A mixed-use project for the Gold Coast’s Surfers Paradise has been approved, and is set to be one of the tallest residential buildings in the Southern Hemisphere.

Designed by Woods Bagot, the $1.2 billion Orion Towers project features two conjoined towers reaching 76 (274 metres) and 103 storeys (328 metres). Combined, they will house more than 1,000 apartments, a hotel, and a number of retail and hospitality amenities.

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The towers will sit atop a five-storey podium, which will form a circular ‘urban canyon’ on the Surfers Paradise Boulevard street front designed by Form Landscape Architects – and will be surrounded with vertical planting.

A curved bridge known as the ‘curious ring’ will link the two towers. Featuring a large LED matrix screen on the underside of the bridge, the ring will display information such as time, weather and community event details in a modern interpretation of the town square clock tower.

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Further features of Orion Towers include a dedicated bike ramp into the carpark, a lush garden deck and recreation area with five pools (on top of the podium), indoor/outdoor residents’ lounges on level 49 of both towers, and Australia’s highest observation restaurant on level 101 offering 360-degree panoramic views.

The approval of the project follows the recent proposal of the Imperial Square Stage 3 Tower. Designed by Kris Kowalski Architects, the 108-storey ‘super tower’ – also for the Gold Coast – will not only be the tallest building in Australia; it will also be the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere.