Fender Katsalidis Architects’ new residential project located in Southbank, will once be Melbourne’s tallest building, standing at 319m.
Australia 108, which shall be 25m taller than Eureka, Fender Katsalidis architects’ previous imposing tower, will also be the southern hemisphere’s tallest building, according to architect Karl Fender.
Former Napthine government gave the green light to a much taller version of the tower, but the original 388m project, got scaled back due to CBD flight controls.
The building at 70 Southbank Boulevard, is set to have 1105 units and cost $1 billion to build. The mega-tower properties started to sell-out in November, with an end value of $1 billion, mostly aiming at international buyers. On the 100th and highest floor, lies the most luxurious 797.4 square-metre penthouse with a 360-degree view of Melbourne, fetching a price of at least $20 million to $25 million. The land at 70 Southbank Boulevard was purchased a year ago by World Class Land, a subsidiary of Aspial, for $42.3 million after it was sold by a consortium including Greek Australian architect Nondas Katsalidis.
Local buyers can finally get their hands on the Australia 108 tower apartments from February 14, as the Singaporean developer World Class Land, announced on Thursday. Hundreds of lavish apartments are set to hit the Australian market next month, though the public relations agency representing the developer cannot reveal how many of the 1105 apartments have already been sold.
“There had been an unprecedented level of interest and the project is getting enormous traction already,” a World Class Land spokesman said.
A special apartment release was in fact held in Singapore last year, which reportedly involved at least 133 of the units on nine floors between levels 11 and 67. The residences were bought by Singaporean and foreign buyers.
The lowest Australia 108 prices for Melbourne start from $500,000 and reach up to $950,000 while going from level 72 and up the cost tunes to $1.6 million, with the cheapest tagged not lower than $11.5 million.
On another note, the tower once completed will have the largest amount of shared recreational space, boasting Australia’s highest swimming pools set against floor-to-ceiling glass.
“We were more interested in doing a terrific building, rather than braking any record,” Fender Katsalidis duo explains.
“One of the key features setting the tower apart from the rest was the fact it was topped by apartments instead of a plant room. It’s really crowned by residential.”
Mr Fender’s intention was to build a beautiful statement of confidence about Melbourne. He also went to predict that the city’s future “postcard shot” would become the view of Australia 108 alongside the nearby Eureka Tower, Melbourne’s current tallest building at 297.3 metres.
“That pairing of buildings, even though the forms are different, will make a very visual and powerful built presence, in the same way Eureka had such an incredible influence on Melbourne,” he told.
“It will capture the attention of people from around the world with its dramatic silhouette and its very unusual sculptural built form. It will add a new landmark, which will further enhance Melbourne’s profile as a leading centre of liveability, culture and architecture.”
World Class Land confirmed the towers construction will commence in mid 2015 and shall be completed in three stages by 2019.