Stuff That’s Done, Sydney Edition: Greenland Centre Sydney

Posted on March 22, 2021 by danieldschell

Remember travel? Those were good times.

Australian Unity’s new offices begin to rise at 271 Spring Street in Melbourne

Posted on November 27, 2017 by danieldschell

Probuild’s tower crane has started construction on ISPT’s 271 Spring Street in Melbourne.

A noticeable trend in Australia is incorporating the old into the new. Saving facades, adding additions atop existing buildings, and developing around historic structures. 271 Spring Street is Melbourne is one such project.

Designed by John Wardle Architects, 271 Spring Street will be a 16-story office tower developed by ISPT. It will — literally — tower over the facades of the old Elms Hotel and the Mission Building along Spring Street. Probuild is the builder, which is why they get to have their name on the tower crane. (Side note: Getting my name on a tower crane is now a life goal.)

271 Spring Street looks like a cool building, right? Great location? Close to transportation? Want to lease some office space? Sorry. Every centimeter of the 15,600 square meters of space is spoken for by Australian Unity. They’ll move into the new digs in mid-2019.

This on-site rendering poster shows how 271 Spring Street will loom over, and behind, two historic buildings.

Probuild, Golden Age Group announce topping out of Victoria One in Melbourne

Posted on November 26, 2017 by danieldschell

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Probuild's Victoria One project has topped out.

A post shared by Probuild (@probuildconstructions) on Nov 26, 2017 at 3:56pm PST

Three weeks ago, we took a look at Victoria One, the 75-story, 629-unit apartment tower being built in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. And now we get word via the Instagram photo above from Probuild that Victoria One has topped out at 452 Elizabeth street in the Central Business District.

That means hearty congratulations are in order for the Victoria One team, including Probuild, developer Golden Age Group, and design architects Elenberg Fraser.

Golden Age Group celebrated via Instagram as well:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb3gXnzlnEU/

**UPDATE: Probuild has issued a press release on the topping out:

Probuild’s Victoria One has successfully topped out as the tallest tower in the Melbourne’s CBD.

Victoria One’s structure commenced in April 2015 and after 699 working days and 18,800m³ of concrete, the level 77 slab was completed on the 23rd of November 2017.

This milestone continues the success and achievements previously set by the team after completing and handing over 232 apartments in June 2017. A further 98 apartments are to be handed over to the client before the end of 2017, which will take the total amount of completed and settled apartments to 330. Our team has been committed to delivering a high quality build, despite the complexity of this construction project.

Once completed, the project will feature 643 residential apartments, the largest car stacker in the southern hemisphere, 11.5km of façade fins and 22,500m² of glass façade with the total weight of the structure estimated to be around 54,000 tonnes.

: Victoria One rendering from Elenberg Fraser.

: Construction progress back in October, looking close to topping out.

: Victoria One, center, has just topped out.

Avant another skyscraper in Melbourne! And I always get what Avant.

Posted on November 22, 2017 by danieldschell

Avant reaches for sunlight in the high-rise forest of Melbourne’s CBD.

May Melbourne never stop building.

In a city that seems to have skyscrapers rising on every block, the especially-busy northwest section of Melbourne’s Central Business District is a construction lover’s dream. Let’s take a look at another project in the neighborhood.

Avant is a 55-story apartment tower at 54 A’Beckett Street (I need someone to explain the derivation of that street name; specifically, why there’s an initial, then an apostrophe.) Developed by the Singapore (talk about another bucket-list destination for me!) firm of World Class Global, Avant is yet another sparkling design by Elenberg Fraser, who keep cranking out one stunning building after another.

Avant will feature 456 apartments, with amenities included on floors 10 and 55. Probuild is the builder on this one. We’ve seen their work in Sydney and Gold Coast, too.

I don’t usually include a whole mess of renderings, but the images on Elenberg Fraser’s website of Avant are gorgeous, so here they all are: (construction photos in the 2nd gallery)

All renderings belong to www.pointilism.com.au

And now, the construction shots, which all belong to me 🙂

The Star Gold Coast antes up for a new hotel and casino tower in Broadbeach

Posted on November 14, 2017 by danieldschell

A 17-story, luxury all-suite hotel has risen at The Star Gold Coast.

