Green Spine

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The highly anticipated $2 billion dual tower skyscraper, <a href="/new-apartments/sth-bnk-by-beulah-southbank-60-southbank-boulevard-southbank">Southbank by Beulah</a>, has been awarded the seal of approval from Planning Minister Hon. Richard Wynne to commence construction next year.

It's a pivotal moment for the property industry and skyscraper enthusiasts across the country, who have waited almost a year to hear the verdict as to whether the landmark development would be gracing the Melbourne skyline anytime soon. In a time of social and economic disruption due to the current pandemic, the positive news couldn't have come at a more apt time.  

<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/screen_shot_2020-04-24_at_1.12.43_pm.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Image supplied."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="373" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2020-04-24_at_1.12.43_pm.png?itok=rGezhk6L" title="Image supplied." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image supplied.</figcaption></figure><a href="/developers/beulah">Beulah International</a> Managing Director, Jiaheng Chan, acknowledged the financial strain the country is currently experiencing and hopes to reinvigorate the market once the new <a href="/new-apartments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank</a> project is delivered. 

<blockquote>
"We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to both the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne for their endorsement of Southbank by Beulah, which we hope will play a significant role in Melbourne's economic recovery over the coming years."
</blockquote>

Southbank by Beulah is likely to take five years to complete construction and will offer jobs to approximately 4,700 construction workers, via the provision of a $1 billion additional investment stimulus to the Melbourne construction industry. Once complete, the development also has scope to provide the Victorian workforce with around 3,250 jobs in the commercial, retail, entertainment, hospitality and child care sectors. These new job opportunities will, in turn, grow the Southbank working population by around 8%.

<blockquote>
"Southbank by Beulah will transform the way Melburnians work, live, learn, revitalise and play — it will set a global benchmark for an unprecedented lifestyle hub that caters to present and future generations and will assist in the future growth of Melbourne and its vision to become a truly global smart city."
</blockquote>

Jiaheng Chan, Beulah International Managing Director 

With plans to reach a staggering 365 metres tall, Southbank by Beulah is likely to claim the title of Australia's tallest building, overtaking Australia 108 which is due to top out early this year.

The collaborative design by Dutch firm <a href="/architects/unstudio">UNStudio</a> and local firm <a href="/architects/cox-architecture">Cox Architecture</a> will see the transformation of the existing BMW site, into a future-focused vertical village, spanning a total of 270,000 square metres of sought-after real estate. 

Each of the two towers feature a unique helix shape, which ensures each floor utilises the exceptional city views on offer. Colloquially referenced as the 'Green Spine', Southbank by Beulah dons striking vertical greenery, as well as a vibrant rooftop garden, encased in a canopy of alternating vertical and horizontal beams, which will protect the plants from the elements. The decision to include vertical greenery is not only visually striking and an environmentally conscious choice, but it also pays homage to Melbourne's title of The Garden City. 

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2020-04-24_at_1.12.33_pm.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Image supplied."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="486" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2020-04-24_at_1.12.33_pm.png?itok=ikmf4Wpt" title="Image supplied." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Image supplied.</figcaption></figure>As a mixed-use development, the buildings will also include a variety of designated zones such as:

<ul>
<li>Residential </li>
	<li>Commercial</li>
	<li>Arts and cultural spaces</li>
	<li>A 5-star resort</li>
	<li>A childcare centre</li>
	<li>Town hall</li>
	<li>Rooftop sky garden</li>
	<li>Public spaces</li>
	<li>Health and wellness precinct</li>
	<li>World-class retail</li>
</ul>
Congratulations to all involved in the project, we look forward to watching the progress take shape over the coming years. 

<div class="rtecenter">FURTHER READING</div>

<div class="rtecenter"><a href="/news/city-of-melbourne-unanimously-endorses-southbank-by-beulah-planning-application">City of Melbourne unanimously endorses Southbank by Beulah planning application</a></div>

<div class="rtecenter"><a href="/news/beulah-international-submits-planning-application-for-southbank-by-beulah">Beulah International submits planning application for Southbank by Beulah</a></div>
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Olivia Round

Southbank by Beulah: State Government give Australia's tallest future skyscraper the green light to commence construction

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While the Southbank by Beulah competition has been run and won, with the pairing of <a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-the-winning-design-for-australias-tallest-tower-revealed">COX Architecture and UN Studio claiming the spoils</a> via their <a href="/news/southbank-by-beulah-un-studio-cox-architecture-the-green-spine">'Green Spine' submission</a>, the hard work of realising the vision for the 118 City Road site has only really just begun.

With that in mind Urban.com.au asked UN Studio Founder and Principal, Ben van Berkel, to provide some valuable insight into the office's collaboration with COX Architecture in conceiving The Green Spine as well as the design merits of the scheme.

<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/un_studio_green_spine_body.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Green Spine in-situ on the Southbank skyline. Image: UN Studio"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="580" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/un_studio_green_spine_body.jpg?itok=hWf3xcVU" title="The Green Spine in-situ on the Southbank skyline. Image: UN Studio" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Green Spine in-situ on the Southbank skyline. Image: UN Studio</figcaption></figure>Urban.com.au: How early in the design process was the idea of the Green Spine conceived? And how much did the design evolve from the mid-term review?

