lighting, power and shelving to better accommodate residents transitioning from larger family homes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=102717 project_image_fid=355293]

The Gold Award for Interior Design recognised the project's focus on long-term liveability rather than display-home aesthetics.

According to the awards submission, the interiors were designed from the inside out, prioritising how homes would function over decades of daily use through generous proportions, practical storage, durable natural materials and flexible layouts.

The specification includes natural stone throughout, upgraded acoustic glazing, V-ZUG appliances and fully enclosed storage rooms, alongside an amenity offering focused on wellness, entertainment and everyday convenience.&nbsp;

Residents will have access to a gym and yoga studio, a wellness centre featuring traditional and infrared saunas, a cold therapy shower and treatment room, as well as a residents' lounge and golf simulator/cinema room for entertainment.&nbsp;Kooyongkoot has also considered the everyday convenience of its residents by offering a private carwash and pet wash facilities on site as well as dedicated parcel lockers and oversized fully enclosed storage rooms.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=102717 project_image_fid=355303]

The project's attention to detail has already resonated with buyers. Earlier this year, Kooyongkoot recorded one of Boroondara's highest apartment sales when an $8 million penthouse was purchased by a Melbourne CEO downsizing from a nearby family home.

"Every detail feels deliberate, from the overall design down to the smallest touches," the purchaser said.

"The level of quality and refinement is exceptional, but what really sold it was how liveable it felt... It felt like a place where everything had been considered, not just a luxury building."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=102717 project_image_fid=355304]

Sustainability also formed a key part of both award submissions. Kooyongkoot is targeting a minimum 7.5-star NatHERS rating across all residences, supported by passive design principles, high-performance glazing, EV charging infrastructure, water reuse systems and a wellness model focused on lower-energy dry facilities rather than pools and large wet areas.

Located within walking distance of Scotch College, Methodist Ladies' College, Koo​yong Lawn Tennis Club, Aubur​n Village and Camberwell Junction, Kooyongkoot continues to target owner-occupiers looking to remain in Melbourne's inner east without compromising on space or quality. A limited selection of two, three and four-bedroom residences remains available, with prices starting from $1.9 million.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=102717]

Kooyongkoot wins Gold and Silver at Better Future Melbourne Design Awards

New apartment supply has become increasingly constrained across <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/parramatta-nsw-2150">Parramatta</a> in recent years, with fewer projects progressing through to completion as development conditions have become more challenging.

It makes <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/novm">NOVM</a>'s 2021-completed <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/the-lennox-parramatta-12-phillip-street-parramatta-nsw-2150">The Lennox</a> one of the most recently completed residential towers on the Parramatta River, and among the newest apartment developments in Sydney's second CBD.

With the project largely completed before the sharp escalation in construction costs and inflation following the pandemic, The Lennox is now offering pricing that would be difficult to replicate in a comparable new development in Parramatta today, or across much of Western Sydney.

The majority of the 413 apartments at The Lennox sold before and shortly after completion. A limited release of the remaining apartments has recently been brought to market by capital partner <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/equitifund-group">Equitifund</a>, with entry-level pricing from $700,000 and two-bedroom apartments available from under $1 million.

Rising above the Parramatta River at 12 Phillip Street, The Lennox comprises one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments, appealing to first home buyers, young professionals, families, downsizers and interstate investors seeking a completed apartment in one of Australia's fastest-growing economic centres.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5743 project_image_fid=372394]

Rather than positioning Parramatta as an alternative to Sydney's CBD, Equitifund believes the city has reached a point where it stands on its own merits.

"Parramatta is no longer simply an alternative to Sydney CBD, it's becoming a destination in its own right," Equitifund Executive Chairman Greg Huxley said.

"The Lennox captures that evolution with a level of quality and amenity that's difficult to match at its price point."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5743 project_image_fid=953]

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/marchese-partners">Marchese Partners</a>, the tower responds directly to its riverfront setting through expansive glazing and open-plan layouts that maximise views across the Parramatta River and city skyline. Interiors feature engineered timber flooring, stone benchtops, stainless steel appliances and floor-to-ceiling glazing, while generous balconies extend the living spaces outdoors.

Marchese Partners says the project was conceived to balance high-quality apartment living with practical, long-term functionality, pairing larger, efficient floorplans with amenities more commonly associated with five-star hotels.

That emphasis continues through the resident facilities, which include a 20-metre rooftop swimming pool, fully equipped gym and wellness spaces, full-time concierge, a residents' lounge, function room, private lifts, secure basement parking and rooftop communal areas overlooking the Parramatta River. Ground-floor boardwalk retail and dining further activate the riverfront and integrate the building into the surrounding public realm.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5743 project_image_fid=925]

Australian housing and finance group Equitifund has secured the remaining apartments, believing there are few completed apartment opportunities in Parramatta that offer the same combination of location, amenity and pricing.

Equitifund National Sales Director Ben Hamblett says buyers are increasingly recognising that premium apartment living no longer needs to come with Sydney CBD pricing.

"The Lennox is where aspirational living becomes attainable," Hamblett said.

"Wake to river and mountain views, step into Sydney's Second CBD, and arrive home to resort-calibre amenities, all without the harbour price tag."

Hamblett says owner-occupiers are also attracted by the convenience of having Westfield Parramatta, Church Street's dining precinct, Parramatta Park, Riverside Theatres, Western Sydney University and major transport connections all within walking distance.

"At The Lennox, lifestyle is not an afterthought, it is the foundation."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5743 project_image_fid=5374]

The Lennox places residents within walking distance of Parramatta Square, Westfield Parramatta, Church Street Eat Street, Parramatta Station, the ferry wharf, Light Rail, the future Sydney Metro West, Parramatta Park and CommBank Stadium, reinforcing Parramatta's position as one of Australia's most connected metropolitan centres outside Sydney's CBD.

