OSK Property has announced the next stage in its $3.5 billion Melbourne Square precinct in Southbank, unveiling plans for an $800 million residential tower designed by Cox Architecture, with interiors designed by DKO and landscape design by Oculus.
Dubbed “Aura,” the 67-storey scheme at 7 Hoff Boulevard is designed to house 673 apartments and 1,600 square metres of podium retail, alongside wellness-focussed facilities. Resident amenities are concentrated across three zones – a main hub at level seven, which will feature work-from-home lounges, a pool and spa area, fitness centres, and a music room and library; and two private-access areas: one at levels 49 and 50, housing a bar, conservatory and private dining spaces; and another at levels 66 and 67, accommodating a salon, sauna, meditation and sound therapy rooms, and an outdoor terrace.
According to the developer, the building’s design has been guided by Japanese principles of calm, clarity and simplicity, with materials inspired by Australia’s natural landscape. A media communique from OSK Property also notes that the building’s gridded, rectangular aesthetic “fuses inspiration and design cues taken from New York’s timeless high-rises and Tokyo’s skyline.”
Cox director Paul Curry commented that “the architectural approach is one of minimalism and timelessness,” with the building “adding its own unique voice, character and personality to the Southbank neighbourhood.”
The scheme is part of the Melbourne Square development, which is anchored by the 3,745-square-metre Kennedy Park, designed by landscape architecture practice Taylor Cullity Lethlean. Once complete, the precinct will comprise a mix of build-to-rent and market housing towers, mixed-use typologies, and more than 6,000 square metres of landscaped public spaces, the developer’s website notes.
Plans for Melbourne Square were first revealed more than a decade ago, with a six-tower scheme by Cox Architecture granted approval at the end of 2015. Designed by Cox with interiors designed by Carr, the first stage of the project – a pair of towers housing 1,043 residences – was completed in 2021, and the second stage of the project, comprising a 74-storey, 602-apartment tower known as “BLVD,” is currently under construction with completion expected in early 2028.
Pending approvals, construction on Aura is expected to commence late this year.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
