Joel Robinson

First Look: Sherlock Construction pitches apartments for low-rise Deception Bay

Queensland builder-developer MAYD has revealed the first look at its major North Kirra beachfront development, lodging amended plans that reduce the number of apartments and increase the proportion of larger residences.

The project is planned across a substantial 4,742 sqm amalgamated site spanning seven lots at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/2-6-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">2-6 Pacific Parade</a> and 27-33 Golden Four Drive in Bilin​ga, directly opposite Nor​th Kirra Beach.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mayd-group">MAYD</a> secured the site for $32.5 million in 2025, in what was one of the Gold Coast's largest property transactions of the year.

The development will be delivered across two stages, with the first stage carrying an estimated gross realisation value of around $360 million.

The latest amendments seek to reduce the overall apartment count and shift the project further toward the owner-occupier market, with larger residences designed for buyers wanting considerably more space than traditionally offered in a beachfront apartment.

The residential mix will include townhomes, oversized two-bedroom apartments, substantial three-bedroom residences and four-bedroom homes.

MAYD has appointed Cera Stribley to lead the architecture and interiors, with the Melbourne-based design practice drawing on the beachfront setting through a series of ocean-facing terraces and heavily landscaped balconies.

Strong horizontal forms and curved balconies will define the exterior, with subtropical landscaping integrated throughout the building to soften the built form and increase the connection between the residences and the beachfront.

The project will also include an extensive collection of resident wellness and lifestyle facilities, continuing the broader shift across the Gold Coast's luxury apartment market toward larger homes supported by resort-style amenity.

<img alt="MAYD" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1bcbb05-e659-4b47-8bd4-1e595315e2ad" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%202.05.03%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=jj0XEud1X1DuLt7_KyElhjMdZGOXmLHP" />

MAYD Founder Todd Mould said North Kirra was increasingly appealing to buyers attracted to the more established, lower-density character of the southern Gold Coast.

"North Kirra presents one of the most compelling luxury residential opportunities currently emerging in Australia, combining absolute beachfront with the character and authenticity that buyers are increasingly seeking, and the same sense of tight-knit community that defined Burleigh and Currumbin perhaps 10 or 15 years ago," Mould said.

"With Gold Coast Airport on its doorstep, it also offers a level of accessibility that broadens its appeal across almost every market demographic."

The project comes as the southern Gold Coast continues to attract an increasing share of high-end apartment development and buyer activity.

Kirra in particular has emerged as one of the region's more tightly held beachfront markets, with its relatively low-density character, established surf and hospitality scene and proximity to Gold Coast Airport differentiating it from the higher-density markets further north.

Mould said those characteristics had informed the approach MAYD and Cera Stribley had taken to the project.

"We've worked closely with Cera Stribley to create a vision that is deeply connected to its surroundings," he said.

"Inspired by the coastline itself, the architecture has been shaped around space, privacy and resort-style living, creating a collection of homes that reflects the next generation of luxury on the southern Gold Coast."

MOTIV Managing Director Carly Cottam, who has been appointed to market the project, said buyer attention had continued to move south along the Gold Coast.

"Purchasers who may once have defaulted to Broadbeach, Main Beach or Surfers Paradise are increasingly recognising the value of a genuine beachfront location that offers lower density, strong amenity and a more established sense of community," Cottam said.

"Kirra has a powerful combination of growing demand and genuine scarcity. Beachfront supply is inherently constrained, the area remains relatively low density, and buyers are increasingly placing a premium on locations that feel established, uncrowded and authentic rather than heavily developed."

Cottam said the proximity to Gold Coast Airport was also proving increasingly important for interstate and second-home buyers.

"Being minutes from Gold Coast Airport makes it particularly compelling for interstate buyers, frequent travellers and second-home purchasers who can access an authentic coastal lifestyle almost immediately after stepping off a flight."

The acquisition takes MAYD's active development portfolio to more than $500 million, with the North Kirra project representing one of its largest undertakings to date.

MAYD is targeting an early 2027 launch.

First look at MAYD's North Kirra mixed-use precinct

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Castle Hill, the longtime hub of the Hills District, has been one of the major beneficiaries of Sydney's Metro expansion, with improved connectivity helping drive continued population growth, development and buyer demand across the Hills District.

But despite that growth, the suburb has seen relatively few major new apartment projects brought to market over the past 18 months.

Hills District developer Reve Group is looking to fill that gap with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nova-r-ve-castle-hill-2-garthowen-crescent-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Nova Rêve</a>, a major new mixed-use precinct on the corner of Garthowen Crescent and Old Castle Hill Road, a short walk from Castle Hill Metro Station and Castle Towers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377679]

The project will comprise three residential towers alongside a hotel, restaurants, cafes and a skybar, more than 1,600 sqm of ground-floor retail and almost an acre of landscaped gardens.

It represents the largest project undertaken by Reve Group, the development arm of the Kassis family, which has been building across the Hills District for more than 30 years through Kassis Homes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377675]

Nova Rêve also represents a significant step up from the family's first apartment development, Grand Rêve, which was delivered nearby on Garthowen Crescent.

Grand Rêve introduced larger, house-like apartment layouts and premium inclusions including Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to the Castle Hill market.

Nova Rêve takes that approach to a precinct scale, combining the residential component with hospitality, retail and substantial public and resident landscaping.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377685]

Reve Group Managing Director Sam Kassis said the project reflected the family's three decades of building in the Hills, which has evolved from trophy homes on quarter-acre blocks to larger-scale apartment development.

"Grand Rêve was our first apartment project here and it showed us what this pocket of Castle Hill could be. Nova Rêve is the refinement of that idea: not just apartments, but a place the whole suburb can use," Kassis said.

A key part of that approach is the hotel, which has been designed to operate as an amenity for the wider Castle Hill community rather than solely hotel guests.

It will include restaurants, cafes, skybars and all-day dining, alongside conference and event facilities catering to business functions, community groups and private events.

At ground level, more than 1,600 sqm of shops and cafes will open onto the surrounding streets and landscaped areas.

Almost an acre of gardens designed by Land and Form Studios will run through the precinct, incorporating pathways, seating, barbecue areas and children's play spaces.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377680]

Reve Group's Romio Georges said creating an active ground plane had been central to the planning of Nova Rêve.

"There are gardens with pathways, barbecues, seating and play areas, shops and cafes opening onto the street, and a hotel with restaurants and a skybar that anyone in Castle Hill can walk into," Georges said.

The project's elevated position on one of Sydney's highest ridgelines will also provide apartments with outlooks toward the Sydney skyline, surrounding parkland and the Blue Mountains.

More than 80 per cent of the apartments will occupy corner positions, with Turner responsible for both the architecture and interiors.

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152737]

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Nova Rêve arrives as Reve Group bets on Castle Hill's next growth phase

A collection of just 25 large-format apartments and penthouses overlooking Goodwin Park is entering the Coolangatta market, with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/marea-residences-coolangatta-27-27a-dixon-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Maréa Residences</a> combining a low-density, residential-only approach with uninterrupted park and Pacific Ocean outlooks.

Located at 27 Dixon Street, Maréa comprises three and four-bedroom residences alongside a limited number of dual-level penthouses, with the project positioned between Goodwin Park and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/coolangatta-qld-4225">Coolangatta</a>’s coastal precinct.

Construction has commenced, with completion currently estimated for late 2027. Three-bedroom residences are priced from $1.8 million.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374005]

The project has been designed around its northern outlook across the park, with the building’s architecture, landscaping and material palette intended to establish a connection with the neighbouring green space. The residences have been configured to maximise natural light and views across Goodwin Park towards the ocean.

Inside, the material palette incorporates timber, stone and brushed brass, complemented by curved detailing and ambient lighting. Kitchens and bathrooms carry the same natural material approach, while residences also include basement parking, storage and lift access.

Maréa’s penthouses are arranged over two levels and include private pools, adding another layer to the project’s focus on larger-format apartment living. Across the development, residences are configured with three or four bedrooms rather than the broader mix of smaller apartment types commonly found in larger projects.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374010]

Resident amenity is concentrated at rooftop level, where landscaped entertaining terraces and pools take advantage of elevated views across Coolangatta and the Pacific Ocean.

The project has so far been particularly well received by local owner-occupiers and downsizers, according to Urban Activation Property Sales and Marketing Director Matt George, with the residential-only format, construction quality and northern park outlook among the features resonating with purchasers.

“The uninterrupted northern aspect overlooking Goodwin Park has been a key point of difference, with buyers attracted to the sense of serenity and open space the park provides, while still enjoying easy access to the ocean and being within walking distance of the lifestyle and amenities Coolangatta has to offer,” George said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150999 project_image_fid=374002]

“The combination of high-quality construction, a residential-only building, park outlook and proximity to the beach has resonated strongly with the local downsizer market.”

The Dixon Street address is within walking distance of Coolangatta Beach and the broader southern Gold Coast coastline, including the surf breaks at Snapper Rocks and Kirra. Coolangatta’s cafés, restaurants and retail are nearby, while Gold Coast Airport is also within close proximity.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=150999]

Maréa Residences brings parkside apartments to Coolangatta

Melbourne developer PDG has secured Victorian Government approval for its $1.5 billion Southbank development <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-one-1-queens-bridge-street-southbank-vic-3006">The One</a>, clearing the way for the long-dormant riverfront site opposite Crown to finally be developed.

The Minister for Planning has approved the project at 1-29 Queens Bridge Street, with the Department of Transport and Planning issuing the planning permit following its assessment.

The approval will allow PDG to develop the prominent 5,059 sqm site with a major mixed-use tower comprising premium apartments, including branded residences, a luxury hotel and boutique office space.

PDG acquired the site in late 2024, with its position directly opposite Crown's main entrance and near Melbourne's Arts Precinct making it one of Southbank's most significant remaining development opportunities.

<img alt="PDG" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3933013e-6332-4386-b9be-089df05caf17" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%209.29.22%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=sITIgBqDL0N3VNSMwWEmF5UA.uvcsRyu" />

Designed by COX in collaboration with ODO and PDG, the tower's architecture draws on the movement of the Yarra River, with six vertical pleats running the height of the sculpted facade.

The project will also see the heritage-listed Queens Bridge Hotel restored and incorporated into the development&nbsp;with new hospitality and public uses, including a rooftop venue.

A significant component of The One will be its residential amenity.

More than 5,000 sqm of resident facilities will be delivered across a single level, making it one of the largest consolidated residential amenity offerings proposed in an Australian apartment development.

The planning approval also incorporates a major upgrade of Queensbridge Square, which PDG will deliver in partnership with the City of Melbourne.

<img alt="PDG" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="73167fcd-1031-4b6f-a408-a064cfe45ed1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%209.29.17%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=Pf1AEWxw6SNmBqR0zQW5lyEze.MtxgFp" />

The existing square will be revitalised as a new civic and pedestrian space along the Yarra River, strengthening the connection between the project, Southbank and the riverfront.

PDG Founder and Managing Director Vince Giuliano said the approval represented a major milestone for a site which has remained largely underutilised for more than 15 years.

“This is the most significant Planning Permit approval Melbourne has seen in recent years,” Giuliano said.

“For more than 15 years, this site has remained underutilised. This approval enables us to deliver a project that will contribute meaningfully to the revitalisation of Southbank, restore and reactivate an important heritage building, and create a new civic and hospitality destination for Melbourne.”

The latest approval follows an earlier planning permit issued by the City of Melbourne covering demolition works across part of the site at 9-29 Queens Bridge Street. Those demolition and early works are already underway.

PDG has also started generating early interest in the residential component from owner-occupiers ahead of a planned public launch in early 2027.

PDG secures approval for $1.5bn Southbank apartment development, The One

Denton Corker Marshall

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Lendlease officially opened the first stage of its $2.5b Melbourne Quarter mixed-use development this morning, with Minister for Planning Richard Wynne and Lendlease Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Steve McCann on hand to open the group’s new Victorian home at One Melbourne Quarter.

Located within the Batmans Hill precinct of Docklands, One Melbourne Quarter is home to approximately 400 Lendlease employees who have relocated from three different office locations across Melbourne. Lendlease occupies levels four to six of the 13-storey building, the first commercial tower to be delivered in the 2.5 hectare Melbourne Quarter precinct on Collins Street.

A key feature of the development is the first phase of the precinct’s elevated Sky Park, characterised by a feature sculptural spiral staircase providing access to the park from Collins Street. The second phase will be delivered as part of the future Melbourne Quarter Tower commercial development.

The concept of the Sky Park was conceived by Denton Corker Marshall and developed in collaboration with ASPECT | OCULUS to improve health and well being. Based on principles of biophilic design, the elevated park comes complete with wifi and encourages workers to work outside and connect with nature.

<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/2018_1melbqrtr_521_lowres.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="One Melbourne Quarter is now complete. Image: Lendlease"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="687" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/2018_1melbqrtr_521_lowres.jpg?itok=Amuq3Xnw" title="One Melbourne Quarter is now complete. Image: Lendlease" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>One Melbourne Quarter is now complete. Image: Lendlease</figcaption></figure>Lendlease’s new office tenancy is based on the concept of team neighbourhoods of 15 – 20 employees. Allocated desks are eliminated and replaced with centralised team tables to promote a team based working culture and opportunities for immediate feedback, staff connectivity and collaboration. Employees are free to choose how and where they work. Each neighbourhood has a range of spaces including ‘working walls’ for visual communication, enclosed meeting pods with access to virtual technology, breakaway areas for collaboration and services such as IT help desks on each floor to support high performance.

The provision of a wellness hub reinforces the Lendlease's commitment to employee health and well being and offers discretionary nutrition options, wellness and lifestyle seminars, health checks and group training activities including yoga, pilates and bootcamp. Additional features include a dedicated event space, a high-tech immersion room, a social hub with a barista and interconnecting stairs across the three floors, promoting free movement and social connectivity.

2,500 workers will ultimately call One Melbourne Quarter home, with design and engineering firm Arup joining Lendlease in moving in, with AMP due to move in early next year. The building is targeting a 6 Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia, a 5.5 star NABERS Energy tenancy rating and a WELL New Interiors Certification.

Meanwhile, work continues at pace on Lendlease's two construction sites within Melbourne Quarter - Two Melbourne Quarter and East Tower. Due for completion in mid-2020,  Two Melbourne Quarter will comprise 50,000 sqm of A-Grade commercial space with EnergyAustralia secured as the anchor tenant.

Melbourne Quarter has achieved a 6 Star Green Star Communities rating, showcasing world leadership in sustainability and upon completion 50 per cent of the Melbourne Quarter's development footprint will be dedicated to public open space. A central plaza and neighbourhood park designed by ASPECT | OCULUS, will join the already completed Sky Park.

<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/melbourne_quarter-2018.10.06sm.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Construction continues at Melbourne Quarter. SkyscraperCity user: worzil"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="435" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/melbourne_quarter-2018.10.06sm.jpg?itok=QP5WcLFP" title="Construction continues at Melbourne Quarter. SkyscraperCity user: worzil" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Construction continues at Melbourne Quarter. SkyscraperCity user: worzil</figcaption></figure><h2>What they say...</h2>

<blockquote>
One Melbourne Quarter is active demonstration of Lendlease’s integrated model – delivering a workplace that is owned by a Lendlease-managed fund, built by our building business, in a precinct transformed by our urban regeneration business. Bringing our Melbourne workforce together in one central location means we’ll be more accessible to our customers while championing excellence, wellbeing and innovation.

Based on the workplace strategies implemented at our global headquarters in Barangaroo, our new Melbourne location demonstrates greener and healthier ways of working. This creates a workplace that lives and breathes a culture of collaboration and purposeful interactions, providing employees with a sense of belonging. Moving into One Melbourne Quarter cements our bricks and mortar commitment to the precinct, while demonstrating our belief in our capacity to create the best places for our employees, customers, the environment and the community.

- Steve McCann, Lendlease Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
</blockquote>

 

<blockquote>
The opening of Melbourne’s first Sky Park at Melbourne Quarter has brought an exciting new green public space to the city for residents, visitors and thousands of Victorians who work nearby. I want to congratulate Lendlease on its commitment to this bold project, which represents a long-term commercial and residential investment in the area.

The Melbourne Quarter precinct creates an important gateway, linking Docklands to the CBD, creating thousands of jobs for Victorians both during construction and once complete.This is a place where Melburnians will want to visit, live and work.

- Richard Wynne, Minister for Planning
</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/2018_1melbqrtr_102_lowres.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The feature spiral stair leads up to the Sky Park. Image: Lendlease"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/2018_1melbqrtr_102_lowres.jpg?itok=pjoGtwLh" title="The feature spiral stair leads up to the Sky Park. Image: Lendlease" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The feature spiral stair leads up to the Sky Park. Image: Lendlease</figcaption></figure>
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Laurence Dragomir

Lendlease officially opens its new offices at One Melbourne Quarter 

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Three years after making moves to enter the Melbourne property market, developer Woodlink is poised to realise two significant projects.

Active in southern China, Woodlink turned its attention to Melbourne three years ago with intentions of developing sites in both East Melbourne and St Kilda Road. Lodged with Port Phillip during mid 2015, 424-426 St Kilda Road's pending sales launch as Illoura House heralds another luxury residential development for the boulevard.

The Bates Smart-designed Illoura House carried a nominal development value of $155 million whilst at planning, and is a mix of private and 'executive' apartments.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image293.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Illoura House in context. Image: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="368" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image293.jpg?itok=hJxhvfEP" title="Illoura House in context. Image: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Illoura House in context. Image: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>Illurra House is a reference to the long-gone <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=310223925996211&amp;id=258304471188157">mansion which was built onsite circa 1889</a> in the Victorian Italianate style. It contained forty-six rooms and maintained a highly decorative rendered facade plus an architecturally significant ornate central tower.

The modern-day Illura House will hold significantly more rooms, split between approximately 160 apartments and a similar number of executive apartments managed by Marriott International. Colliers have been tasked with handling the apartment sales campaign.

Replacing a smaller-scale office building onsite, the intended 18 level tower will reach almost 59 metres in height and hold an approximate gross floor area of 55,500 square metres. This hefty figure makes Illura House one of the largest current residential projects in Melbourne by net sellable area.

In addition to the living spaces and various amenities, retail is included across the tower's lower levels; at planning 840 square metres of retail were sought over three tenancies.

<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/image292.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A view down St Kilda Road. Image: Colliers"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="367" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image292.jpg?itok=ykDeqhX0" title="A view down St Kilda Road. Image: Colliers" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A view down St Kilda Road. Image: Colliers</figcaption></figure>Woodlink is also behind a second project in East Melbourne which has changed use from residential to hotel/serviced apartments.

Urban.com.au covered the <a href="/news/is-this-melbournes-most-exclusive-and-expensive-apartment-development">original planning application</a> which called for lavish apartments within a 27 storey residential tower. The smallest apartment within 502 Albert Road was to have been 108 square metres, with the three bedroom apartments averaging 220 square metres and the penthouse a whopping 372 square metres.

