435 Bourke Street

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The highly anticipated new addition to the Melbourne skyline, <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/projects/435-bourke-street-melbourne">435 Bourke Street</a>, has undergone a significant design iteration process to ensure it meets council compliance and regulation. A <a href="https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/committees-meetings/meeting-archive/MeetingAgendaItemAttachments/875/15600/OCT19%20FMC2%20AGENDA%20ITEM%206.4.pdf">Future Melbourne Committee meeting</a> to be held on the 15th of October will reach a final decision regarding the building’s height, which Bates Smart has reduced from 58 to 49 floors (including basement levels) since the first planning application was <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/cbus-property-submits-planning-application-for-its-landmark-435-bourke-street-site">submitted in 2018</a>.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2019-10-11_at_4.22.26_pm.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Before and after designs, L-R 2018, 2019. Credit: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="421" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2019-10-11_at_4.22.26_pm.png?itok=Xj-7nbvt" title="Before and after designs, L-R 2018, 2019. Credit: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Before and after designs, L-R 2018, 2019. Credit: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure><figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2019-10-11_at_1.34.43_pm.png" rel="gallery-all" title="Before and after designs. Credit: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="485" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2019-10-11_at_1.34.43_pm.png?itok=LIyttgBA" title="Before and after designs. Credit: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Before and after designs. Credit: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>Despite <a href="https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=2142768&amp;page=19">upsetting many skyscraper enthusiasts</a>, one of the main reasons for height reduction from 250m to 181.875m was due to the overshadowing of the streetscape and Yarra River throughout certain periods of the day.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2019-10-11_at_1.36.36_pm.png" rel="gallery-all" title="435 Bourke Street's original height would cast a shadow over the Yarra River, whereas the new design will not. Credit: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="458" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2019-10-11_at_1.36.36_pm.png?itok=Az3dkmCy" title="435 Bourke Street's original height would cast a shadow over the Yarra River, whereas the new design will not. Credit: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>435 Bourke Street's original height would cast a shadow over the Yarra River, whereas the new design will not. Credit: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>While older buildings may exceed modern shadow limitations (as seen on the map above), modern skyscrapers such as 435 Bourke Street (depicted in the green shadows above) must follow stricter compliance guidelines. 

In addition to the height change, one bank of lifts will also be removed, however, the ground floor layout will remain unchanged. With regard to heritage overlays, the site has been assessed, and the conclusion was drawn that the existing heritage building was of poor structural condition, meaning a new street-level tower podium will be constructed in its place.

<blockquote>
“A number of structural engineers have assessed the condition of the building’s façade and have concluded that the façade is in poor structural condition and therefore retention of the building is not possible/viable.”
</blockquote>

Comment sourced from Future Melbourne Committee <a href="https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/committees-meetings/meeting-archive/MeetingAgendaItemAttachments/875/15600/OCT19%20FMC2%20AGENDA%20ITEM%206.4.pdf">meeting agenda</a>

<h2>New designs by Bates Smart</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2019-10-11_at_1.35.39_pm.png" rel="gallery-all" title="435 Bourke Street exterior render 2019. Credit: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="428" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2019-10-11_at_1.35.39_pm.png?itok=GGv1aG27" title="435 Bourke Street exterior render 2019. Credit: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>435 Bourke Street exterior render 2019. Credit: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure><figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2019-10-11_at_1.35.55_pm.png" rel="gallery-all" title="435 Bourke Street exterior render 2019. Credit: Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="415" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/screen_shot_2019-10-11_at_1.35.55_pm.png?itok=D3AUVyF5" title="435 Bourke Street exterior render 2019. Credit: Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>435 Bourke Street exterior render 2019. Credit: Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>According to a report by Urbis, Melbourne's CBD is likely to require an additional 4.4 million square metres of office space over the next 17 years. The majority of 435 Bourke Street will be dedicated to commercial tenancies, catering to high demand for additional workspaces within central Melbourne. The tower will also provide a range of modern amenities, including a lavish wellness hub, sprawling landscaped terraces and a selection of retail offerings.

Completion is currently slated for 2023 (subject to change). 

What are your thoughts on the revised design? Let us know in the comments section below.

