karen-wong-2

Karen Wong

0618_17_spring_st_3469

0618_17_Spring_St_3469

m12143_17-spring_preview

M12143_17 Spring_Preview

m12143_n287_print

M12143_N287_print

<h3>17 Spring St represents the continued successful collaboration between Cbus Property and Bates Smart, to deliver another curated, premium residential tower in the Melbourne CBD.</h3>

The collection of boutique apartments and exceptional amenity of 17 Spring places it at the forefront of luxury living, instilling a new level of exclusivity and prestige for residents.
Occupying a 1,300sqm footprint, the site maintains several street frontages at Spring Street and Throssell lanes. The broadest expanse faces east towards Treasury and Fitzroy Gardens, guaranteeing a lifetime of uninterrupted parkland views.
The 33-storey tower is contextually responsive to the surrounding buildings, while becoming a distinguished landmark on Melbourne’s grandest street. Its elegant stature is expressed as two vertical forms, providing depth and substance with a balanced harmony. The building’s off-white masonry façade panels create a framed gridded appearance that steps back as the building ascends.

m12143_n292_print

M12143_N292_print

The podium of 17 Spring Street features a series of transitional heights and a distinct finer grained welcoming treatment. Entry is deliberately grand, defined by monolithic stone portals and fine metalwork. The ceremonial-like arrival is enhanced by a porte-cochère experience unique to the Melbourne city grid. The stature and personality of the cosmic black marble columns make a monumental statement, while the patterned metalwork of the pressed bronze canopy ceiling adds visual warmth, lustre and materiality complimented by the carefully crafted and uplit sculptural window frames.

m12143_n224_print

M12143_N224_print

m12143_n208_print

M12143_N208_print

Inside, a series of impressive portal frames lined with exquisite marble present a formal invitation into an environment where residents and guests experience serene spaces featuring carefully curated sculpture, decorative objet d’art, contemporary chandeliers and antique hanging tapestries complimented by the finest of bespoke and imported furniture pieces. Refined detailing is displayed throughout the interior and exterior spaces; bespoke tapware, hand crafted door hardware and custom monogramed signage completes the tableau.

m12143_n238_print

M12143_N238_print

The residential building encompasses 73 meticulously appointed two-bedroom, three-bedroom, half-floor and whole-floor apartments. Light-filled apartments with floor-to-ceiling windows and large balconies provide generous natural outdoor extensions to dining and living areas, while providing crossflow ventilation.
A choice of schemes and finishes with materials including natural stone, timber parquet flooring and textured carpets achieve a sense of richness and layering with a carefully considered minimal palette.
Facilities are akin to luxury hotels with exclusive amenities located on level 2 including an extraordinary 25-metre lap pool and gymnasium overlooking Spring Street and the gardens. On level 3, a residents lounge, private dining room, and wine cellar with tasting room opens to a landscaped terrace and barbecue facility for outdoor entertainment completing this residential sanctuary.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<div style="padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" title="17 Spring St, Melbourne" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/844429987?h=67289b5b19&amp;badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
<script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script>

m12143_n281_print

M12143_N281_print

m12143_n268_print

M12143_N268_print

17 Spring St

17 Spring Street

m12545_n71

M12545_N71

<h3>Prince &amp; Parade is a collection of parkside residences in Melbourne’s inner north, designed in collaboration with Mirvac Design.</h3>
Inspired by the area’s diverse mews, green spaces and architectural character, the project extends Princes Park into the precinct through natural materials, landscaped links and outdoor amenity.
The architecture references Carlton North’s traditional terrace houses while drawing on Brunswick’s industrial palette, with rich textures, layered façades and considered detailing. The project comprises six connected volumes forming two distinct buildings. Each volume is stepped, scaled to its context and articulated in response to orientation. Warm masonry unifies the composition, with subtle variations in texture, solidity and grain responding to scale, light and perspective.
The façade reflects Brunswick’s historical brickwork while balancing the elegance of natural stone. On the townhouses, brick piers scaled over three-storeys echo the layered proportions of Victorian terrace houses and act as striking ‘bookends’.

