Australia 108 (previously 70 Southbank Boulevard) is a residential supertall skyscraper in the precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Upon officially topping out in June 2020, it became the tallest building in Australia by roof height, surpassing the Eureka Tower, the second-tallest building in Australia by full height (which includes architectural features), surpassed by Q1 Tower, and the tallest building in Melbourne.
The World Class Land development project consists of a apartment building with 1,105 apartments over 100 floors. Construction having commenced in 2015, Australia 108 was completed in 2020 with the main contractor being Brookfield Multiplex and designer Fender Katsalidis Architects.
Prior to its current form, plans were initially for a 72–level residential building with a height of . In 2012, these plans were revised and resubmitted in favour of a mixed-use residential and hotel skyscraper, reaching and comprising 108 levels. This proposal was approved by the Government of Victoria in March 2013; however, it was shelved four months later after it struggled to meet conditions imposed by state and federal government authorities including VicRoads and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
Site The 70 Southbank Boulevard site is situated on the corner of City Road and Southbank Boulevard in the precinct of Melbourne. The land comprised two separately titled buildings, both of which had two levels. The buildings had a total net lettable area of , on a land area of .
The site was purchased by architecture firm Fender Katsalidis Architects in April 2008, for 14.2 million, after the original tenancies ran an expression of interest campaign.
Previous proposals First proposal at 70 Southbank Boulevard (2009–2012) In 2009, plans were submitted by Fender Katsalidis Architects to the City of Melbourne for an $400 million residential building to be built on the 70 Southbank Boulevard site. In its original proposal, the building, 70 Southbank Boulevard, was planned to be in height and consist of 532 residential apartments, six levels of office space, a fresh food market and other retail amenities, spanning 72 floors. The building was designed to replicate the nearby Eureka Tower, also a Fender Katsalidis development. Nonda Katsalidis noted that his firm "wanted to re-create elements of what we had achieved at Eureka and apply it to 70 Southbank Boulevard" with the Eureka Tower.
The building development was approved by then-Victorian Planning Minister Justin Madden on 21 April 2010, a decision which received backlash from the City of Melbourne council, dubbing the development as "excessively high" and "at odds with the City of Melbourne's height guidelines for the area". In May 2010, the council lodged an appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to have the building permit overturned, asserting that the building surpassed the height limit in the area's planning scheme. VCAT rejected the appeal and noted that the planning scheme did not specify a maximum height.
Nonetheless, in July 2012, the site was put up for sale through an international public expression of interest campaign and was listed at $25 million. This was to allow the Fender Katsalidis partners time to "go in different directions".
Second proposal with 'Australia 108' moniker (2012–2013) In November 2012, Katsalidis revealed revised plans for the building which would have seen it "super-sized" to in height, with 108 floors. The new proposal integrated the previous plans, but went on to include more residential apartments, a six-star hotel, and a two-storey star-shaped sky lobby with restaurants and bars.
The residential section of the skyscraper would have comprised 646 apartments, throughout levels 13 to 81.Meinke, Angela. (5 March 2013). "Proposed Ministerial Planning Scheme Amendment C194, ‘Australia 108’ Project – Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee Report" . Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee. Retrieved 26 April 2022. This included a penthouse apartment on levels 80 and 81. Meanwhile, the hotel aspect of the skyscraper would have occupied levels 83 to 102 and feature 288 rooms. A prominent component of this proposal was its star-shaped sky lobby on the 83rd and 84th floors, which would have protruded outside of the building, in similar vein to the Eureka Tower's Edge experience, only larger.Australia 108 - About . Australia108.com.au The Commonwealth Star on the Flag of Australia was used as inspiration for the "starburst".(13 February 2013). "'Super tower’ planned for Melbourne" . Meeting the World. Retrieved 25 May 2015Vazifdar, Lena. (21 March 2013). "World's Tallest Building in the Southern Hemisphere to Be Built in Melbourne, Australia" . Travelers Today. Retrieved 25 May 2015 Another design feature was the use of two metal-cladded beacon towers atop the skyscraper's roof. Whilst Australia 108's main roof would have terminated at level 104, the two beacons of varying heights –the taller rising to above ground– would have comprised levels 105 to 108. A cantilevered 'skybar' forming level 108, was to be hoisted between the beacons at approximately above ground.