Equitifund says buyers visiting the display suite consistently comment on the quality of the finishes, generous floorplans, river and skyline views, and the walkability of the location. The project has attracted a broad mix of local professionals, upsizers, downsizers, buyers relocating from Sydney's inner suburbs and interstate investors seeking long-term growth opportunities.

That demand aligns with Parramatta's continued evolution as an economic powerhouse. Equitifund Research and Market Insights specialist John Bekiaris says sustained population growth, infrastructure investment and expanding employment opportunities continue to support long-term housing demand across the city.

"Parramatta has evolved from a satellite city into one of Australia's most important economic centres. Population growth, infrastructure investment and employment are all supporting sustained long-term housing demand."

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=5743]

The apartment price gap drawing Sydney buyers west

A luxury beachfront apartment at Rainbow Bay has more than doubled in value since it sold off the plan six years ago, setting a new local apartment record in the process.

The three-bedroom apartment in the Flow development on Petrie Street, the first of four new projects locally by Paul Gedoun's S&amp;S Projects, has sold for $7.4 million, after originally selling for $3.27 million when the project launched in 2020.

The seventh-floor apartment, comprising 187 sqm of internal living space and a 54 sqm balcony overlooking Froggies Beach and Snapper Rocks, was purchased by a local family.

The transaction was negotiated by Pezet Matheson director Kerry Pezet and equates to more than $30,000 per sqm.

Pezet said the sale reflected the limited opportunities to buy into the boutique beachfront development.

"The sale highlights the rarity of opportunities within the boutique beachfront development, where residences seldom become available," Pezet said.

"Flow is one of the Gold Coast's most tightly held buildings. Buyers from our database move quickly when residences become available, and achieving an off-market sale at $7.4 million demonstrates the depth of demand for property of this calibre."

<img alt="Flow" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c585b206-2130-4eee-a50c-3f27c51a7c70" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-06%20at%208.33.25%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=m3pHRDV62Y3fvN.XQuQHq.52ilTWpRLf" />

Flow was the first of four luxury apartment developments delivered by Paul Gedoun's S&amp;S Projects at Rainbow Bay and was completed in 2023.

Positioned on the beachfront overlooking Snapper Rocks, the residence includes three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a powder room and views stretching north along the coastline towards Surfers Paradise.

Pezet Matheson Residential principal Mitchell Lambert said buyers continued to prioritise quality beachfront apartments in tightly held locations.

"Flow Residences offers a rare combination of elevated beachfront positioning, architectural excellence, comprehensive resident amenity and premium finishes, which is exactly what discerning purchasers are seeking," Lambert said.

"The transaction further reinforces Rainbow Bay's reputation as one of Australia's premier coastal lifestyle destinations, where limited supply and growing demand continue to support strong market performance."

Pezet Matheson originally marketed and sold out Flow off the plan, making the latest transaction a return to one of the project's original buyers.

Paul Gedoun is selling his third project, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/radia-rainbow-bay-271-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Radia Rainbow Bay</a>, after recently completing, and selling out, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/esprit-217-227-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Esprit</a>. He has plans for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/first-look-s-s-projects-proposes-88-apartment-wellness-tower-at-coolangattas-boundary-street">fourth building</a>, 88 apartments on <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/209-213-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Boundary Street</a>.

Rainbow Bay apartment doubles in price since off the plan sale during pandemic

Bates Smart

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

Laurence Dragomir

Behind the facade: 161 Collins Street

<html><body>
The wraps are off Cbus Property's latest high-end residential addition for Melbourne's Spring Street.

Across 13-23 Spring Street, the project is being referred to as 17 Spring Street. Designed by Bates Smart, the tower has similar design overtones to the East Melbourne-based design office's <a href="http://www.cbusproperty.com.au/properties/35-spring-street-melbourne">35 Spring Street</a>, whilst also referencing the neighbouring 1 Spring Street.

Cbus Property's development application went to planning during April with an eye toward creating another elite apartment building overlooking Fiztroy Gardens.

The 33-storey tower reportedly includes 6 one, 24 two and 48 three bedroom apartments. In choosing a sparse apartment spread, Cbus Property is set to chase high-end buyers with apartment sizes ranging between 133 square metres and 207 square metres.

The balance of dwellings constitute the tower's premium offerings.

<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/17_spring_01.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Spring Street's latest addition. Image: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="869" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/17_spring_01.png?itok=b1PwOlY5" title="Spring Street's latest addition. Image: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Spring Street's latest addition. Image: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>Now home to a modest Mercure Melbourne Treasury Gardens, Cbus Property nabbed the site last year for approximately $70 million. With the pedigree residential tower in the works, AccorHotels will need to find a new location for its Mercure brand.

Incidentally, the hotel group announced in recent days the addition of <a href="/news/2018/07/30/mercure-hotels-adds-four-new-locations-across-australia">four new Mercure locations in Australia</a>, with the Doncaster Hill precinct set to gain a maiden hotel development.

The addition of 17 Spring Street has boosted Cbus Property's national presence in the Apartments.com.au Project Database to 13, headed by significant Melbourne-based projects such as <a href="/buildings/collins-arch-447-collins-street-melbourne">Collins Arch</a>, <a href="/buildings/holme-apartments-68-cambridge-st-collingwood">Holme Apartments</a> and <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic-3000">311 Spencer Street</a>.

<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_7.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Golden Age's 85 Spring Street is nearing a start"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="266" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image86_7.jpg?itok=KapeeCnQ" title="Golden Age's 85 Spring Street is nearing a start" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Golden Age's 85 Spring Street is nearing a start</figcaption></figure>Meanwhile, the drawn-out development push for 85 Spring Street has reached a significant marker with a fresh construction tender issued for the $500 million mixed-use development.

Developer Golden Age Group is backing the project after Grocon reportedly chose to onsell the site in the face of strong unsolicited developer interest. The tender carries a construction value in excess of $200 million for the mixed-use Bates Smart-designed tower.