Ultimately though the Denton Corker Marshall-designed tower was significantly reworked, and at a lower height, to include a higher number of smaller-sized apartments in line with its current purpose.

With approval granted, Woodlink anticipates construction to commence this year with a 2020 completion date targeted.

<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/project_502-albert_st-1280x845.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="East Melbourne's Albert Street is in line for a new addition. Image: Woodlink"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="383" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/project_502-albert_st-1280x845.jpg?itok=i0FHaYB-" title="East Melbourne's Albert Street is in line for a new addition. Image: Woodlink" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>East Melbourne's Albert Street is in line for a new addition. Image: Woodlink</figcaption></figure>
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silvermb

Woodlink double up for their Melbourne debut

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UK-based student accommodation provider Scape’s plans for a student accommodation tower fronting Swanston Street on the former Carlton United Brewery site failed to receive the support of City of Melbourne (CoM) at last month's Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee meeting.

This follows the latest design iteration which had an almost identical design expression to Swanston Street, but differed in other aspects including girth. During the redesign the tower has also been reduced by 8 storeys.

<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/scape_cub_comparison.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Before and after of the two schemes. Images : DCM"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="364" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/scape_cub_comparison.jpg?itok=nAXlh5Wt" title="Before and after of the two schemes. Images : DCM" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Before and after of the two schemes. Images: DCM</figcaption></figure>Chief amongst CoM’s concerns for the Denton Corker Marshall-designed 22-storey tower was lack of a suitable transition between the high-rise built form of the Melbourne CBD and the lower built form of Carlton, in addition to a perceived lack of consideration for the adjacent heritage buildings.

CoM has also expressed concern that Scape’s proposal would negatively impact the public realm and will lead to an unsuitable built form and urban design outcome on Swanston Street, due from its sheer breadth to the street.

The revised design adopts a similar modular, monolithic and monotone aesthetic to Scape’s first Melbourne project on Swanston Street opposite RMIT, whereas the CUB proposal is more of a slab form. CoM’s urban design team recommends a more vertical, granular approach to the arrangement of the massing, in lieu of the current slab configuration, citing Urban Nest’s 599 Swanston Street as an exemplar.

<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/599-605_swanston.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Urban Nest's 599-605 Swanston Street was cited as a good example by CoM planners. Image : Hayball"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="520" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/599-605_swanston.png?itok=dsPqV2jz" title="Urban Nest's 599-605 Swanston Street was cited as a good example by CoM planners. Image : Hayball" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>599-605 Swanston Street was cited as a design exemplar. Image: Hayball</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
The massing of the overall form remains challenging in the Swanston Street context, with the appearance of a monolithic, employing coloured finishes and applied sunshading hoods over a broad elevation of some 70m in length (equivalent to 10-11 traditional shop fronts within the retail core).

Whilst the sky garden is a positive inclusion to provide some relief, we require further depth and massing articulation of this surface in lieu of reliance on surface effects. We have a similar critique of the upper component of the form, which appears intentionally flat with flush windows reinforcing the sense of a monolithic block.

Whilst this technique has been deployed in more slender built form by DCM, its application in this broad slab-like form is highly problematic, and lacks any relationship to built form within its surrounding Swanston Street context.

The recently approved and under construction 599 Swanston Street offers a helpful counterpoint, where Hayball and Urban Nest worked closely with CoM to develop a clustered vertical form in order to offset a similar proportioned slab envelope, in conjunction with a tactile, brick base element which responded to the scale of the retained corner heritage form.

We would strongly recommend a more vertical, granular approach to the arrangement of this considerable mass, in lieu of the current slab arrangement.

- City of Melbourne's Urban Design Team via Future (Planning) Committee Report
</blockquote>

Scape has big plans for Melbourne with a further tower – set to be the tallest student accommodation building in the world - on Franklin Street, also currently at planning.

The student accommodation provider also has air rights above the new State Library Station entry on the corner of La Trobe and Swanston Streets, when it is completed in 8 years, after negotiating an outcome with the MMRA to develop an Over Site Development.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/scapes_future_project_pipeline.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Scape's original scheme for 212-222 LaTrobe Street is on the backburner while it's proposal for 97 Franklin Street is awaiting a Ministerial decision. Images : DCM"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="253" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/scapes_future_project_pipeline.jpg?itok=pREV2pm-" title="Scape's original scheme for 212-222 LaTrobe Street is on the backburner while it's proposal for 97 Franklin Street is awaiting a Ministerial decision. Images : DCM" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Scape's failed 212-222 La Trobe Street plus 97 Franklin Street. Images: DCM</figcaption></figure>The Franklin Street proposal also wasn't received favourably by the City of Melbourne, who cited similar concerns over facade articulation and monotony as concerns for the 60-storey tower which was also designed by DCM.

Scape's CUB proposal is set for a VCAT hearing following the Minister's failure to make a decision in the prescribed period.
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No Great (E)Scape for CUB Proposal

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With 2018 now in full swing, what better time to check in on the progress of one of the largest developments currently underway not only in Docklands, but in Melbourne - Melbourne Quarter.

Located within the Batmans Hill precinct of Docklands, Lendlease's $1.9b Melbourne Quarter project will deliver seven commercial and residential buildings that will assist in strengthening the connection between the Docklands and the CBD, while also completing Collins Street' the southern Docklands frontage.

In addition to 130,000 square metres of commercial office space, more than 50 percent of the Melbourne Quarter precinct will be dedicated to open space with a Skypark, central plaza and neighbourhood park designed by ASPECT | OCULUS.

<blockquote>
Lendlease has seen strong leasing activity push the national CBD vacancy rate to its lowest level in four years, and with a predicted shortage of prime grade contiguous office space in the near future, this has helped spur on pre-commitment activity.

(Melbourne Quarter) will cater for the continued growth and strong tenant demand for new office space in Melbourne as both national and global businesses target the new supply of buildings coming to market in the city’s CBD.

To complement Melbourne Quarter’s leading workplace design, we’re focusing on sustainability and access to amenities as key considerations for our office buildings, allowing tenants to work in nearby green parks, open spaces and co-working environments for greater employee health and wellbeing.

