PETALING JAYA - Melbourne’s largest skyscraper project, the sixskyscraper Melbourne Square, is moving ahead, with stage one of the mixed use project receiving planning endorsement by the Victorian Government’s Department of Environment, Water and Planning.
Developed by OSK Property, which is the property development arm of OSK Holdings Berhad, Melbourne Square will transform a former carpark bounded by the Westgate Freeway and Kavanagh, Balston and Power Streets in Southbank into a dynamic mixed-use community and retail centre.
Designed by Cox Architecture, this project will finally give Southbank a green heart as well as critical community infrastructure, with the addition of a public park and network of green spaces – totaling over 3,700 square metres.
According to statement, stage one not only encompasses this dynamic public realm with a central park, but also an essential shopping centre and childcare as well as two residential towers – ensuring amenity is delivered in stage one.
Current plans for future stages may feature a hotel, commercial office and further additional retail space, making it a destination to look forward to in the city. The first luxury apartment sales will commence in mid-2017.
Tan Sri Ong Leong Huat, Group Managing Director of OSK Holdings, said the stage one endorsement was a key milestone for the project.
“It is our vision that Melbourne Square will be an important destination within the world’s most liveable city. Besides having a high quality design element, stage one of our project has several attractive features, such as a beautiful urban park, a large format supermarket, a childcare facility, restaurants and cafés, and a comprehensive set of residential amenities,” he said.
“We hope it will eventually be a place for people of all ages to enjoy, with its beautiful public park drawing people in from across the city. This is an important project for Southbank’s future and provides the delivery of critical community infrastructure that the suburb requires.”
Melbourne Square continues OSK Property’s expertise in large-scale developments that put local communities at their heart, with the diversified company having delivered several large-scale townships and award-winning projects in Malaysia.
Its confidence is underpinned by partnerships with Australia’s leading construction practices, including Multiplex, which has been engaged to provide early contractor input, Carr Design to produce the stage one apartment interiors and project managers Sinclair Brook.
Cox Architecture’s priority, working with visionary landscape architects Rush Wright Associates for the masterplan and Taylor Cullity Lethlean for stage one, was to develop a civic hub, incorporating lush greenery, in Southbank with enhanced linkages to the CBD and Botanic Gardens.
Cox Architecture director Ian Sutter said Melbourne Square was one of the only remaining opportunities to fulfill Melbourne City Council’s vision to make Southbank more verdant.
“The new neighbourhood around Melbourne Square takes one of the last development opportunities in Southbank and, via a prescient and sensitive masterplan, provides a true mixed use precinct with a verdant, green space at its heart,” said Sutter.
“A deliberate decision was made to significantly exceed the open space area requirements for Southbank – we believe this is an essential feature in providing a superior quality of life for the community.”
Two shimmering, elliptical towers, enhanced by architectural pleating, are also part of stage one. Slated for residential use, the towers have a capacity of over 1,000 apartments.
Sales and construction of stage one commence in 2017.
[slider id='81590' name='StarProperty' size='full']
Follow us on Wechat or Facebook for the latest updates.
Download StarProperty.my e-Mag(bit.ly/StarProperty_Emag) for more articles.
Want to contribute articles to StarProperty.my? Email editor@starproperty.my.