Costing Golden Age Group $75 million to secure, the 39 storey tower includes 138 apartments and a hotel component. Under a deal struck late last year the developer and Starwood Capital Group will jointly manage the hotel component which includes 250 hotel suites plus amenities such as a bar, restaurants, conference rooms and a gym.

The hotel is tentatively slated to open in 2020, likely leading to a construction start this calendar year.
</body></html>

silvermb

Spring Street's double dose of development news

<html><body>
In a first for Apartments.com.au, the subject of this article is a new Westin branded hotel not for Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide or even Perth. Instead, the Bates Smart-designed Westin will be developed in the Northern Territory's capital city Darwin.

Located right on the waterfront, the hotel has been designed to form important and meaningful connections between the city and the water, with the dual aim of enhancing the precinct and providing a gateway to the natural wonders of the Northern Territory beyond.

According to architects Bates Smart, the vision for the Westin Darwin Hotel is "the creation of an iconic tropical hotel that embodies the rich natural and cultural heritage of the location."

<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/m12069_n4_webview.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Westin Darwin Hotel. Image: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/m12069_n4_webview.jpg?itok=8dgdrN8d" title="The Westin Darwin Hotel. Image: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Westin Darwin Hotel. Image: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>The design team studied the geographic story of the site, the historic context and the requirements of the climate, with the design response producing a curved form which references the layered histories of the waterfront. This embeds the hotel with a strong sense of place and a response to its context.

<blockquote>
The lower levels are inspired by the nearby rock formations and capture the spirit of the local landscape through the use of natural stone, complemented with lush landscaping and water features.

Areas for rest and reflection are aided by verandas and breeze ways which respond to the tropical environment, but also reference the heritage buildings within Darwin.

The upper levels of the hotel are inspired by tree canopies. Dark metal and timber screens create dappled patterns of light, but also provide valuable shading for the humid temperature.

Importantly, the design incorporates a seawall which is designed to protect the hotel from significant weather events and cyclonic wave activity, but that at the same time provides a generous pedestrian path and access to the waterfront for the local community.

- Bates Smart
</blockquote>

A garden restaurant and bar provides patrons with an authentic Northern Territory dining experience, supported by a rooftop garden accommodating additional restaurant facilities, and infinity pool providing expansive views over the waterfront. The hotel's rooftop can be accessed via a skywalk from Goyder Park.

Additionally, the hotel includes a diverse range of function and conference facilities with new spaces for events for Darwin locals and visitors.

High-quality materials and detailing have been provided throughout the interiors complemented by a neutral palette of soft tonal textured finishes which add a tactile quality to the spaces.

<blockquote>
Our intention is for the hotel to embody the spirit of Darwin, the land and nature and to create an identity that is uniquely connected to the Northern Territory.

- Cian Davis, Bates Smart Studio Director
</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/m12069_n10_webview.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Westin Darwin Hotel will be located right on the waterfront. Image: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/m12069_n10_webview.jpg?itok=KPl-tPVL" title="Westin Darwin Hotel will be located right on the waterfront. Image: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Westin Darwin Hotel will be located right on the waterfront. Image: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>The design of the Westin Darwin Hotel will achieve the following:

<ul>
<li>Iconic tropical hotel that embodies the rich natural and cultural heritage of the location.</li>
	<li>Connects the city and the water, enhancing the waterfront precinct.</li>
	<li>A generous pedestrian path provides access to the waterfront for the local community.</li>
	<li>The design references the historic context and the requirements of the climate.</li>
	<li>The hotel offers tropical luxury with beautiful rooms and iconic dining offerings.</li>
	<li>A diverse range of function and conference facilities provides the people of Darwin with new spaces for events.</li>
</ul>
</body></html>

Bates Smart designs new Westin for Australia's top end

<html><body>
Following the introduction of new planning and density controls in Melbourne's Central City Zone last year, architeePlan Melbourne forecasts Melbourne's population to hit 10 million by 2051, carrying with it an additional 1.5 million jobs that need to be accommodated within an increasingly changing workforce. This has spurred the demand for both new commercial stock and the revitalisation of older commercial developments with Melbourne City Council’s data showing that 25 buildings are currently under construction within the Hoddle Grid.

Urban.com.au spoke to <a href="/architects/bates-smart">Bates Smart</a> Director Julian Anderson, who shared his insights into the impacts of Victorian planning controls on the future of the city’s commercial opportunities.

Despite the best of intentions, says Anderson the planning controls that were introduced last year relating to the permissible size of developments in the <a href="/new-apartments/melbourne-vic">CBD</a> and <a href="/new-apartments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank</a> are having a significant impact on Melbourne’s skyline. The controls were brought in to arrest construction of a wave of residential towers on the north and western edges of the city — towers that "display little regard for liveability for their inhabitants or the public." 

The Victorian Government’s intention is to “provide improved public amenity and deliver consistency and certainty that will ensure our city grows in a way that enhances all that make it the world’s most liveable city”.

The aspirations are laudable, says Anderson particularly in light of recent developments completed in the CBD which have been up to four times larger than the new controls would allow under a 18:1 plot ratio. In basic terms, the new provisions allow a maximum of 18 square metres of floor area to be developed for every square metre of site area. For example, a 2,000 sqm site can deliver a maximum of 36,000 sqm of floor area. More floor area will be permissable if additional public or strategic benefit is provided such as public open space, affordable housing or commercial office space.

One unintended outcome however, notes Anderson, has been the impact on the viability of commercial office towers, not with respect to height but rather when applying the setbacks required under the controls. This lead to Bates Smart undertaking the assessment of sites within the Hoddle Grid which are feasible for commercial development with a 1,500sqm NLA floorplate which based on their experience is the minimum required by both developers and tenants.

The office initially undertook an assessment of the impact of the new controls on residential development for their existing clients but realised it would be new commercial office developments which would be most impacted. As a comparison, the current crop of office developments which are under construction (save for one or two) were all permitted under the previous planning regime but wouldn't meet the setback requirements of the new controls.