-  Mark Menhinnitt, Lendlease Managing Director Urban Regeneration and Infrastructure Development
</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/mq_wh_lobbyentrance.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Melbourne Square, the central space of MQ will sit just off Collins Street. Image : Lendlease"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="290" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/mq_wh_lobbyentrance.jpg?itok=aXmIlNu6" title="Melbourne Square, the central space of MQ will sit just off Collins Street. Image : Lendlease" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Melbourne Square, the central space of MQ will sit just off Collins Street. Image : Lendlease</figcaption></figure>Melbourne Quarter will include:

• 130,000 square metres of office space

• 1,690 apartments for 3,000 new inner city residents

• 4,000 square metres of retail space, including 40 shops, food and beverage retailers

• 1,000 square metres of community space

<h2>One Melbourne Quarter</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/p1170646.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="One Melbourne Quarter construction progress. Image : redden"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="286" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/p1170646.jpg?itok=zWH_qr4t" title="One Melbourne Quarter construction progress. Image : redden" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>One Melbourne Quarter construction progress. Image : redden</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
(This) year will see the completion of the precinct’s first office tower, One Melbourne Quarter, which will be home to our new Lendlease Victorian headquarters in September. We look forward to welcoming other leading businesses to the precinct in due course.

-  Mark Menhinnitt
</blockquote>

Currently progressing onsite at an impressive pace, One Melbourne Quarter, upon completion will contain 25,000 sqm across its 14 storeys.  Public realm frontages on all sides will be activated via retail and café tenancies in addition to a 200 bicycle end of trip facility.  Retail space in small tiered retail pavilions address and mediate the Collins Street hill.

The Skypark - conceived as a timber plank by landscape architects ASPECT | OCULUS - overhangs the Collins Street frontage for 90 metres and will provide significant public space.

Arup and Lendlease will relocate into the building later this year.

<h2>East Tower</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/p1170645.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Melbourne Quarter East Tower construction site works are well underway. Image : redden"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="290" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/p1170645.jpg?itok=FLPbaboL" title="Melbourne Quarter East Tower construction site works are well underway. Image : redden" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Melbourne Quarter East Tower site works are well underway. Image : redden</figcaption></figure>The first of three Fender Katsalidis designed residential buildings is officially underway at 628 Flinders Street. 

The 40-storey East Tower will feature hanging gardens climbing the full height of the building and take advantage of views of the city and bay. The building, along with the other residential buildings is aiming for a 5-Star Green Star rating and will also implement smart technologies such as a Melbourne Quarter app for residents. 

<blockquote>
The ability to connect our residents to the wider community is something we've been looking to introduce and they'll able to do that via an app. It'll be a project specific app that can be accessed via an iPad or iPhone and allow residents to book the extensive communal facilities which that are in the buildings which comprise 'Club MQ'.

With 'Club MQ' we're looking at setting a new benchmark with the level of amenity that we're providing, and this will be available in the first tower and then the two other towers will share from that.

- Ben Christie, Lendlease Head of Apartments
</blockquote>

<h2>Melbourne Quarter Tower</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/5bdccf00-e747-11e5-a571-7f3805729a0f_1_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Melbourne Quarter Tower Image : Lendlease"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="386" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/5bdccf00-e747-11e5-a571-7f3805729a0f_1_1.jpg?itok=H6aT3QyL" title="Melbourne Quarter Tower Image : Lendlease" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Melbourne Quarter Tower Image : Lendlease</figcaption></figure>Located at 693 Collins Street to the east of the under construction One Melbourne Quarter, Melbourne Quarter Tower will rise 28-storeys and provide 55,000 square metres of office accommodation when complete. The DCM-designed tower will also feature the second stage of the Skypark, completing the development's Collins Street frontage.

As part of the design the upper levels of the building will cantilever above Collins Street and will feature a rooftop area for tenants. 

Melbourne Quarter Tower was approved in March 2017 and is targeting a 6 Star Green Star rating and a 5 star NABERS energy rating. 

<h2>Two Melbourne Quarter</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/a367_mq_view_49_wurundjeri_way.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Two Melbourne Quarter received approval late in 2017. Image : Lendlease"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="681" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/a367_mq_view_49_wurundjeri_way.jpg?itok=ALyvpY37" title="Two Melbourne Quarter received approval late in 2017. Image : Lendlease" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Two Melbourne Quarter received approval late in 2017. Image : Lendlease</figcaption></figure>The  25-storey office tower at 697 Collins Street was granted planning approval just prior to the 2017 Christmas break. The Woods Bagot designed tower will feature 49,000 square metres of office space, accommodating about 4,500 new workers, plus 800 square metres of retail space on the ground floor.

As with the other commercial buildings at Melbourne Quarter, the tower will spill out on to a new public plaza off Collins Street, and will also feature a four-storey public staircase connecting to Aurora Lane.

2MQ seeks to build upon the sustainability credentials of Melbourne Quarter with a strong focus on water consumption, waste management and indoor environment quality. The building is targeting a 6 Star Green Star rating and a 5 star NABERS energy rating.

Site enabling and early works commenced on 2MQ on 15 January 2018.

Lendlease anticipates a 2022 completion date for the entire Melbourne Quarter development.
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The current state of play at Lendlease's Melbourne Quarter 

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Monash University's Clayton campus will receive yet another noteworthy academic building, this time by way of the new Monash Biomedical Learning and Teaching Building (BLTB)

Joining a string of highly meritorious contemporary designs across the campus, BLTB is another design feather in the cap of Monash's Clayton campus which has undergone intensive redevelopment over the past five years. Denton Corker Marshall has created the new building which is valued in excess of $100 million.

Research Way's old Pharmacology building has been demolished as the process to select a builder continues. Eventually, BLTB will cater for undergraduate students studying biomedical sciences. 

<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/image168_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The new Monash Biomedical Learning and Teaching Building. Images: DCM"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="255" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image168_0.jpg?itok=tE0OSf3S" title="The new Monash Biomedical Learning and Teaching Building. Images: DCM" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The new Monash Biomedical Learning and Teaching Building. Images: DCM</figcaption></figure>Spanning 10,000sqm of new built form, BLTB's facade will carry a distinctive glazing to its eastern and western flanks.

<blockquote>
The new building incorporates an innovative pedagogical solution in four Flexi Labs.  The ‘L’ shaped labs wrap around a central glazed satellite prep area providing smaller scaled, more personable lab space for cohorts of 60, 120 or interlinked space for up to 240 students, visually connected as one. 

This enables teaching and learning of multiple subjects concurrently and independently in a uniquely Monash solution.

