Taking our Green Spine higher

Developer Beulah International will put forward a proposal to the state government for Australia’s tallest building at 118 City Rd, Southbank, after announcing the winner of its design competition last month.

After a six-month global search, the twin-tower proposal Green Spine by Dutch architecture firm UNStudio and Melbourne-based Cox Architecture was announced as the winning design for the $2 billion plus BMW Southbank site.

Conceived as a conceptual extension of the new Southbank Boulevard linear park, Green Spine proposes a vertical city of green spaces, with the taller residential tower to be crowned with a publicly-accessible botanic garden.

Reaching 356.2 metres, the tower would become Australia’s tallest tower if approved by Minister for Planning Richard Wynne.

Competing against five other ground-breaking designs, Beulah International executive director Adelene Teh said Green Spine showed work by a strong, multidisciplinary collaborative team that was a bold, yet thoroughly-considered approach.

“At a macro scale, the two-tower silhouettes with twisting forms provide a new, site-responsive and elegant visual beacon in the precinct,” she said.

In its details, the scheme displays a strong intent for well-considered public and private amenity and at a street level, the proposal displays qualities that will truly transform the public realm by eroding the hard edges that are prevalent in Southbank.

Given the nod ahead of five other competing proposals by a design jury of experts, which included the likes of Victorian Government Architect Jill Garner, Green Spine offers a world-class entertainment and community precinct in Southbank.

Along with a 252.2 metre tower, which will house commercial offices, a hotel and specialty bars and restaurants, the lower levels of the towers will make space for a vertical school, day-care, library, cinema, auditorium and an Australian-first BMW experience centre.

Despite offering an impressive proposal, the City of Melbourne’s assistant chair of planning Cr Rohan Leppert took to Twitter after the announcement last month to highlight that the design was actually prohibited under the planning scheme.

“If the design progresses to an application to overrule the planning scheme and create site-specific rules to permit an otherwise prohibited development, this would extend the Crown tower precedent further in the central city,” he wrote.

“[This is] certain to erode the planning system and signal to the industry that if the site and financing is big enough, don’t bother with the planning scheme: instead get the state government to write special rules for you.”

Cr Leppert also criticised the involvement of both State Treasurer Tim Pallas at Beulah’s design symposium on July 27 and Jill Garner in helping select the winning design, for giving the perception of government support.

While acknowledging a “stunning” design, he said an approval by the government would represent “a victory for PR”, as well as the use of architects as a PR tool, over orderly and publicly accountable planning processes.

Minister for Planning Richard Wynne defended Mr Pallas, noting that, except from being at a public event where the project was raised, the Treasurer had not discussed the project with the developer.

A spokesperson for Mr Wynne told Southbank Local News that he had not had any communications regarding the project with the developer.

“The minister has no view on the proposal as no application has been submitted,” the spokesperson said.

Southbank Residents’ Association president Tony Penna said the proposal was “bold and edgy.”

“I commend the developer with encouraging ideas from across the globe, and congratulate our own Cox architecture,” he said.

“While it’s the perfect location for such a development, I am sceptical that what won the competition compared to what will be delivered will not be the same as in it’s current form it doesn’t comply with the planning scheme. In any case, it is a step in the right direction.