Based on benchmarking their own office developments, Bates Smart determined that to achieve a 1,500sqm floorplate, a site of 3,000sqm would be required to achieve the necessary setbacks. Then a process of subtraction was undertaken, sites with development permits, landmark civic buildings, existing high-rise towers, strata titles were excluded and the potential for site consolidation was also considered. "The result?" says Anderson, fewer than six potential sites that could accommodate a viable commercial office tower.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/180507_city_development_study_small-10.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Bates Smart's development study highlights sites capable of accommodating office development. Image: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="437" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/180507_city_development_study_small-10.jpg?itok=wgeGO_md" title="Bates Smart's development study highlights sites capable of accommodating office development. Image: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Bates Smart's development study highlights sites capable of accommodating office development. Image: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>One possible solution is to introduce two distinguishable sets of planning controls for residential and commercial development in the central city. The requirements for office developments with respect to privacy, natural light and adjacencies to other buildings are not as onerous as they are for residential buildings.

Anderson believes if nothing is done landowners will  eventually realise many sites can’t be developed, which will trigger the amalgamation of adjoining sites to maximise development potential. This however leads to protracted negotiation periods, slower development times and fewer opportunities.

Similarly, we may see more developments relying on the purchase of “air rights” — the underutilised space above a building. An adjacent owner can purchase those air rights to enable construction of part of their building into that space. Another potential corollary is the delivery of more slender residential towers because the controls also dictate that the taller a building, the further it must be set back from its boundaries.

Anderson cites New York, where amalgamated sites or those subject to development resulting from the purchase of air rights brought about a raft of super-slim towers. These are very costly because of additional structural requirements and the effects of wind on their slender forms.

As well, the proportion of structure to floor area cuts the net saleable area. This drives developers to build higher in an attempt to claw back profit forgone from lost floor space. Matching the high construction costs are the sky-high prices of $US4 million for a two-bedroom apartment on the 10th floor of a midtown apartment block or $US20 million for a two-bedroom apartment on the 50th floor of a midtown tower, for example.

Melbourne has its own example of this new tower form, with the Bates Smart'-designed Collins House site at <a href="/buildings/collins-house-melbourne-460-466-collins-street-melbourne">466 Collins Street</a>. Approved under the previous planning scheme, the 57-storey apartment building is under construction and when complete, will be the world’s fourth slimmest tower.

Anderson says Melbourne’s future and title as a liveable city lies in our ability to plan for the careful expansion of the city and to find opportunities to relax our planning controls. This would allow for major urban regeneration projects to flourish and accommodate our future needs.

<h2>What they say</h2>

<blockquote>
Our research and recent experience has established that developers and tenants are looking for floorplates sized no less than 1,500sqm NLA in CBD zones. There are several factors driving this area requirement. 
Reasonably, developers require a level of pre-commitment from tenants prior to embarking on projects.

These tenants seeking floorplates that minimise distribution of staff across multiple floors. These floorplates can cater to over 100 people and offer open-plan floor space with good access to natural light and views to assure physical and mental wellbeing of the occupants.

The challenge with the planning controls is that rather than stimulating commercial development in the CBD, it stifles it. A floorplate of 1,500sqm under these controls requires a site area of around 3,000sqm. However, by the time you factor in the setbacks and other height controls, there are very few developable sites remaining.

In recent months, our team has conducted research establishing that there are fewer than six potential sites in the CBD that will support development over 80m in height, with floorplates not less than 1,500sqm in area. We concur with various industry sources on predictions that the commercial pipeline could be exhausted in the next decade.

- Julian Anderson, Director Bates Smart
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
It’s predicted that demand for commercial office space in the CBD will almost double over the next 30-35 years – this means Melbourne’s city will need an additional 4 million sqm of commercial space to match demand, largely driven by a booming population and forecast jobs growth.

This is a major challenge for Melbourne and we continue to work with the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne to ensure that our planning processes not only reflect the needs of the market but can support the needs of our growing city into the future.

- Roger Teale, Property Council of Australia, Victorian President
</blockquote>
</body></html>

Bates Smart's Julian Anderson discusses commercial development feasibility in Melbourne's central city

<html><body>
This week I chat with Tim Leslie, studio director at Bates Smart about the upcoming Open House Melbourne, ICI House and Bates Smart's work on the new Australian embassy in Washington.

Tim joined Bates Smart in 2006 working across a broad range of sectors, after gaining experience as an architect in Australia and abroad over 20 years. In 2013 he became the Melbourne office's first Studio Director.

He founded Open House Melbourne in 2008, a not for profit event promoting architecture and buildings of significance to the public.

For more details on the '165 Years of Enduring Architecture' exhibition at Orica House and the guided tour of Orica House as part of OHM2018, check out our previous article <a href="/news/bates-smart-to-celebrate-two-key-milestones-in-july">here</a>.

 

<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/463447554&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=true&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe>
</body></html>

Weekly Podcast: Episode 20 - Bates Smart Studio Director Tim Leslie discusses Open House 2018

<html><body>
The Docklands development machine continues to roll on with a significant number of projects having either commenced or are due to commence this year. Today's article will predominantly focus on the northern precincts including District Docklands (formerly Waterfront City/Harbour Town), New Quay, and Digital Harbour.

<h2>Quest / Elm &amp; Stone, NewQuay</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/p7040436.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Elm &amp; Stone has topped out. Image: Urban.com.au forum member redden"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/p7040436.jpg?itok=aCP5QiyD" title="Elm &amp; Stone has topped out. Image: Urban.com.au forum member redden" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Elm &amp; Stone has topped out. Image: Apartments.com.au forum member redden</figcaption></figure>The cores of the dual tower development designed by DKO have now topped out, with the last remaining floor slabs still to be poured and work now underway on the installation of the facades and internal fitout.

