Brisbane-based builder-developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/bpg-developments">BPG Developments</a> has secured approval for its $250 million Newstead apartment tower.

The building, at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/16-22-maud-street-newstead-qld-4006">16-22 Maud Street</a>, will have 103 apartments across the 15-level building which will be crowned with a rooftop wellness facilities.

Residents will range from expansive two-bedroom residences, through to several penthouses on level 15. There will be 1,380 sqm&nbsp;dedicated to wellness-inspired amenities including shaded outdoor dining nooks, a fire pit, barbecue area, sunset lounge, gym, yoga deck, magnesium lap pool, sun deck, a sauna, steam room, and cold plunge pool.

BPG put together the 2,430 sqm super-site combines three separate titles – a vacant warehouse, an electrical &nbsp;wholesaler and an industrial shed, which were acquired in two separate transactions over a 12 month period. &nbsp;

<img alt="BPG Developments secures development approval for $250 million Newstead project" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d007d4fb-9c44-4e54-b79e-50b68711ebbd" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Final%2012_Podium%20Plaza%20View_r.jpg?VersionId=w6zql5hPjAp3j1..ZTCaYLzN65Ora8Z2" />

BPG was founded by industry veterans Nick Parr and Glen Williams. Parr said the project feels like a "coming home of sorts" for the pair, as they've both spent&nbsp;both spent the majority of their lives living in Brisbane's inner north. &nbsp;

“I lived just up the road in Teneriffe for most of my childhood," Parr said.

"We saw this site as an opportunity to deliver a timeless project in arguably Brisbane’s most popular suburb, where &nbsp;the standard for luxury design and amenities is incredibly high."

Parr believes Brisbane is in a bit of a "sweet spot" currently, in that&nbsp;construction prices have stabilised and demand has continued to climb which means the market is tightening up.&nbsp;

“The Brisbane market is unique in that there is no shortage of sites with existing development approvals, the issue is around the availability of builders who can deliver such projects. We are one of the few builder-developers who can build our own projects at scale &nbsp;so we are able to move quickly into delivery mode which gives confidence to our purchasers.” &nbsp;

Williams said they are proud of the project both&nbsp;in the sense of the significance of the site, but also in the quality and timelessness of the design. &nbsp;

“At BPG Projects we are conscious to prioritise quality over volume, so we tend to &nbsp;approach one project at a time," Williams said.

“For us we are motivated by creating a lasting legacy in our projects, so working with Plus &nbsp;Architecture to realise this vision has been a rewarding journey.” &nbsp;

BPG has appointed MOTIV to handle the sales and marketing of the new tower, which is expected to launch early next year. MOTIV Founder Carly Cottam said the project epitomises everything Newstead is about.

"Newstead is a huge success story in the revitalisation of Brisbane, and as a result it’s now one of the most popular inner suburbs, characterised by its exceptional urban design and wellness-driven lifestyle," Cottam said.

“We know this market values flexibility in floorplates, abundant storage and really liveable &nbsp;kitchens and interiors. That’s why designing an entire building around the owner occupier market with 100 &nbsp;percent of the floorplates representing two or three-bedroom residences mean this project is primed to appeal to the right audience.” &nbsp;

BPG completed Sable Palm Beach on the Gold Coast in 2019, and has plans for more developments in the suburb, as part of their $500 million development pipeline.

Joel Robinson

BPG Developments secures development approval for $250 million Newstead project

With three projects currently in market in Elizabeth Bay and Mosman, two of which are under construction and completing next year, apartment developer Toohey Miller is expanding its new development pipeline across Sydney.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/toohey-miller">Toohey Miller</a>, led by Nick Couloumbis, has filed plans for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/oxford160-160-oxford-street-paddington-nsw-2021">Oxford160</a>, 44 new apartments across a nine-storey building on Oxford Street in Paddington. It will have 12 apartment designated as affordable housing as per the Housing SEPP 2021 mid-rise reforms which trigger increased height limits, and street-level retail spaces.

