A skyscraper for the developer Beulah is due to appear in Melbourne, in the Southbank area on the left bank of the Yarra River: this former industrial zone has been turned into a business development area, including high-rise since the 1990s. In addition to apartments and hotel rooms, the client included a wide range of functions in the program - offices, shops, a market, a kindergarten, a cafe, BMW Experience Center, as well as cultural institutions and green public spaces. All of this was to be "packed" in a tower over 350 meters high and with a budget of over two billion Australian dollars.
The only one of the six competitors, UNStudio architects divided the vertical volume of their building in two (the other five projects can be viewed
here and here). A "green ridge" was created between the two parts - a kind of canyon with landscaped terraces, which made it possible to provide all floors with light and views much better than in the case of a single structure. Thanks to him, the Dutch, working in conjunction with the local bureau Cox Architecture, were also able to deploy their skyscraper (officially called Southbank by Beulah) towards the Botanical Gardens and the Central Business District, located on the opposite bank, in the historical core of Melbourne.
The 356.2 m high tower is completely occupied by apartments; the second building, with a hotel and commercial space, will reach 252.2 m. The sculptural "green ridge" between them serves as a vertical continuation of Southbank Boulevard, from the public green roof of the stylobate through the terraces of this "canyon" to the Future Gardens on the roof of the residential area, which is also open to all citizens towers. The total construction area is planned to be in the region of 250,000 m2, the land area is 6,191 m2.