The development features 221 Quest serviced apartments in addition to 142 dwellings and is due for completion in 2019.

<h2>Marriott / The Docklands Residences, NewQuay</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/dda736b7b456f421460665b0fb022015.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Docklands Residences. Image: FKD Studio"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="326" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/dda736b7b456f421460665b0fb022015.jpg?itok=qp8gyFZy" title="The Docklands Residences. Image: FKD Studio" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Docklands Residences. Image: FKD Studio</figcaption></figure>Capital Alliance and DKO Architecture's mixed-use development which will comprise 200 Marriott branded hotel suites is due to commence construction in the coming months following the appointment of a head contractor.

Read more in <a href="/news/capital-alliance-and-marriott-international-tie-the-knot-in-fishermand-bend">Monday's piece by Mark Baljak</a>.

<h2>District Docklands, Master Plan</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_distrcit_master_plan.png" rel="gallery-all" title="The District Docklands Master Plan. Original Image: AsheMorgan"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="483" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/the_distrcit_master_plan.png?itok=bV6Hw6eq" title="The District Docklands Master Plan. Original Image: AsheMorgan" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The District Docklands Master Plan. Original Image: AsheMorgan</figcaption></figure>Owner of The District Docklands, AsheMorgan has engaged NH Architecture to undertake Master Planning to facilitate the development of a 190,000sqm mixed-use precinct on the remaining undeveloped land within the former Waterfront City boundary offering employment, shopping and living space. 

This follows on from the first stage overhaul of the former Harbour Town centre which has now been completed and comprised the installation of new canopies, facades, paving and landscaping elements.

The next stage involves the provision of a 8,300sqm HOYTS cinema and entertainment complex, which also include Archie Brothers Electric Circus, 8Eight Street Asian hawker-style restaurant and Urban Alley Brewery along with other food and beverage offerings.

The $45m development is on track to be completed in September of this year.

Looking further ahead, future stages of the overall Master Plan which are being rolled out include a fresh food market within the re-purposed existing multi-storey car park and a Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) commercial building.

These are further outlined below;

<h2>Woodwork Building, The District Docklands</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/woodwork.png" rel="gallery-all" title="The Woodwork Building. Image: FKD Studio"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="326" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/woodwork.png?itok=W-EPJH00" title="The Woodwork Building. Image: FKD Studio" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Woodwork Building. Image: FKD Studio</figcaption></figure>A planning permit was recently issued for an 8,000sqm office building which will sit above the existing centre along Waterfront Way (soon-to-be Market Lane), valued at $56m.

Designed by NH Architecure, the building, to be known as Woodwork comprises a ground floor retail lobby with four large open plan office floors above, and 80% of the construction will consist of CLT, with the timber to be sourced from sustainable forests.

Woodwork will be the first CLT office building in Melbourne and is expected to be completed in 2020.

<h2>The Market, The District Docklands</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_market_district_docklands.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Market @ The District. Image: AsheMorgan"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="370" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/the_market_district_docklands.jpg?itok=uxbKXTCC" title="The Market @ The District. Image: AsheMorgan" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Market @ The District. Image: AsheMorgan</figcaption></figure>On Tuesday 15 May the District Docklands team "cracked the concrete" of the East Car Park to officially mark the beginning of construction on Docklands new food precinct, The Market. 

The internationally-inspired marketplace, will provide Docklands with a fresh food precinct that includes butchers, delis, bakers, coffee roasters and cafes in addition to major retail in the form of a Woolworths supermarket, Dan Murphy’s, a large-scale Asian Grocer and Priceline Pharmacy.

A Medical Centre, as well as health and beauty services, will round out the convenience offer, providing for surrounding residents and visitors with a one stop shop for their day to day needs.

The Market is officially slated to open in  July 2019.

<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_market_mapmap.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Map of The Market retailers. Image: AsheMorgan"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="829" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/the_market_mapmap.jpg?itok=ix93mRKw" title="Map of The Market retailers. Image: AsheMorgan" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Map of The Market retailers. Image: AsheMorgan</figcaption></figure><h2>218 Harbour Esplanade, Digital Harbour </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/jcb_harbour_esplanade.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="218 Harbour Esplanade. Image: Jackson Clements Burrows"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="759" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/jcb_harbour_esplanade.jpg?itok=gr0XzFfP" title="218 Harbour Esplanade. Image: Jackson Clements Burrows" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>218 Harbour Esplanade. Image: Jackson Clements Burrows</figcaption></figure>The latest application to be submitted within the Docklands precinct is for 218 Harbour Esplanade. Designed by Jackson Clements Burrows the development will comprise 183 apartments across 21-storeys with 117 car spaces to be provided.

The apartment mix will include 6 x three bedroom apartments, 118 x two bedroom, and 55 one bedders in addition to SOHO style two-storey dwellings.

According to <a href="http://www.docklandsnews.com.au/editions/article/container-inspired-apartment-block_14314/">Docklands News</a>, the design was "inspired by a vision of containers stacked on a wharf. Wharf-type timbers will also be employed on the lower podium levels to complete the metaphor."

<h2>26-34 Digital Drive, Digital Harbour</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/digital_drive.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="26-34 Digital Drive. Images: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="242" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/digital_drive.jpg?itok=NUGOt8dk" title="26-34 Digital Drive. Images: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>26-34 Digital Drive. Images: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>Architects Bates Smart have recently published images in their <a href="https://www.batessmart.com/journal/2018/humanising-the-office/">online Journal</a> of a new 22 level commercial office building for Cbus Property located adjacent to 1010 LaTrobe Street.

The brick-clad building draws on the texture and character of nearby heritage buildings, and includes an outdoor terrace 40m above ground marking a streetwall datum, while three-storey voids internally allow for more expansive views outwards from the office levels.

<h2>160 Harbour Esplanade, Stadium Precinct</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/1529913824079.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Development Victoria has purchased the Seven Digital Broadcast Centre. Image: Australian Financial Review"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="382" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/1529913824079.jpg?itok=kV7iXOm_" title="Development Victoria has purchased the Seven Digital Broadcast Centre. Image: Australian Financial Review" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Development Victoria has purchased the Seven Digital Broadcast Centre. Image: Australian Financial Review</figcaption></figure>The home of the Seven Network's digital broadcasting studio was recently purchased from owner the NRMA for $100m 

How this strategic acquisition ties into the redevelopment of the soon-to-be renamed Marvel Stadium and Harbour Esplanade remains to be seen, but the price tag suggests it forms a crucial piece of the puzzle.

It could potentially provide the AFL with accommodation allowing its current headquarters to be redeveloped into a 7 star waterfront hotel, inline with concept plans released earlier this year.

According to the <a href="https://www.afr.com/real-estate/victorian-government-homes-in-on-sevens-docklands-hq-20180625-h11tqr">AFR</a>, a Development Victoria spokesperson has stated that the purchase would allow it to "develop long-term strategies to revitalise the Docklands Stadium and waterfront."
</body></html>

Docklands Development Update July 2018

<html><body>
One of Australia's oldest architecture firms, Bates Smart is set to celebrate two key milestones in 2018 - the office's own 165th anniversary, and the 60th anniversary of the Bates Smart-designed former ICI House on Nicholson Street.

Coinciding with these milestones will be two key events unveiled by Open House Melbourne President and Bates Smart Studio Director, Tim Leslie. These include a guided tour of Orica House as part of the Open House 2018 and an exhibition entitled program and the ‘165 Years of Enduring Architecture’ exhibition within the building's ground floor gallery.

Tim Leslie founded Open House Melbourne in 2008, a not for profit event promoting architecture and buildings of significance to the public.

Tim joined Bates Smart in 2006 working across a broad range of sectors, after gaining experience as an architect in Australia and abroad over 20 years. In 2013 he became the Melbourne office's first Studio Director.

Notably, Tim was the director in charge for the competition-winning Australian Embassy in Washington DC which is currently in documentation. He has also been instrumental in many key projects, including 171 Collins Street and the neighbouring 161 Collins Street, residential towers at 13 and 35 Spring Street, and both Bendigo and Cabrini Hospitals.

Further details of both events are outlined below:

<h2>165 Years of Enduring Architecture Exhibition</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/_hero_image_bates_smart_model.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Bates Smart's 3D printed model. Image: Supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="386" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/_hero_image_bates_smart_model.jpg?itok=QMSLhNt4" title="Bates Smart's 3D printed model. Image: Supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Bates Smart's 3D printed model. Image: Supplied</figcaption></figure>Dates: Wednesday 25 July 2018 Time: 6:00pm to 7:30pm Address: Bates Smart Gallery, Ground Floor, 1 Nicholson Street, Melbourne (entry via Albert Street)

Since its inception in 1853, Bates Smart has delivered projects that have transformed the city’s fabric, shaping the way people use and inhabit urban spaces and built environments.

Bates Smart Studio Director and Open House Melbourne President Tim Leslie is offering his insights into the history of the practice responsible for some of Melbourne’s most iconic cultural buildings that have contributed to the heritage and progression of Melbourne.

The catalogue of high calibre designs on display includes the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne Town Hall, Wilson Hall at the University of Melbourne, ICI House, Collins Place, Crown Metropol, Royal Children’s Hospital, 171 Collins Street, Victoria Racing Club’s Club Stand and the upcoming Australian Embassy in Washington.

The exhibition will detail the history of Bates Smart and its evolution across a century led by its pioneering practice leaders – Joseph Reed, Francis and Charles Smart, Edward Bates and Osborn McCutcheon – that defined an era through their prolific designs and how its current Directors will continue this legacy well into the future.

<h2>Orica House Guided Tour:</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/165a_n10_medium.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Orica House celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Image: Supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="396" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/165a_n10_medium.jpg?itok=dQjvYH_8" title="Orica House celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Image: Supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Orica House celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Image: Supplied</figcaption></figure>Dates: Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 July 2018 (during Open House Melbourne’s long weekend) Time: 10am to 4pm Address: 1 Nicholson Street, Melbourne (entry via Albert Street)

The Bates Smart-designed Orica House (formerly ICI House) became upon completion,  Australia's first skyscraper. The glazed curtain wall tower set the precedent for modern vertical workplace design. Nearly 60 years later, this precedent still stands—ICI is a highly sought-after workplace due to its slim, flexible floor plates and classic design, outlasting many of its modernist counterparts and paving the way for the contemporary vertical campus.

The 19-storey tower, not formally part of the CBD’s Hoddle Grid, was allowed to break Melbourne’s 40m height restrictions. Instead of building a shorter tower over the entire area, the design team proposed a slimmer footprint that vertically stacked the additional allowable area, creating a taller tower and a ground level garden setting. The provision of the garden enabled the height rule to be broken while simultaneously creating a verdant public space at street level.

Internally, the Bates Smart team continued to revolutionise the tower workplace typology by pulling the services core to the side of the building, making the slender 18m floorplate effectively core-less and highly flexible. An open stair, located between the core and floorplate, created vertical connectivity. The continuous ribbon glazing of the curtain wall maximised views to the outside and enabled daylight to flood the interior.
</body></html>

Bates Smart to celebrate two key milestones in July

<html><body>
Billbergia alongside Melbourne-based developer Golden Age Group have thrown forward separate development applications that stand to add 500 plus rooms to Sydney's hotel development pipeline.

The respective applications were both lodged earlier this month with North Sydney Council and City of Sydney and have a cumulative estimated cost just shy of $200 million. Both towers also intend to absorb and repurpose existing heritage buildings into their facade

The sustained surge in hotel developments across Sydney is seeing a flourish of hotel project proposals, although in Billbergia's case the hotel rooms share the proposed tower with commercial office space.

<h2>86-88 Walker Street, North Sydney</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/image92_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Walker Street is in line for a new addition. Planning image: Fitzpatrick+Partners"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="671" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image92_4.jpg?itok=amUeEhiD" title="Walker Street is in line for a new addition. Planning image: Fitzpatrick+Partners" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Walker Street is in line for a new addition. Planning image: Fitzpatrick+Partners</figcaption></figure>Entertainment venue Firehouse Hotel is set to gain a hulking addition to its rear with Billbergia pushing to add the 123 metre tower above the historic building. This will be achieved bay way of a cantilevered support structure that enables the tower to maximise its footprint.

The tower's new podium addition will compliment the Firehouse Hotel in both scale and composition. Flexible work spaces an executive lounge and gym plus reception and a restaurant account for the podium space.

Thereafter the Fitzpatrick + Partners-designed tower is a mix of 224 hotel rooms across the lower portion of the tower, chased by approximately 4,500 square metres of office space at the peak of the building. The office space is situated across levels 24 to 31.

86-88 Walker Street sits next door to what will become one of North Sydney's commercial developments; in excess of 40,000 square metres of office space is being delivered by builder Laing O’Rourke for Dexus Property Group. The new 38 level tower has progressed to see its floorplate move beyond 20 levels.

<h2>47-53 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney </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/image93_6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The time and the place for 47 Wentworth Avenue. Planning image: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="871" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image93_6.jpg?itok=DGmLkwe0" title="The time and the place for 47 Wentworth Avenue. Planning image: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The time and the place for 47 Wentworth Avenue. Planning image: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>A further 287 hotel rooms are on the agenda within Sydney's CBD as Golden Age Group project partner Time &amp; Place heads a planning effort to push through with an adaptive heritage development of 47-53 Wentworth Avenue. All in all the new buildings is slated to span 19 levels with Bates Smart tasked with incorporating the dated facade into the development.

Bates Smart prevailed in an Competitive Design Competition held during 2016; the managed to surpass fellow design firms SJB, Tribe Studio and Koichi Takada Architecture by way of a design which is "capable of achieving Design Excellence as required by the City’s provisions."

In addition to the 287 guest rooms, a restaurant/cafe and bar are present at lower levels, with a rooftop bar and terrace crowning the building.

Lodged this month, the Bates Smart proposal includes revisions which sees residential apartments dropped in favour of increasing the size of the hotel. Consequently all parking within the development has been removed.

Fairfax has <a href="http://www.afr.com/real-estate/golden-age-buys-michael-teplitskys-surry-hills-site-for-a-350-million-hotel-20180611-h118ha">reported</a> that Golden Age Group intend to dub the project The Treehouse, with it being a joint effort between the developer and Starwood Capital.
</body></html>

Two fresh hotel applications enter the Sydney spotlight

<html><body>
Parramatta City Council has given the green light to Dexus to develop a 33-storey office tower at 140 George Street, Parramatta adding to the growing number of office developments within Sydney’s fastest growing city.

The 138m tower will be located on the corner of George and Charles Streets, with the design seeking to capitalise on the site’s unique riverside location along a key stretch of the Parramatta River that contains the ferry terminal and provides views to the north over the river as well as back to Sydney’s CBD.

<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/37446032635_24ebaa980c_b.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="140 George's street interface along Charles Street. Planning Image: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="488" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/37446032635_24ebaa980c_b.jpg?itok=ITXsquIT" title="140 George's street interface along Charles Street. Planning Image: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>140 George's street interface along Charles Street. Planning Image: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>140 George Street will deliver 45,700 sqm of A-Grade office space to the Parramatta office market, providing large, open, contiguous floorplates to maximise fit out flexibility, daylight access and views.

<blockquote>
This development will deliver a world-class office building and strongly supports Parramatta’s growth as a place to invest and to do business. Parramatta continues to attract quality tenants who are enticed by the city’s dynamic workforce, interconnected transport options and vibrant lifestyle offerings.

- Ross Du Vernet, Dexus Chief Investment Officer
</blockquote>

The Bates Smart design considers how the building could benefit the overall well-being of its occupants through the incorporation of high-quality services and exercise facilities such as a gymnasium and swimming pool. Retreat spaces are offered with outdoor terraces, a café and open spaces to capture the sun and fresh air.

<blockquote>
The architectural design proposal sets a framework for the building to establish high quality workplace environments through key design principles. This framework creates a comfortable and enjoyable workplace whilst ensuring long term commercial viability of the building.

The floors have excellent daylight penetration via a large facade to core wall ratio, long north facing orientation of floorplate; high levels of air quality through an advanced mechanical ventilation system; excellent outlook and views along Parramatta River to Sydney CBD; inter-floor connectivity through glazed firestair on the floorplate; multi-use spaces within the building with external terraces for relaxation and breakout areas which all contribute to creating a high level of occupant amenity.

- Bates Smart
</blockquote>

In addition, naturally-lit stairs are provided to enable easy movement between each floor. The slender floor plate with an end core will ensure all occupants have great access to natural light and the sweeping views across Parramatta.

At street level, the base of the tower will be activated with a range of facilities offering amenities accessible to all the occupants of the surrounding commercial precinct. 
With a focus on sustainability, the high-quality façade design balances access to natural daylight against thermal performance. The building will target a 5 Star Green Star Design and 5 star NABERS Energy performance.

Parramatta City Council aims to revitalise the river foreshore as part of a staged 20 year redevelopment. A river Quay with an upgraded ferry terminal, new outdoor entertainment area and terraces and a world class public square are part of a new vision to activate Parramatta River.

The draft ‘City River Strategy Master Plan’ encompasses 31 hectares on the Parramatta River foreshore and proposes major changes for the regeneration of Sydney’s second largest CBD. The River City Plan positions Parramatta River at the front and centre of Parramatta City Centre as redevelopment occurs.