The facility also includes a 1,200sqm informal Learning Hub accommodating 440 students.  With an average of 90 informal learning seats per floor, the Hub provides spaces for quiet, self-directed learning as well as, larger, more active group settings.
<cite>Denton Corker Marshall</cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/plaza-1_low-res.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Monash Learning and Teaching Building. Image: Multiplex"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="341" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/plaza-1_low-res.jpg?itok=i_qDFCO1" title="The Monash Learning and Teaching Building. Image: Multiplex" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Monash Learning and Teaching Building. Image: Multiplex</figcaption></figure>BLTB is the latest in Monash University's capital expenditure program that has seen vast swathes of the Clayton campus redeveloped in recent years. Major builds delivered include six separate student housing buildings, New Horizons, the Green Chemical Futures building, The Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts and the Learning and Teaching Building.

The latter duo is currently under construction, with the Learning and Teaching Building targeting a Green Building Council of Australia’s ‘5-star As-Built’ rating.

Designed by John Wardle Architects, it includes more than 60 formal and informal learning and teaching spaces set above an extensive basement car park and also delivers a new transport interchange and frontage to Wellington Road.

Likely to grace the Clayton campus next is a new Technology Education Building, with Grimshaw Architects reportedly involved with the design.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image169_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Chemical futures, student residences &amp; New Horizons. "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="545" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image169_0.jpg?itok=rnLLvdgT" title="Chemical futures, student residences &amp; New Horizons. " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Green Chemical Futures, student residences &amp; New Horizons.</figcaption></figure>
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Monash Clayton facilitates another grand design gesture

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With preliminary construction works underway, Lendlease have completed the sale of their first offering within the multi-towered Melbourne Quarter development.

Announced yesterday was the sale of the precinct's first commercial tower to Lendlease-managed affiliate, Australian Prime Property Fund Commercial. The transaction comes at a point of near full tenancy for the commercial tower dubbed One Melbourne Quarter.

Upon completion, initial signatory Arup will also be joined by Lendlease within the 13 level commercial tower, with the latter absorbing four floors across the Denton Corker Marshall-designed, 26,400sqm complex.

Updated project renders accompanying yesterday's announcement also better highlight the tower's activated frontage to Collins Street, perhaps the project's single biggest positive.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_0471.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Melbourne Quarter's onsite works gather momentum"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_0471.jpg?itok=Y3WtWWqx" title="Melbourne Quarter's onsite works gather momentum" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Melbourne Quarter's onsite works gather momentum</figcaption></figure><h2>What they say</h2>

<blockquote>
The sale of this building brings the vision of Melbourne Quarter to life and will drive increased momentum for the project. We continue to witness the city shift its commercial centre west along Collins Street, with many leading national and global enterprises already having made the move. It’s a very exciting time for the project.

As we did with our global head office move to Barangaroo in Sydney this year, we will be consolidating our Melbourne offices to bring our Victorian people together at One Melbourne Quarter in 2018.
<cite>Kylie Rampa, Chief Executive Officer for Property, Lendlease</cite>
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
We are delighted to provide our institutional investors access to this exciting integrated precinct, which will offer unique public space, including Melbourne’s first Skypark, and direct access to a variety of transport options.

The investment is consistent with APPF Commercial’s strategy to up-weight into efficient, sustainable and people-centric buildings, and complements the Fund’s recent acquisition of Darling Square and its interests in International Towers One, Two and Three at Barangaroo in Sydney.
<cite>Josh McHutchison, Managing Director of Australian Investment Management, Lendlease</cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/1mq_hero_shot_75_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="A new Collins Street perspective. Image: Lendlease"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="687" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/1mq_hero_shot_75_0.jpg?itok=WECrAkWk" title="A new Collins Street perspective. Image: Lendlease" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A new Collins Street perspective. Image: Lendlease</figcaption></figure>As the last vacant site fronting Collins Street within Batman's Hill, One Melbourne Quarter's frontage has been amped up.

Passers-by will be greeted by a cavernous entry to the precinct, defined by a Sky Park perched above Collins Street. 980sqm of retail space will also bolster Batman's Hill's retail offerings, complimenting the neighbouring Collins Square retail zone.

Melbourne Quarter will also include 106 car parking spaces and extensive cycle facilities while targeting a 6 Star Green Star Design and As Built rating plus a 5 star NABERS energy rating.

One Melbourne Quarter is the first of seven commercial and residential buildings destined for Lendlease's Melbourne Quarter. Future offering within Melbourne Quarter include 681 Collins Street which is at planning and encompasses 55,000sqm of commercial space, and multiple approved residential towers with 1,600 plus apartments in the pipeline.

The total value of the precinct weighs in at $2 billion.
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Lendlease steps in on One Melbourne Quarter

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The veil may have been lifted (or lowered) on Southbank's latest notable Arts Precinct project. 

Denton Corker Marshall have via their website provided imagery for what was one of a number of invited competition entrants for Melbourne University's new Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. The facility is expected to eventually consolidate the university's full music program to Southbank within the purpose built complex.

A <a href="http://mag.alumni.unimelb.edu.au/opening-the-southbank-campus-to-melbourne/">three stage development process</a> will see Victoria Police's Mounted Branch vacate their Dodds Street, Southbank address, allowing for the redevelopment of the stables into a new multipurpose facility for the Victorian College of the Arts. This in turn will facilitate the delivery of the new Conservatorium Building on what is now a vacant Sturt Street car park abutting the Southbank Theatre - Melbourne Theatre Company.

<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/image5dcm.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="MTC and the proposed MCM side by side. Image: Denton Corker Marshall"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="268" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image5dcm.jpg?itok=7QIo8GH4" title="MTC and the proposed MCM side by side. Image: Denton Corker Marshall" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>MTC and the proposed MCM side by side. Image: Denton Corker Marshall</figcaption></figure>Whilst not successful, the Denton Corker Marshall imagery is representative of the intended building's outcome in both size and transparency.  Denton Corker Marshall's entry would have provided a translucent design featuring a spiral staircase running the height of the building.

The northern facade would have also employed a stone finish in line with that of the neighbouring Southbank Theatre.

Melbourne University's move to relocate the existing Parkville-based Melbourne Conservatorium of Music to Southbank will allow the faculty to be positioned in the Melbourne Arts Precinct with institutions such as the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Hamer Hall and Melbourne Recital Centre nearby.

The new Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and stables redevelopment forms part of the the Victorian Government’s <a href="http://file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/Melbourne_Arts_Precinct_Blueprint.pdf">Melbourne Arts Precinct Blueprint</a>, which sees a vision for a "connected Arts Precinct that is a must-see part of Melbourne, known for its distinctive character and vibrant arts experiences."