m12545_n73

M12545_N73

m12545_n85_medium

M12545_N85_medium

m12545_n86

M12545_N86

The 166 luxury residences are designed for modern, inner-city living, offering generous floorplans and abundant natural light. Interiors are thoughtfully planned to prioritise ease of movement, privacy and comfort, enhanced by a refined palette of muted ochre and dusky earth. Shared amenities — including a residents’ lounge, library, dining room and rooftop terrace — support both relaxation and social connection.
Landscape design by Jack Merlo, extends to the wider community through a publicly accessible Green Walk linking Park Street to Brunswick Road, improving walkability and access to communal open space. Verdant pockets, rain gardens and native plantings promote wellbeing and sustainability. As an all-electric building, Prince &amp; Parade offers elevated, conscious living that honours context, heritage and the natural environment.

m12545_n80

M12545_N80

m12545_n69

M12545_N69

Prince & Parade

m12375_n14_print

M12375_N14_print

<h3>A true city-shaping place, re-imagining the future of Box Hill and attracting people for work, leisure, education, community and living.</h3>

m12375_n12_print

M12375_N12_print

Identified as one of nine Metropolitan Activity Centres, Box Hill is the fastest growing middle ring suburb in Melbourne. Thus, the urban regeneration of the Box Hill Central precinct is an opportunity to define a future city for people to live work and play. We have created an urban design strategy that focuses on public space, openness and landscaping promoting wellbeing and connectedness &#8211; a place of value and community.
Stage 1 of the Box Hill Masterplan incorporates a 42,000sqm NLA commercial development, a mixed use development with retail, commercial podium and 366 unit residential tower, and the associated public realm.

m12375_n17_print

M12375_N17_print

Box Hill North

m12568_n8_print

M12568_N8_print

<h3>The pristine parkland setting of 50 Queens Road has influenced its design as a build-to-rent community for a diversity of residents. The location offers unprecedented park and lifestyle amenity, plus connectivity to nearby inner-city precincts.</h3>
&nbsp;
Designed for Barings and Aware Super, 50 Queens Road capitalises on its immediate adjacency to Albert Park and its lake. The built form is oriented to maximise views across the park, lake and the bay beyond. A generous central lawn connects the park’s edge to the heart of the site. This open space is accompanied by more intimate moments of outdoor amenity.

m12568_n7_print

M12568_N7_print

Architecturally, the project alludes to the historic mansions that once lined St Kilda Road to the east, particularly their distinctive verandahs. At 50 Queens Road, this inspiration is described in a layering of horizontal elements, while softened edges give the impression of being carved by wind and water. The building’s flanks are articulated in cascading volumes which further open oblique views to parklands. Setbacks on upper levels provide terrace opportunities and minimise overshadowing to green spaces.
Inside, 433 homes are supported by dedicated communal amenities including lounges, office and co-working spaces, wellness spaces and rooftop terraces. The lobby, entered off Queens Lane, orientates sightlines to the central lawn and Albert Park, further drawing the parkland character inside.

m12568_n2_print

M12568_N2_print

50 Queens Road

m11537_n104_print

M11537_N104_print

m11537_collins-house

M11537_Collins House

<h3>Australia’s slimmest tower and fourth in the world by aspect ratio is an elegant residential building which demonstrates how viable small sites can be.</h3>

The site included a three-storey 1908 Art Nouveau building. The tower is sensitively setback from the heritage façade, reinstating the decorative grandeur of the original features and creating a landmark building, both at street level and on the skyline.
Innovative thinking was applied across all aspects of the project. The design uses a self-supporting ‘H-frame’ wall solution, which moves the structural core to the perimeter and enables floorplates to be column free. This let the height and slenderness of the tower to be maximised.
Air rights purchased from the adjacent property, allows the building to cantilever 4.5-metres, creating unobstructed views.
A prefabricated system was also developed, in conjunction with 4D Workshop and Hickory, and 472 prefabricated modules were craned into place.
With the limitations of a 480sqm footprint – roughly the size of a netball court – and a heritage frontage, Collins House required some inventive thinking. Australia’s slimmest tower, and fourth in the world by aspect ratio, is an elegant residential building which demonstrates how small sites can be viable.

process-photography-melbourne

Process Photography Melbourne

Overall, the project incorporates 259 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and impressive amenities including Collins Terrace and St James Club, in addition to a barbecue, media room, sports bar, private dining spaces, kitchen, and gymnasium.

