Woods Bagot will join forces with London’s Seventh Wave, Dutch practice UNStudio and Paris-based Jouin Manku for an $800-million mixed-use tower in Melbourne CBD. The project, developed by Australian firm QICGRE, has been described as a “once-in-a-generation transformation”.

Dubbed 80 Collins Street, the towering glass-clad development will incorporate 43,000 square metres of office space alongside a “boutique” hotel and a range of retail space dedicated to international luxury brands. The new office space will be accompanied by a major refurbishment of an adjacent office and commercial tower.

Renders for the architectural collaboration reveal a rectilinear, straight-edged glass tower on which has been fastened a smaller, floating glass block. This front façade, which appears to cling to the rear structure, is clad with glass panels that are applied unevenly along with vertical plane, giving the frontage a rippled, shard-like effect.

“[80 Collins will be] a once-in-a-generation transformation that cements the position of Melbourne’s famed Collins Street as one of the world’s premier boulevards for luxury retail and commerce,” says QICGRE.

“It’s been nearly two decades since Melbourne CBD’s east end has witnessed a transformation of this significance,” adds Steve Leigh, managing director of QICGRE’s global real estate division.

The Victorian government has officially granted planning approval to the Woods Bagot collaboration. The developers at QICGRE will now work with contractors at Multiplex to deliver 80 Collins. It is estimated that construction will be completed in 2020.

Kirsty Sier

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