The tower will appear on the western edge of Melbourne's business district, bordering the docks. Its program includes 420 apartments and 10,000 m2 of offices, shops and restaurants. In order to fit the 54-storey tower (height 178 m) into the various surrounding buildings, the architects closed its facades with an openwork screen of organic forms. In addition, its volume seems to be composed of several stacked vases: they not only mark the change of function, but also allow the creation, thanks to their narrow bases, of public spaces: at ground level, this is a new passage to the Southern Cross station, seating for citizens waiting for the tram, a small plaza; terraces will be arranged at the foot of the upper "vases".
These public spaces, as well as the planned 330 m2 "art" hall, convinced the City that 600 Collins Street deserves a relaxation of the building density regulations. Originally on this site it was possible to construct a building with a ratio of "total construction area to land area" 24: 1, while the tower corresponds to a ratio of 29: 1. However, its height had to be reduced by 10 m so that it would not obscure the nearby bank of the Yarra River. The total area of the skyscraper is 70,000 m2, the budget is 300 million Australian dollars.
Among the "green" elements of the project is the aforementioned openwork screen, which protects the interior from overheating and thereby saves on air conditioning costs, highly efficient glazing of the facade, lighting system, and central cooling system for the premises. Provides for the use of "gray" water, 350 parking spaces for bicycles and electric vehicles, as well as parking spaces for car sharing clubs. It is estimated that 600 Collins Street will consume 50% less energy than a typical multi-use high-rise building.