Collins House

m12118_hilton

M12118_Hilton

m12118_n136_print-copy

M12118_N136_print copy

<h3>An elegant mix of old and new, the five-star hotel represents a new chapter for a beloved heritage building.</h3>

The Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street hotel is located within the historically important 1931 Equity Chambers building.
The development comprises 244 hotel rooms, including 10 suites; the Luci Restaurant located within the restored grand hall of the heritage building and opening to an internal courtyard; bar; executive club lounge; guest gym; meeting rooms and pre-function space.
Significant additions include six levels over the existing building and a new 16-level tower to the rear.
Mindful of the heritage character of the site, the new building provides a respectful backdrop and is designed with a calm and ordered facade system that reflects the hotel use of the building. The facade facing Bourke Street is more open and takes advantage of the views and natural light, and as the building rises the glazing increases to maximise the impressive vistas.

20221025_114408_edit

The Bourke Street entry is accessed via the heritage building where the hotel bar, The Douglas Club is located. As visitors move through the building, the restored heritage lift, stair, lobby, and grand hall is revealed. The hotel lobby is located on Little Queen Street, enabling valuable activation to a high quality, but underutilised Melbourne laneway.
Benefiting from the level changes of the site, the lobby overlooks the grand double-height space of the restaurant. The lobby is also connected to the restaurant below and to the meeting rooms above, visually and physically via a feature staircase.
This project brings a new chapter to a beloved heritage building and makes a notable contribution to the urban renewal and evolving character of this part of Melbourne’s CBD.

m12118_n53_print

M12118_N53_print

Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street

m11354_e_n43_print

M11354_E_N43_print

<h3>The addition of the luxury Hotel Chadstone, MGallery by Sofitel is part of the shopping, dining and entertainment destination’s ongoing transition from retail precinct to high-end lifestyle centre.</h3>

m11354_e_n15_print

M11354_E_N15_print

The 250-room hotel for Vicinity Centres includes an extensive conference centre and substantial food and beverage facilities, including the elegant Altus rooftop lounge, with views across the Dandenong Ranges, and a signature dining restaurant on the ground floor. Our role included the architecture, interior design concept, planning and detailed design of guest rooms for this new 5-star destination away from Melbourne’s CBD.
The building complements the existing adjacent Bates Smart commercial building – Chadstone Office Tower. Both buildings were designed ‘in the round’ – high rise beacons in a low-rise suburban setting. A visual manifestation of the glamorous Chadstone brand, the gently curving and undulating forms, inspired by the billowing folds of hanging fabric, become free-standing sculptural objects in the landscape.

m11354_e_n48_print

M11354_E_N48_print

This architectural nod to luxury fashion is further accentuated by the rich lustre of the bronze tinted glass, which catches the light in different ways during the day and imbues the soft building form with an alluring, changing character, making it feel alive, exuberant and responsive to its environment.
The evocative form of the architecture continues inside, with interior accents complementing the glamour of the exterior. Detailing is drawn from fashion, with soft drapes inspired by flowing cocktail dresses and fixtures referencing metal accessories on handbags, shoes and belts.
Hotel Chadstone is the second five-star hotel in Australia to receive a 5-star Green Star Design and As Built rating.

m11354_e_n36_print

M11354_E_N36_print

Hotel Chadstone

m12182_n57_print

M12182_N57_print

<h3>Melbourne’s first purpose-built BTR development has fostered a community-oriented environment exclusively for renters and become a unique part of the fabric of Southbank.</h3>

The aspiration behind Home Southbank is to foster a positive, healthy, community-oriented environment within the building, while  affording residents greater security of tenure and more flexibility than a traditional lease.
Home Southbank features 405 thoughtfully appointed, luxury one, two and three-bedroom apartments in the heart of bustling Southbank. A focus on amenity provides residents with over 1500sqm of communal space and private on-site facilities, as well as curated events programs.
The building’s podium and exterior facade celebrates the industrial heritage and character of the precinct with the use of reclaimed brick, steel and floor to ceiling glazing inspired by the warehouses in the precinct. The slender and elegant 60-storey glass tower offers sweeping views of the city and is clearly defined against the Melbourne skyline.

m12182_n47_print

M12182_N47_print

With a commitment to modern Australian design, Home Southbank incorporates a palette of contemporary colour, material and texture to tie the apartments and shared spaces together as well as extend each living space beyond its walls. The use of Australian made furniture creates an atmosphere of relaxed and contemporary sophistication.
The many lifestyle-oriented spaces and unique experiences offered throughout Home Southbank have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of residents. The building’s sustainable systems and features reduce its overall environmental footprint, achieving a 5 star Green Star equivalent rating. A significant reduction in parking through the use of a car stacker will also minimise vehicle emissions.

Karen Wong

Director

BArch (Hons), DipArch