Fender Katsalidis Architects incorporated the Chinese system of geomancy, known as Feng shui, when developing the new proposal. The building's name, height and top floor all contain the number 8, which "relates to prosperity, abundance and security".Vedelag, Chris. (20 March 2013). "Feng shui lures Asian 108 buyers" . Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 May 2015
The new proposal was subjected to a second planning application process for approval. On 5 March 2013, the City of Melbourne council voted to oppose the development, citing it as an "over-development of the site".Masanauskas, John. (5 March 2015). "City councillors vote to oppose plans for a tower that could put Shrine of Remembrance in shadows" . Herald Sun. Retrieved 25 May 2015 The Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Robert Doyle, a Shrine of Remembrance trustee, argued that the building would exceed the council's planning scheme in the area by almost and it could potentially create a shadow over the Shrine of Remembrance. However, the Shrine's CEO, Denis Baguley, believed otherwise, stating, "I don't believe there are issues of overshadowing that will concern us." VCAT had already approved the project, but the final decision was up to Victorian Planning Minister Matthew Guy.Masanauskas, John. (28 February 2013)"Lord Mayor Robert Doyle casts doubt on titanic tower he says could put Shrine of Remembrance in shadows" . Herald Sun. Retrieved 25 May 2015
Despite concerns, the project received its final approval on 18 March 2013 by Guy, who went on to describe the development as "a magnificent addition to Melbourne's skyline. Australia 108 will be a signature development that will define Melbourne for decades to come."Masanauskas, John. (17 March 2013). "Planning Minister Matthew Guy approves Australia 108 project for Southbank" . Herald Sun. 25 May 2015(18 March 2013). "Tallest building in southern hemisphere approved" . ABC News. Retrieved 25 May 2015Vedelago, Chris. (18 March 2013). "Southbank mega-tower gets the go-ahead" . Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 May 2015
The project was put on the market on 20 April 2013.(20 April 2013). "Investors size up hotel market, but high dollar remains a hurdle" . The Australian. Retrieved 25 May 2015
Construction on the $1 billion development(20 March 2013). "$600m Australia 108 is all go" . Accomnews. 20 March 2013 was to have commenced in 2014, and would have taken three to four years to build, with completion around 2018.Wong, Maggie. (21 March 2013). "Going up Down Under: Southern Hemisphere's tallest building" . CNN. Retrieved 25 May 2015(19 March 2013)"Our tallest tower, at 388m, is highly pre-fab" . The Australian. Retrieved 25 May 2015 The construction was expected to have created 300 jobs in construction and hospitality industries.Sweet, Michael. (19 March 2013). "Australia 108 approved" . Neos Kosmos. Retrieved 25 May 2015 Upon completion, Australia 108 would have become the tallest building in Australia – surpassing The Gold Coast's Q1 Tower at and Melbourne's Eureka Tower at (20 March 2013). "Coast's Q1 to lose tall title" . Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 25 May 2015 – and would have therefore been the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, and the only such building to have over 100 floors.
In April 2013, it was reported that Australia 108 would have infringed on federal regulations protecting aircraft safety, known as PANS-OPS, particularly in regard to aircraft departing and arriving at Essendon Airport, located some to the north of the project site.Sweet, Michael. (2 April 2013). "Katsalidis supertower hits flight path snag" . Neos Kosmos. Retrieved 25 May 2015 At the time, it was claimed that the tower would have extended into Essendon Airport's flight path "envelope," whose southerly approach requires a height limit to any potential obstruction within of the airfield. When asked about this situation, architect Nonda Katsilidis claimed that the flight paths would not be a problem, and that a technical solution could be drawn up if required. He also stressed that any design changes would be "minimal".
Despite this, the project (in its original form) was officially shelved in July 2013, following its inability to meet a "hybrid of requirements" from authorities such as VicRoads, and the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority which stated that there was "no flexibility" to approve a building that breached height restrictions.Pallisco, Marc. (6 July 2013). "Southern hemisphere's tallest building shelved" . Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 May 2015Masanauskas, John. (29 April 2014). "Southbank tower’s level lopped due to air safety regulations" . Herald Sun. Retrieved 25 May 2015 Consequently, Planning Minister Guy held talks with Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss, regarding the height restrictions on inner city buildings.
Final iteration (2013–present) Planning, design, and approval
The project was bought for approximately $30 million by Singapore developer Aspial Corporation, during late 2013. Plans were later resubmitted to the Department of Planning in 2014, for a new proposal; a 100-storey, -tall apartment tower, to comprise 1,105 apartments (a gain of 500 from the previous proposal).Taylor, Alastair. (24 June 2014). "Australia 108, 452 Elizabeth Street and 84-90 Queensbridge Street gain Ministerial approval" . UrbanMelbourne. Retrieved 25 May 2015Masanauskas, John. (25 June 2014). "Planning Minister approves Australia 108, a 100-storey apartment tower to be built at Southbank" . Herald Sun. Retrieved 25 May 2015 The hotel from the superseded design was removed from the plans, making the project solely residential. The star-shaped sky lobby feature from the previous proposal was incorporated in the design of the building, albeit with various purposes (as opposed to a public observation), and would be located on levels 69 through to 71.
Floor plan Key: Residential/Amenities · Mixed-use · Mechanical · Misc. Level(s) Height Function Diagram ref. Diagram Roof — S 100 Sky Lounge R 98–99 Plant Q 96–97 Nova P 95 Stellar O 87–94 Stellar Rise N 72–86 Star Rise M 71 Plant/Mezzanine L 70 Sky Lobby K 69 Outrigger/Plant J 68 Outrigger/BMU I 44–67 Sky Rise 2 H 42–43 Outrigger/Plant G 14–41 Sky Rise 1 F 12–13 Outrigger/Plant E 11 Recreation D 1–10 Car park C Ground — B Basement Basement 1 A
Approval for this proposal was granted by Minister Guy on 25 June 2014.
Launch