A 33-storey office tower designed by Cox Architecture will likely be built at 383 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, with council officers recommending its approval.
The site of the proposed tower is on the south side of La Trobe Street, with Queen Street to the east and William Street to the west. A 70-storey hotel and apartment complex designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Architectus had previously been approved for the site, but current owners Mirvac bought the site in 2018 and elected to go with a more modest building. The project will call for the demolition of the five-storey office building known as the Royal Mint Centre that currently occupies the site.
Cox Architecture’s designs were first submitted to the City of Melbourne on 15 June 2020, while revised plans were submitted in December of that year.
They envision a 10-level podium, with an activated ground plane featuring publicly accessible laneways, an arcade extending north-south through the site and feature stairs defining the La Trobe Street entrance. A large terrace will extend around the perimeter of the podium at level 10.
The proposed tower at 383 La Trobe Street by Cox Architecture.
A flexible façade system will allow tenants to “curate” their own terrace zone with a depth ranging between two to nine metres. Terraces will be north facing, with views over Flagstaff Gardens and “collectively, have the potential to provide a green vertical spine to the building’s facade.”
Council officers commended the design team for providing a high level of detail in regards to proposed finishes and articulation at the ground level.
Melbourne councillors will consider the proposal on 1 June.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
