Melbourne Square tops out

By Jack Hayes

Developer OSK Property has unveiled Melbourne’s first wellness-enabled lifestyle apartments as it marks the topping out milestone of its first two towers at Melbourne Square.

The city’s largest new precinct under development, Melbourne Square is now a recognisable landmark on the Southbank skyline, with its first two towers topping out at 236.7m and 184m, respectively.

The topping out comes as the finishing touches are being placed on the precinct’s latest completed apartments, featuring interiors by Carr Design, along with its village-style shopping centre comprising Victoria’s first double-storey supermarket as well as a range of new eateries.

Melbourne Square sales and marketing director Scott Jessop said the apartments would be the first in Victoria to incorporate world-first wellness technology that aimed to make spaces healthier places to live.

New apartments at Melbourne Square will feature an integrated wellness ecosystem by Delos, which controls the quality of air, water and light in apartments to improve the health of residents.

The Delos technology includes air quality sensors and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) air filtration systems that detect and remove impurities like pollen, dust and smoke; water purifiers that reduce levels of chlorine, heavy metals and particulates; and smart lighting that mimics daylight patterns in order improve daytime performance and sleep cycles.

“Since the launch in 2017, it is incredibly satisfying to see Melbourne Square occupy its place on the Melbourne skyline,” Mr Jessop said.

“Precincts like Melbourne Square can play a role in the health of our communities, providing connection opportunities and important amenity. Buildings are also a critical tool in health and wellbeing, as Delos’ 10 years of scientific research has found.”

“To be able to offer apartments fitted with science-backed technology that improves the internal environment is a game-changer that fits with our vision to create an integrated wellness precinct here.”

Melbourne Square will work with Delos on a retrofit offer to residents whose apartments were completed before the technology was available.

Delos general manager Anthony Scarff said the apartments would help occupants cope with environmental challenges such as asthma, allergies to dust, pollen, pollution and even bushfire smoke.

“Given we now spend more than 90 per cent of our time indoors, it is vital that we explore new ways to engineer our indoor environments, so they become ecosystems for improving physical and mental health. We firmly believe the latest inclusions at Melbourne Square make this development a leader in the movement towards wellness in apartment living,” he said •

The completed apartments feature a range of internal flourishes by Carr Design that reflect the external pleating design created by COX Architecture.

Carr Design’s director of architecture Chris McCue said the interiors encouraged personalisation while allowing the precinct’s 360-degree views to take centre-stage.

“When we design for luxury, we think beyond a floor plan or materials palette and use the interiors to create mood and emotion. These spaces elicit a feeling of calm and escape atop the city below,” Mr McCue said.

The first stage of the project will be completed over December and January, with the first stores within the precinct’s urban shopping village to open prior to Christmas.

Of those stores included is Southbank’s first full-line Woolworths supermarket, which has already assigned store and department managers (pictured).

Speaking to Southbank News last month, Woolworths Melbourne Square store manager Ragu Raguvaran said, “We’re pleased to be able to offer a beautiful new store at Melbourne Square for our apartment residents and local customers that will make grocery shopping easy and more convenient.”

“Being part of the local landscape is very important to us. We have been able to create nearly 100 new jobs and we are also looking forward to supporting a number of community groups in the area over the coming months.”

The new Woolworths store will open on Thursday, December 10 at 93-119 Kavanagh St •