The vision for the project is to create a "welcoming and family-friendly place to live with a mix of quality and affordable homes to support the Paddington community at different life stages."

Designs prepared by Smart Design Studio outline a contemporary, articulated streetwall along Oxford Street, stepping back at the upper levels to mitigate bulk and improve visual integration with the local character. A new laneway will improve pedestrian connectivity to Shadforth Street, while communal open spaces are integrated at both ground and rooftop levels.

<img alt="Oxford160" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0d6e77ed-8c25-4c52-a82d-dd076c66c777" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-12-01%20at%209.52.46%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=hjYcxIWIDOn7JWeom6RzIz7MWc1VG6HF" />

According to the Urban Design Supporting Letter prepared by architect and urban designer Matthew Pullinger, the new scheme “represents a contextually sensitive, responsive and high quality renewal of the site and the broader urban landscape”.

Pullinger said there are a range of benefits to the project, namely its contribution to the renewal of "this part of Oxford Street as a distinctive higher density urban high street and a defining element of greater Sydney’s urban character, thereby enhancing the vitality and liveability of this important street."

The new building will replace&nbsp;a dated 1960s-era apartment block which has 27 studio apartments.&nbsp;Design documents note that the current structure detracts from the character of Oxford Street, with the proposal seeking to restore and enhance the continuity of active shopfronts along the northern edge of the street.

The last project to launch on Oxford Street sold out immediately. It was fashion legend Robby Ingham's The Cambrian, which sold all of its 15 apartments in the first five hours of its weekend launch in 2023 through Ben Stewart.

Toohey Miller plans rare new apartment development on Oxford Street, Paddington 

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/geocon-group">Geocon</a>&nbsp;is advancing its plans for its new&nbsp;mixed-use precinct in Braddon, updated the designs for the prominent site at the intersection of Northbourne and Wakefield Avenues.

The Canberra-based developer is proposing 558 apartments and seven commercial tenancies across four buildings under a staged application first lodged in 2023. The project also includes four levels of basement parking, communal spaces, pedestrian links, and landscaping enhancements.

While the development’s scale remains consistent, the current amendment introduces extensive changes to apartment layouts, building envelopes, façade articulation, and basement design.

According to the Design Statement by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">Cox Architecture</a>, these adjustments were driven by two core objectives: “enhancing apartment and common area amenity” and “ensuring acknowledgement of the housing design guidelines, entity advice, and planning expectations, while retaining the integrity of the original architectural concept”.

<img alt="Northbourne and Wakefield Avenues" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="066194ad-d73f-49b7-8e39-09e20690a7ac" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers%202.png?VersionId=I7eLnim8erdwd2Yu1N5sIcLSndeOK_TC" />

The revised apartment mix has been rebalanced to increase diversity and affordability, including a broader range of unit sizes and a higher proportion of three-bedroom dwellings. The updated design also removes problematic layouts, such as “snorkel” bedrooms and internalised studies, to improve liveability and natural light access.

Cox Architecture noted that “studios and smaller one-beds provide entry-level housing and broaden affordability,” while the number of family-sized three-bed apartments has been increased “in direct response to market demand and policy objectives”.

The circulation spaces within the towers have been redesigned to improve wayfinding and daylight penetration, while the ground floor layout has been reworked to create clearer and more visible entry points, particularly from Northbourne Avenue.

Refinements to the building’s massing and façades have also been introduced in response to planning feedback, with additional breaks and articulation to reduce perceived bulk. “Rooftop plant and lift overruns have been integrated and screened, resolving visibility concerns,” COX stated.

Basement levels have been consolidated and made more efficient, with improvements to bike and storage facilities.

<img alt="Northbourne and Wakefield Avenues" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a1ab9357-707d-46fd-95d7-d6e09c70f20b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers%203.png?VersionId=crDXvrmDsGqFGcb_p6NSUlsr0vYsRacq" />

The precinct’s pedestrian connections have been clarified, and the public realm has been restructured to improve permeability and align with the broader Northbourne corridor urban design framework. Landscaping updates include increased deep soil zones and rooftop communal areas, with tree management to be addressed separately.