<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/image6dcm.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Veiled and luminous. Image: Denton Corker Marshall"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="359" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image6dcm.jpg?itok=y3NlI0qH" title="Veiled and luminous. Image: Denton Corker Marshall" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Veiled and luminous. Image: Denton Corker Marshall</figcaption></figure>The Dodds Street stables development on the other hand is a roughly $40 million conversion with the result being a new visual arts wing for the Victorian College of the Arts.

<a href="http://www.dtpli.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/295586/2-P23016-Heritage-Design-Statement.pdf">Online plans</a> directed toward Heritage Victoria outline the intended conversion of the 1912-1929 structure. The double storey stables wing is expected to become studio &amp; exhibition space while the former riding school wing is earmarked to become performing arts space, leaving the prominent octagon to morph into an events space/gallery, administration and school front of house space.

According to the Melbourne University Magazine the project is supported by the Victorian Government, the University of Melbourne, the Faculty and philanthropic bodies including the Myer Foundation, Ian Potter Foundation and Martyn and Louise Myer.
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Is this the next addition to Melbourne's Arts Precinct?

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RMIT University is hoping to continue its substantial building program with a sizeable mixed-use tower set for a long held A'Beckett Street address.

Entering planning during late 2015, the new proposal designed by Denton Corker Marshall would provide additional educational space and 11 levels of office space, most likely for ancillary university use. Located at 24-46 A’Beckett Street the project also represents Denton Corker Marshall's third tower in the RMIT precinct, joining two active large-scale student housing towers in development.

Although the proposal will result in the loss of an urban park, the site was always expected to be developed by RMIT and has been subject to a proposal as far back as a decade ago.

<h2>24-46 A’Beckett Street, Melbourne application summary</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image48_3.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="RMIT's latest precinct addition. Planning image: DCM"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="758" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image48_3.jpg?itok=HHqqyPk5" title="RMIT's latest precinct addition. Planning image: DCM" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>RMIT's latest precinct addition. Planning image: DCM</figcaption></figure><ul>
<li>Current 2,806 square metre site use: temporary urban park</li>
	<li>Proposed 24 level mixed-use tower at 115.2 metres</li>
	<li>Levels 1-13 subject to educational uses over 16,708 square metres</li>
	<li>Levels 13-23 dedicated to 13,954 square metres of office space</li>
	<li>Two ground floor retail tenancies over 472 square metres</li>
	<li>206 bicycle parking spaces, gym, 15 showers and 120 lockers included</li>
	<li>Gross floor area: 46,813 square metres</li>
	<li>Project value: $137.4 million</li>
</ul>
<h2>City of Melbourne generally supportive</h2>

24-46 A’Beckett Street's podium will consist of a lower section of metal cladding with a lighter element above containing voids throughout which act as break out areas and terraces. The tower section gently tapers in and will be finished with a metal clad and glazing similar to the lower aspect of the podium.

City of Melbourne is broadly supportive of the proposal with the terraces recessed into the podium noted as being a strong design initiative. Colonnades have been included along each street front providing contrast to more recent builds in the vicinity.

Post assessment from City of Melbourne planning staff, it has been resolved that the Future Melbourne Committee will support the application, with the final decision on the project to be made by the Minister for Planning.

<h2>RMIT continues to invest in facilities</h2>

The assessment of 24-46 A’Beckett Street comes as construction progresses on RMIT's latest city campus project, New Academic Street. Under the guidance of Lend Lease, New Academic Street will see an upgrade to the lower levels of existing Buildings 8, 10, 12 and 14, opening these buildings up to the surrounding city.

At a cost of approximately $220 million, New Academic Street is set to be delivered incrementally with a target completion date of July 2017.

New Academic Street is a follow-up project to RMIT's Swanston Academic Building and Design Hub on the corner of Victoria and Swanston Streets. Combined these projects and 24-46 A’Beckett Street would push RMIT's investment in educational facilities to well beyond $1 billion.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_2374.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Lend Lease is progressing with RMIT's NAS."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_2374.jpg?itok=i0axc8BU" title="Lend Lease is progressing with RMIT's NAS." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Lend Lease is progressing with RMIT's NAS.</figcaption></figure><h2>RMIT and VU on the same wavelength</h2>

RMIT's A'Beckett Street proposal draws parallels with another nearby university-driven mixed-use development.

Victoria University holds approval for a similar sized tower of approximately 43,300 square metres at 364 Little Lonsdale Street. Both developments seek to greatly expand the educational capabilities of either institution in a high density format, while also adding a sizeable amount of office space.

Both projects see direct educational facilities over lower levels, with upper levels dedicated to support offices and academic staff work spaces.

Victoria University's project has not advanced to construction as yet, raising the prospect that both towers may potentially rise simultaneously in the years to come.

<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/image49vu.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="VU Tower's intended mixed use. Image: Jackson Architecture"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="379" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image49vu.jpg?itok=O5vdRyjv" title="VU Tower's intended mixed use. Image: Jackson Architecture" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>VU Tower's intended city campus. Image: Jackson Architecture</figcaption></figure>
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RMIT's play for a new A'Beckett Street footprint

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City of Melbourne's Future (Planning) Committee convened last week to consider the merits of the tri-tower residential development that forms part of developer Lend Lease's $1.9 billion Melbourne Quarter development fronting Collins Street. The Committee resolved to provide conditional support for the Fender Katsalidis-designed towers, with final approval from Planning Minister Richard Wynne likely to follow as the development does not overshadow Southbank and has its own planning controls in place.

This follows the Minister's approval of the first stage of Melbourne Quarter last month which features a commercial building of 25,000sqm and a 2,000sqm sky park to be built above Collins Street. Lend Lease secured engineering firm Arup for the building known as One Melbourne Quarter.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/skypark.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Skypark and One + Two Melbourne Quarter. Images: Lend Lease"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="288" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/skypark.jpg?itok=2YxWz-hO" title="Skypark and One + Two Melbourne Quarter. Images: Lend Lease" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Skypark and One + Two Melbourne Quarter. Images: Lend Lease</figcaption></figure>The proposal for the Flinders Street neighbourhood comprises two residential towers of 136 metres known as R1 and R2 and a shorter 58m building adjacent to the Batman’s Garden park. While Council are generally supportive of the height and form of the towers, which are in keeping with the approved development plan, there is a degree of concern that a uniform and singular visual expression will result in a greater visual dominance and mass on the skyline.