Ben van Berkel: We decided to develop the two tower proposal after the mid-term review. It was essential to create a scheme that fulfilled the requirements for both programmatic diversity and a high level of pedestrian connectivity, especially in relationship to Southbank Boulevard. But we also wanted to create something novel for the skyline of Melbourne.

So we experimented for a while with dualities of facade expression that would support the different functionalities of the building. The studies that we did for this gradually turned into a unified strategy that supported the landing of the tower onto the City Road, as well as the composition of the two towers that twist toward the Botanical Gardens and the CBD.

We then solidified the facade language into a series of stepped ‘drawers’ that housed the greenery, amenity spaces and sustainable features of the towers and added public terraces in the podium. After these stages, it wasn’t long before we began referring to the design as the Green Spine - an architectural element that incorporates a multitude of functions in one fluid gesture.

U: The design team took a different approach to some of the other entrants in opting for a dual tower scheme which allows for greater solar permeability to City Road and would also allow for the possibility for a staged construction programme. How much do you think this was factored into why your scheme was chosen as the winning design?

BvB: As soon as we began studying the two volumes emerging from a podium, we could see that there were many advantages from the standpoint of urban integration, daylight penetration and creating an elevated ground area on top of the podium.

The singular volume scheme always appeared very heavy and somewhat out of place in relation to the neighbouring towers. For this reason, we felt the split tower scheme also offered a better overall balance in the city skyline and created a strong identity for both the towers and the podium.

Whilst you always strive to highlight all the different aspects of your reasoning during the competition process, you can only hope (and perhaps trust) that the clarity, consistency, strength and advantages of your proposal will resonate both with the client and the jury, and lead toward your design being selected.

U: And why do you believe Green Spine was chosen over some of the other schemes?

BvB: After the publication of all the competition schemes, we were somewhat surprised to see that we were the only ones to have proposed a two tower scheme. But in a way, this also set us apart from the other competitors.

As for why I think Green Spine was selected, I would have to say this must have been based on the strengths of the scheme and how it responded to the client’s and the city’s requirements.

The Green Spine design gives a lot back to the city. It incorporates 1.5 times the plot area of public amenities, including an extension of the Southbank Boulevard into and on top of the building - in the form of a marketplace and terraces, as well as a set of gardens and observatories on top of the two towers.

The podium design is terraced toward the street and connects the retail and entertainment programmes across multiple levels, which continue all the way up to the new elevated public area that tops the podium. This way, the facades along City Road and Southbank Boulevard are fully activated. Green Spine is a unifying concept.

It is a straightforward, yet robust idea that brought together the entire development into a cohesive whole. It is all of these design solutions that we hope played a part in the jury’s decision.

U: What was the process like collaborating with COX Architecture and how did you end up pairing up with them?

BvB: COX has an impressive track record of work in Melbourne and we had, in fact, partnered with them previously for a project in Canberra. Based on that experience, we asked them if they would like to partner with us again for the Southbank project.

The process was defined as a partnership from the very beginning, with both sides having equal input with their respective expertise. At all times it was a true team effort and we trust this collaborative spirit was evident to the client and the jury also.

<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/04_sbb_southbank_boulevard_view.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The Green Spine at street level. Image: UN Studio"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="409" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/04_sbb_southbank_boulevard_view.jpg?itok=cMxraifT" title="The Green Spine at street level. Image: UN Studio" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The Green Spine at street level. Image: UN Studio</figcaption></figure>U: What are your ambitions for the Green Spine and the impact it can have on Southbank, not just within the skyline but also at the street interface?

BvB: Our hope for Green Spine is that it becomes the epicenter of retail, entertainment, lifestyle and cultural events in Southbank, providing world-class and future-proof public and private amenities. Having an open and lively interface to the street draws the public character deep into the development, throughout the podium and up into the towers too.

Working with Futurecity, our cultural placemaking consultants, our ambition was to ensure from the early design phases that Green Spine has a strong connection to cultural and art institutions around the city, acting as a partner in providing a lively venue for exhibitions and events.

We imagine an active and programmed podium that engages the local community of artists and provides public terraces for the display of art, installations and performances. Beyond this, the mix of programmes and the way in which they are distributed around the building provides an unprecedented amount of retail space, leisure and entertainment facilities, relevant not only to the immediate Southbank neighbourhood, but also to Melbourne as a whole.

U:  UNStudio has also been involved in the 80 Collins Street project in Melbourne with Woods Bagot. Do you expect to have a greater presence in Melbourne moving forward?

BvB: We were somewhat overwhelmed by the degree of positive reception and support Green Spine has received from the local and international architectural community. We are also proud of the strong resonance the project has gathered with the general public in Melbourne.

Both projects are, so far, the result of the great partnerships we have with Cox and Woods Bagot, as well as our own sensibility and deep appreciation of Melbourne that only grows stronger with time. We would very much like to expand our presence further and will certainly continue to seek out the right opportunities to do so in the future.

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Green Spine

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