The Star Entertainment Group is rolling the dice on The Star Gold Coast, believing it’s time to do a major upgrade on the former Jupiters Casino, situated on its own tiny island in Broadbeach. Along with upgrading the existing facility, they are currently constructing a new 17-story, all-suite hotel.

Probuild, who we’ve also seen on projects in Sydney and Melbourne, is the builder on The Star. Sure looks from here like they had it topped out when we stopped by in October.

Steelman Partners, headquartered in Las Vegas, is the design architect. DBI Design is also involved in the project. Completion is scheduled for first First Quarter 2018.

This isn’t the end of new development for The Star. Also in the works is a 53-story residential tower featuring 423 apartments and 300 hotel rooms atop a 7-level podium with parking, restaurants, and retail space.

: Night rendering of The Star.

: The Star rendering, with 53-story tower on the right.

: Night rendering of The Star.

Victoria One tower climbs into Melbourne’s CBD Skyline

Posted on November 7, 2017 by danieldschell

Victoria One, flanked by Vision Apartments (left) and Light House (right)

There’s a cluster of skyscrapers adjacent to Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market that I’d love to have in my own back yard. In our 4-city tour of Australia, Melbourne stands out for its willingness to build creative structures, especially tall ones. One such tower is Victoria One, at 452 Elizabeth Street in the Central Business District.

Victoria One rendering from Elenberg Fraser.

Developed by Golden Age Group, which has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, and Shanghai, Victoria One will be 75 stories high, with 629 apartments to both rent and own. Another design by Elenberg Fraser, an architecture firm we “met’ when profiling Aurora Melbourne Central, Victoria One is being built by Probuild, providing yet another connection to Aurora.

**As for those other tower I mentioned in the “cluster”? Vision Apartments and Light House. Vision, I hear from local scuttlebutt, gets mixed reviews. (I happen to be a fan.) But Light House stands as one of my favorite buildings from our entire Australian visit.

: Victoria One rendering from Elenberg Fraser.

Subtraction before addition for Sydney’s Greenland Centre

Posted on October 30, 2017 by danieldschell

This is the end of the beginning of a new 66-story residential tower, Greenland Centre Sydney.

You all know me by now. I brake for tower cranes. Not only do I still get giddy when I see them, but now and then, they leave me staring in disbelief. These are two such cranes.

In Sydney’s Central Business District, Greenland Centre Sydney is starting with demolition, but not total destruction. The 26-story former HQ building for Sydney Water on Bathurst Street was stripped of everything but the iron frame, which now stands alone — along with those two tower cranes — in the sky. Demolition wrapped up in July, and Probuild began the process of turning that steel cage into a 66-story residential tower, making it the tallest residential tower in Sydney at about 770 feet.

A project by China-based developer Greenland Group, and designed by BVN with executive architect Woods Bagot, Greenland Centre will contain nearly 500 one-, two-, and three-bedroom luxury apartments. Construction is expected to take another two+ years, with opening slated for 2020. But admit it; you’d kinda like to see it remain a bare-steel frame.

: Greenland Centre Sydney render from BVN.

: The tow tower cranes hiding behind The Meriton. Taken from Sydney Tower.

Aurora Melbourne Central will light up the sky with a 92-story mixed-use tower

Posted on October 20, 2017 by danieldschell

Aurora Melbourne Central rises at 250 La Trobe Street in Melbourne’s CBD.

Seeing an aurora in the sky is always a special experience.

Seeing Aurora Melbourne Central in the Melbourne, Victoria sky will mean mixed-use architecture has climbed to new heights.

Being billed as the tallest residential tower in Melbourne’s Central Business District, Aurora Melbourne Central will include office space on the first seven floors (where car parking will also be located) to go along with its nearly 1200 rental and serviced apartments.

UEM Sunrise, a developer from Malaysia, is making its first foray into Australia with Aurora Melbourne Central. It is a design by Elenberg Fraser. Probuild is the general contractor. Opening is scheduled for 2019.