Geocon acquired the 10,633 sqm site earlier in 2023 following approval of a prior build-to-rent scheme by Evri Group. The existing nine-storey commercial building was demolished in 2022.

The current proposal, designed by Cox Architecture, is positioned as a key contributor to the ACT Government’s urban renewal vision for Northbourne Avenue, an established transport and development spine served by light rail and major arterial roads.

First look: Geocon refines plans for four-tower precinct on Braddon's Northbourne Avenue

The booming Bilinga beachfront is set for another luxury apartment development, with plans filed for KYRR, an 11-level block on the dress circle Pacific Parade.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kyrr-70-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">KYRR</a>, on the corner of Pacific Parade and Archer Street, will comprise 24 apartment on its prime 1,009 sqm site. There had previously been plans for a much more boutique seven-storey, five-unit scheme.

Plans have been pitched by CHM Living, an entity associated with James Quinert, the founder of Norwood Constructions which is based in Melbourne.

<img alt="70 Pacific Parade and 1 Archer Street" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2f6159ee-3511-4b16-b9fa-ae8c008b8faf" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/site_5.png?VersionId=4n2YaBQdjXcshUAkxX8ei9X5N0v2AWqB" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/byculprit">ByCulprit Architects</a>, the project includes a sculptural façade with soft curves and natural finishes, inspired by the rhythm and calm of the nearby Pacific Ocean.

According to the Town Planning Report by Town Planning Alliance, the project aspires to reflect the intent of the Medium Density Residential zone, aiming to "contribute to the city’s iconic skyline along the coastal spine" with a high degree of architectural modulation and landscaping that softens the built form.

There will be 22 large-scale three-bedroom apartments and two five-bedroom penthouses. The wellness amenities, including a gym, steam room, sauna, pool, golf simulator, and cold plunge, will sit on level one.

Kyrr will follow in the footsteps of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/pipis-bilinga-303-golden-four-drive-bilinga-qld-4225">PIPIS</a> in Bilinga by SIERA, which is all but sold out with just one of its luxury 19 apartments left to sell. The building set suburb records, with the penthouses both selling for over $8 million. Down the road is Bilinga House, which has a wider mix of configurations and price points starting from just over $1.2 million.

First look: Bilinga beachfront set for new luxury apartment development, KYRR

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/coronation-property">Coronation Property</a> has received development approval for Archer &amp; Albert, a 32-storey, mixed-use residential development in the heart of Chatswood.

Located at 57–61 Archer Street and 34 Albert Avenue, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/archer-albert-chatswood-57-61-archer-street-chatswood-nsw-2067">Archer &amp; Albert</a> will deliver 150 new homes, including affordable housing, alongside ground-floor and podium retail, commercial space, a heritage house activated as a café, additional ground-level activation, and a landscaped publicly accessible park designed for community use.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/archer-albert-chatswood-57-61-archer-street-chatswood-nsw-2067">Archer &amp; Albert</a> is one of the few large-scale residential developments in the heart of Chatswood City to progress through a council-led architectural design competition and secure development approval, positioning it at the forefront of design led housing.&nbsp;

<img alt="Archer" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="33cb754a-1493-4203-bd16-096d320597f6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/A%2BA_C03_EXT_StreetScape_ID1.jpg?VersionId=oLUPFVAMxuRUTH1Bwki16R48cEo.vLeB" />

Designed by global architecture practice <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/woods-bagot">Woods Bagot</a>, long-term collaborators of the Coronation team, the project draws inspiration from the Sydney Blue Gum High Forest and the leafy character of the South Chatswood Heritage Conservation Area. The design integrates a restored heritage-listed home and establishes a landscaped connection between Chatswood’s urban centre and its surrounding residential neighbourhoods.&nbsp;