The plan proposes a world-class public domain and a high-quality collection of new buildings that are seamlessly knitted together by a dense network of accessible and active spaces.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/parramatta_city_river_plan.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Vision for the Parramatta City River Strategy Design and Activation. Image: Parramatta City Council"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="326" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/parramatta_city_river_plan.jpg?itok=zaGAWpVW" title="Vision for the Parramatta City River Strategy Design and Activation. Image: Parramatta City Council" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Vision for the Parramatta City River Strategy Design and Activation. Image: Parramatta City Council</figcaption></figure><h2>PROJECT TEAM</h2>

<ul>
<li>Developer: DEXUS</li>
	<li>Architect: Bates Smart</li>
	<li>Project Management: Savills</li>
	<li>Structure: Enstruct</li>
	<li>Facade Engineer/ESD/Waste: Arup</li>
	<li>Traffic: Arup</li>
	<li>Building Services: NDY</li>
	<li>Fire Engineering: Defire</li>
	<li>Quantity Surveyors: Slattery</li>
	<li>Planning: Robinson Urban Planning</li>
	<li>Landscape Architect: Turf</li>
	<li>BCA Steve Watson &amp; Partners</li>
</ul>
</body></html>

Dexus receives greenlight for 140 George Street Parramatta

<html><body>
Despite being height limited to 125 metres, the raw development numbers for the intended Munro Site tower opposite Queen Victoria Market propel the proposal into the upper echelon based purely upon size.

Developer PDG with the backing of Melbourne City Council had initially mooted a tower just shy of 200 metres for the 6,233 square metre site, only to have the Planning Minister impose a height limit of 125 metres. This has not perturbed the development team, with gross floor area for the proposal before DELWP approaching 100,000 square metres.

Design firms Bates Smart and Six Degrees Architects are responsible for the respective east and west portions of the Munro Site.

Costed at $230 million, the development has been supported of Melbourne City Council from the outset as part of their wider redevelopment intentions for the entire Queen Victoria Market Precinct. Whilst plans to push on with the market's redevelopment were snagged last week due to a Heritage Victoria edict, the Munro Site's progression is a separate application.

<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/image140_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="CBD skyline with Munro to the fore. Planning image: Bates Smart / 6 Degrees Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="368" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image140_0.jpg?itok=3gMhSCg7" title="CBD skyline with Munro to the fore. Planning image: Bates Smart / 6 Degrees Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>CBD skyline with Munro to the fore. Planning image: Bates Smart / 6 Degrees Architects</figcaption></figure>From the outset Melbourne City Council had sought a truly mixed-use development for the Munro Site who's major frontage absorbs 93-143 Therry Street, and this is very much reflected within the development application on behalf of PDG.

410 apartments are spread across the two buildings, with 48 dedicated to affordable housing. Three bedroom dwellings are well represented with 56 in total, whilst 86 and 220 single and double bedroom apartments are also intended.

Melbourne stands to gain another new hotel or serviced apartment location, with 81 hotel rooms/suites shrouding the podium of the taller Bates Smart-designed tower.

It is though at ground level and subsequent podium levels where the development drives home key initiatives sought by Melbourne City Council. 5,332 square metres of space is considered communal in nature; the bulk of that space is within the Six Degrees Architects-designed western 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/image143_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Ground level perspective. Planning image: Bates Smart / 6 Degrees Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="442" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image143_1.jpg?itok=_EqBFOue" title="Ground level perspective. Planning image: Bates Smart / 6 Degrees Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Ground level perspective. Planning image: Bates Smart / 6 Degrees Architects</figcaption></figure>Council's desire for a new retail precinct has also been fulfilled with a mass of tenancies at ground level, in addition to two taverns. One effectively replaces the Mercat Cross Hotel and includes capacity for 350 patrons, whilst a new restaurant/bar for 180 patrons fronts Therry Street.

Parking for 666 vehicles has been rolled into the project, as has the capacity for 412 bicycle bays, with associated end of trip bicycle facilities.

Parking will be located within four basement levels and above ground within the podium of the east tower. Access to parking is split between Queen Street and Therry Street.

Of the existing buildings, the only aspect expected to be incorporated into the new build is Munro's Corner.

<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/image136_2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A retail heavy ground floor. Planning image: Bates Smart / 6 Degrees Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="327" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image136_2.jpg?itok=uC6GmUVA" title="A retail heavy ground floor. Planning image: Bates Smart / 6 Degrees Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A retail heavy ground floor. Planning image: Bates Smart / 6 Degrees Architects</figcaption></figure>Site permeability and street activation are key to both enlivening the site and ensuring the maximum number of retail tenancies at ground level.

<blockquote>
The proposal provides for excellent street activation across all frontages along Therry Street, Queen Street and the new north-south laneway and north-south arcade that is consistent with the above requirements.

As the site along Queen Street is only 52 metres and there is no specific requirement within QVMPFP for an east-west pedestrian link there is no technical requirement for a link to be provided along this frontage. The proposed development incorporates a 6 metre wide north-south pedestrian laneway in the centre of the site along Therry Street that connects to a new eastwest laneway running along the southern boundary of the site which also connects to the existing laneway network to Franklin Street.

In addition a pedestrian arcade is also provided through the centre of the Munro East site.

Munro Site planning report
</blockquote>

The format of the north-south spur passage suggests that should any developer with to redevelop the adjoining Franklin Street property, they may be urged by Council to extend the pedestrian link further south in order to create a complete through block pedestrian thoroughfare.

<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/image139_2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Internal passage softened by greenery.Planning image: Bates Smart / 6 Degrees Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="366" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image139_2.jpg?itok=xuNOcwch" title="Internal passage softened by greenery.Planning image: Bates Smart / 6 Degrees Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Internal passage softened by greenery. Planning image: Bates Smart / 6 Degrees Architects</figcaption></figure>
</body></html>

Bates Smart

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News

Bates Smart

Editor's Picks

Receive the latest news stories to your inbox

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News