<blockquote>
While the general bulk, height, setbacks and scale of the proposed buildings are supported, there is concern about the uniform materials, in particular to R1 and R2. To limit the visual dominance of the two towers it is recommended that there be a greater differentiation between R1 and R2 through a combination of variations in height, podium / tower distinction, diversity of materials and varied upper level setbacks  
<cite>Future Melbourne Committee Report</cite>
</blockquote>

As per the recommendations of the report a variation in height and facade articulation and materiality looks to be a likely outcome. Further to this the applicants have been asked to provide additional 3D renders and 1:50 detailed elevations for the lower sections of the towers to ensure that the buildings are designed with an active and engaging interface with the public realm. 

The towers feature a diverse mix of housing options with a total of 595 x 1 bedroom, 1014 x 2 bedroom, 27 x 3 bedroom apartments and 6 x studio apartments. Despite this, council have also raised concerns about the layouts of some apartments and the quality of amenity to them, namely  borrowed light to the certain studio apartments and ‘saddlebag’ bedrooms.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image29_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Render and plan for Melbourne Quarter's residential emelent. Image: Lend Lease"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="282" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image29_4.jpg?itok=xk1ibpRm" title="Render and plan for Melbourne Quarter's residential emelent. Image: Lend Lease" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Render and plan for Melbourne Quarter's residential emelent. Image: Lend Lease</figcaption></figure>Meanwhile, rumours abound that Lend Lease are also in negotiations with hotel operator W Hotels for the Melbourne Quarter site. 

Should a hotel eventuate within Melbourne Quarter it would also add further diversity to the precinct. Melbourne Quarter would be the third (known) site investigated by W Hotels after previously considering the Savoy site at 134-160 Spencer Street and the failed development on the site of the Palace Theatre.

Construction on the Melbourne Quarter development is expected to begin in earnest later this year, beginning with One Melbourne Quarter and the Skypark. The next stage, construction of C2 / Two Melbourne Quarter, the North-South Link and the City Room, are expected to be lodged soon following pre-application meetings.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_2181.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Lend Lease on the move on Collins Street"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_2181.jpg?itok=oSdTRPmb" title="Lend Lease on the move on Collins Street" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Lend Lease on the move on Collins Street</figcaption></figure>Melbourne Quarter's emergence follows on from Lend Lease's successful residential cluster further west along Collins Street. 888 Collins Street is the area's tallest building and has seen its final facade elements added whilst the sizeable 839-889 Collins Street has made rapid progress dureing the early stages of 2016.

Combined these two projects contain in excess of 1,300 apartments, with Melbourne Quarter likely to yield another 1,600 dwellings.
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Lend Lease's Melbourne Quarter granted City of Melbourne support

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It may not be the first high-rise student accommodation project within the CBD but it shapes as the most prominent. While the first to do so was <a href="http://www.dko.com.au/cms_subcat_14/urbanest-la-trobe">Urbanest La Trobe Street</a> which received its final touches earlier this year, Scape Student Living expect 393 Swanston Street to create a new benchmark within the sector.

In light of a recent Apartments.com.au article highlighting the near on <a href="/news/an-overview-of-melbournes-student-accommodation-projects">6,000 student beds currently in development</a>, it's an apt point in time to peruse the plans for the development which Scape Student Living have indicated will be completed during 2018. Deakin House located at 393-397 Swanston Street, directly opposite RMIT, is set to make way for the tower which gained approval during March 2015.

<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/image150.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Artist's impression of 393 Swanston Street. Image courtesy DCM"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="408" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image150.jpg?itok=r3GxHy5o" title="Artist's impression of 393 Swanston Street. Image courtesy DCM" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Artist's impression of 393 Swanston Street. Image courtesy DCM</figcaption></figure>393 Swanston Street presents as Scape Student Living's first project in Melbourne, with the outfit backed by Sydney-based Telopia Capital and Dutch pension fund APG. With 750 beds included within the Swanston Street project, Scape Student Living have sought to bring a new level of amenity and community to the project.

According to a <a href="http://www.afr.com/real-estate/scape-to-transform-20b-student-accommodation-sector-with-acquisitions-20150615-gho7vc">recent AFR article</a> the development will see apartments include a desk, ensuite, double bed and kitchenette, with the project modelled upon the successful London namesake operation. London Scape not only fosters student studio rooms and teaching spaces but also rentable co-worker and incubator space for new businesses.

Up to date information released by the Federal Government's <a href="https://internationaleducation.gov.au/research/International-Student-Data/Pages/default.aspx">Department of Education and Training</a> shows that both local and national international student enrolments continue to grow strongly, suggesting that when 393 Swanston Street is launched, it will be met with strong uptake.

<h2>From the ground up</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/image143.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Various aspects of the approved development. Image courtesy DCM"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="388" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image143.jpg?itok=15_Hl_w-" title="Various aspects of the approved development. Image courtesy DCM" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Various aspects of the approved development. Image courtesy DCM</figcaption></figure>Two basement levels are set to house the majority of services associated with the development, with scope for 157 bicycle bays also allowed for. Ground floor will feature a cavernous lobby with main access via Little La Trobe Street while and cafe and two retail spaces fronting Swanston Street accounting for most of the rest of the 780sqm ground floor area.

398sqm across Level 1 is dedicated toward common amenities, with spiral stair connecting ground floor to the amenities area. A terrace fronting both Swanston and Little La Trobe is also incorporated over Level 1.

Subsequent levels carry apartments with all receiving at least one source of natural light. The majority of floors are spread over 570sqm with 16-20 apartments per floor the norm, although the tower's form does taper inwards over the top few levels. Levels 38 and 39 carry external terraces while Level 41 holds only nine apartments with a northern aspect.

Reaching a height of 136.7 metres, 393 Swanston Street's crown is expected to receive signage upon completion. Both the south and west elevations are mostly inactive given the adjoining sites at 377 Swanston and <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic-3000">212-222 La Trobe</a> have approval for high-rise towers, the latter Scape's next Melbourne project.

<h2>Scape Carlton?</h2>

Scape Carlton or Scape CUB may be the moniker attached to the group's latest acquisition, the final piece of the CUB Carlton site moved on by Grocon mid year. Scape Student Living were revealed as the purchaser of the site during July in a deal valued at $20 million.

The scale and composition of any development set to call the corner of Swanston and Queensberry home is as yet unknown. In previous years McBride Charles Ryan conceived a <a 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/CUB-5-full.jpg">design for a student accommodation tower</a> on an adjoining parcel within the CUB site.
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Denton Corker Marshall

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