“This is an important project for us and our first entry into the North Shore,” said Joe Nahas, Managing Director of &nbsp;Coronation Property.&nbsp;

“We are deliberate about where we invest and build, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/chatswood-nsw-2067">Chatswood</a> stands out because the fundamentals are already strong. Transport, employment, education, retail and health are all in place. Archer &amp; Albert is about adding new housing into a centre that already works and building on what exists.”&nbsp;

<img alt="Chatswood" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="620fcd78-00be-489b-823a-ca353387b91b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/A%2BA_C04_EXT_PARK_HA_ID2.jpg?VersionId=NxSl04Zl1rzt94xlXNA6CNzSR9XMyLgP" />

Aras Labutis, Head of Urban Transformation at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/coronation-property">Coronation Property</a>, said the project reflects a disciplined, collaborative approach to city shaping.&nbsp;

“Chatswood sits at an important junction between high-density commercial activity and established residential &nbsp;neighbourhoods," Labutis said.

"Our focus for Archer &amp; Albert was to manage that transition carefully, respecting what’s already there &nbsp;while contributing something new that feels deliberate and enduring."

The approved scheme delivers:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>A 32-storey mixed-use tower comprising 150 homes, including 41 affordable housing dwellings • 530sqm of ground-floor retail, dining and commercial offerings&nbsp;</li>
	<li>A 760sqm wellness tenancy integrated within the podium&nbsp;</li>
	<li>A restored heritage building, thoughtfully reimagined as a café overlooking the park&nbsp;</li>
	<li>A landscaped public park, designed as a calm green retreat in the heart of Chatswood&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Resident amenities include a premium gym, golf simulator, mahjong room, dedicated wellness areas, private &nbsp;dining facilities and a curated wine room&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Deep private balconies designed to capture outlooks and northern light&nbsp;</li>
	<li>A refined material palette of natural stone, timber and terracotta&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=29796]

Coronation receives green light for Archer & Albert apartments in Chatswood

447 Collins

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Multiplex has pinpointed incomplete grouting as having caused crumbling of precast concrete columns at its $1.2 billion Collins Arch project.
The issue halted work at the Collins Street, Melbourne CBD work site of the CBUS project, nicknamed the Pantscaper.
The builder would not say how many columns had been affected or what levels of the 44-level twin-tower project had been affected.
The embarrassed super fund, which provides superannuation and income stream accounts to more than 790,000 members, prides itself as being a leading commercial and residential property developer across the country.
The concerns triggered an <a href="/news/precast-column-movement-concerns-stops-work-at-cbus-447-collins-street-pantscraper-twin-tower-project">investigation by structural engineers</a>.
"In limited locations the liquid grouting solution between the column and the floor slab has been found not to have fully penetrated, leading to minor spalling of the precast column edges," Multiplex said on Wednesday.
"The columns in question have since been remediated in accordance with the engineers’ recommendation and a full audit of all precast structural columns is expected to be complete later today."
The builder said there were no structural problems with the building, the design or the precast columns separating floors.
But is acknowledged that "spalling", or crumbling, of the pillars had occurred where pressure built up because the grouting was not evenly spreading the load of the column above.
RCP was appointed by Cbus Property in 2015 to project manage the redevelopment of 447 Collins Street, Melbourne. The quantity surveyor is Rider Levett Bucknall.
It is understood CBUS Property board members were briefed on the issue after the stopwork gained national attention on the Nine Entertainment website.
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">
Mark Ford has been the CBUS Property chair since 2006. Ford is a professional director with extensive property industry experience, including previously being managing director, head of DB Real Estate Australia.</div>
The CBUS Property board includes trade union construction boss Dave Noonan who worked as a builder’s labourer, and managed major union sites at several iconic Melbourne landmarks.
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-text">
Noonan’s qualifications now comprise the RG146 for Superannuation.
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">
Chris Kakoufas is the CBUS Property general manager of development.</div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">A CBUS presentation indicated there were unique design considerations for 447 Collins Street due to its complex form, and focuses on the linking of East and West Towers via the skybridge.
</div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">"Each tower experiences permanent lateral deflections in different directions due its unique geometry," Rob DiBlasi, Director, 4D Workshop said in 2017 at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.</div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">"This is all about construction...by tieing them together it's an extremely stiff building" said DiBlasi.</div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">"The architectural aspiration was to maintain an uninterrupted façade across connecting towers," he advised.</div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">"The skybridge structure has been utilized to link the towers and avoid expansion joints. </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">"Design considerations include individual tower movement during construction and construction tolerance, skybridge and link structure design and detailing, consequential design effects on stability elements, and skybridge construction methodology. </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">"The linking of towers can be carried out successfully to create a unique continuous and homogenous architectural form," </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title"> </div>
<div class="cbp-l-project-desc-title">The presentation advised internal linking forces can be significant and may affect design, detailing and construction.</div>
</div>
Poor grouting was part of the problem at Sydney's troubled Opal Tower, from which residents were evacuated on Christmas Eve.
Along with the poor assembly of beams, there was also insufficient grout – concrete glue made up of water, cement, and sand – at the joints between the hob beams and panels, causing stress in the panels,<a href="https://www.afr.com/real-estate/residential/poor-design-and-construction-at-opal-breached-national-codes-and-standards-20190221-h1bjch" target="_blank"> </a>the Opal investigation found.
Opal Tower also had unique <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://vimeo.com/293076036" target="_blank">construction challenges</a>.
 
</body></html>

jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Grouting issues cause of embarrassing crumbling in CBUS's Pantscraper construction project

<html><body>
Multiplex has halted construction work at CBUS's high-rise jewel, the 447 Collins Street project after possible movement in precast structural columns on the half-built twin-tower project.
The concerns have triggered an urgent investigation by engineers at Collins Arch.
The decision comes after Sydney's Opal Tower issues with precast over the Christmas-New Year period.
The exact nature of the Pantscraper problem was not clear, according to a report by Nine Enertainment, with neither Multiplex nor its consultant engineers 4D Workshop giving more than limited details.
"A small number of minor column settlements have been identified on the 447 Collins Street project currently under construction," the companies said.
"The builder, Multiplex, places the utmost importance on safety and quality and has already commenced a detailed investigation into the cause, with structural design engineers currently inspecting the columns. As a precaution, work has temporarily stopped while that investigation takes place.”
Rob DiBlasi, 4D Workshop director, assured Collins Street pedestrians that the building was safe.
"There’s no issue with the structural integrity of the building," he told The Australian Financial Review.
"There are some minor issues with regard to precast columns."
CBUS has boasted Melbourne's skyline was to be transformed following the construction of a $1 billion luxury high-rise.
Called the "Pantscraper", after its twin towers joined by a sky bridge, Cbus Property's 42-storey mixed-use development comprises 49,000 square metres of premium-grade office space, a five-star W Hotel and 202 residential apartments.
Designed collaboratively by Melbourne-based Woods Bagot and New York-based SHoP Architects, the Pantscraper will dominate the skyline given its unique silhouette.
Three major legal firms, including King &amp; Wood Mallesons, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers, and Gadens have committed to office space.
Completion was anticipated for late 2019.
The current design is the third, after earlier plans for a 100-storey tower and then a 47-storey tower were rejected, in part because of the shadow they would have cast on the nearby Yarra River.
Heritage groups have criticised the proposed park for being smaller than the 2800-square-metre plaza in front of the previous revered brutalist-style building on the site.
Above ground, the two towers meet at level 33. 
The possible fault of precast concrete on a $1.2 billion project in the heart of Melbourne's CBD will ignite to calls for reforms to Australia's construction industry.
The state have yet  to implement recommendations of last year's Shergold-Weir Building Confidence report.
</body></html>

447 Collins

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