Lead images: L-R: 2018 tower render, 2019 revised tower render. Credit: Bates Smart.
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Olivia Round

Bates Smart release new designs for 435 Bourke Street in response to Melbourne City Council height amendment request

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<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/developers/cbus-property">Cbus Property</a> submitted a planning application on Thursday 20 December to the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) for its newest proposed iconic commercial precinct located at <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/projects/435-bourke-street-melbourne">435 Bourke Street, Melbourne</a>, which will amalgamate the existing 140 and <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/projects/tower-melbourne-150-queen-street-melbourne">150 Queen Street</a>, 423 Bourke Street and 27 McKillop Street sites. Situated in the heart of <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/new-apartments/melbourne-vic">Melbourne’s CBD</a> on the corner of Queen and Bourke Streets, Cbus Property has proposed a 55 level highly sustainable commercial project that will serve as a vertical village for more than 5,500 city workers.

Designed by <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/architects/bates-smart">Bates Smart</a>, the new $1Billion commercial project will introduce approximately 64,500 square metres of premium grade office space and create a new icon for Melbourne’s skyline on the corner of Queen and Bourke Streets. 435 Bourke Street will be a significant and pioneering project for the city that responds to a future Melbourne workforce, with sustainability, wellness, connection to nature and productivity emphasised in the building’s design and performance which includes multi vertical villages, outdoor terraces and dedicated wellness hub.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/435_bourke_st_cbus_property_external_hero_render_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="483" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/435_bourke_st_cbus_property_external_hero_render_1.jpg?itok=Y0Mf_54g" width="580"></a></figure><blockquote>
“The Property Council of Australia has predicted that Melbourne’s CBD will need an additional 4.4 million square metres of office space in the next two decades to cater for the projected workforce. Our vision for 435 Bourke Street will help meet this demand by providing a premium and performance based commercial solution focused on connectivity, wellbeing and environmentally sustainable design that will reinvigorate this precinct within the CBD.

Significant future urban renewal projects in the surrounding area mean this site will form part of a new centre point in the Hoddle Grid and will create a new and exciting standard for commercial office projects in Melbourne. The significance of the project’s location and the needs of a future city were integral to the project’s design, as well as ensuring planning controls were met and the development potential of the site optimised.”

- Adrian Pozzo, CEO of Cbus Property
</blockquote>

The project, which provides a holistic approach to citymaking, will include a 4-level flexible wellness hub on McKillop Street that will service 435 Bourke Street occupants and will also be accessible to the city community. This diverse space will include a retail offering, double height multi-function space for active wellness, flexible studio spaces and consulting rooms for passive wellness as well as a rooftop garden retail offering.

The tower’s sculptural form is broken down into four differentiated bundles at varying heights with curved floorplate edges providing a contemporary, soft geometric design, which also improves the building’s performance. The tower design twists and morphs above McKillop Street to allow for sunlight into communal spaces, including McKillop Street, and while functional in design it also gives the form uniqueness.

Drawing inspiration from the neighbouring ACA building and nature, the podium façade celebrates vertical proportions with masonry elements and an organic rib-like structure stretching the entire height of the podium.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/435_bourke_st_cbus_property_queen_st_podium_facade_render_3.jpg" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="580" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/435_bourke_st_cbus_property_queen_st_podium_facade_render_3.jpg?itok=aZz5EGyL" width="580"></a></figure><blockquote>
“435 Bourke Street provides a holistic approach to citymaking through its architectural and urban strategy. The tower’s sculptural design, combined with its emphasis on wellbeing in the workplace, will create a new paradigm for commercial projects in Melbourne. Due to its prominent corner site location, we were focussed on ensuring the typology of the building contributes to the overall experience of the city. An elegant and engaging landmark, the tower will create a world-class and innovative commercial environment, promoting both creativity and interaction for one of the world’s most liveable cities.

The building’s design references the neighbouring streetscape and is crafted to be more organic in form, aspiring to enliven the precinct and create a more people-friendly environment that stimulates the senses and imagination."

- Cian Davis, Director of Bates Smart
</blockquote>

The proposed tower will feature six different landscaped terraces throughout, providing places for occupants to gather and socialise. The significant 200 square metre sky terrace on level 53 will provide a unique vantage point with an outlook over the Yarra River and CBD landmarks such as the MCG and Port Phillip Bay. The tower will also include premium end-of-trip facilities that are akin to a hospitality experience.

An ideally located commercial village, 435 Bourke Street is located within close proximity to iconic Melbourne landmarks such as Block Arcade, the Royal Arcade and Bourke Street Mall, as well as amenity such as Melbourne’s retail laneways and the ‘W’ Hotel at Collins Arch, all of which are within walking distance.

Subject to planning approval, Cbus Property is intending to launch 435 Bourke Street to market in early 2019 and construction is expected to commence in 2019.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/435_bourke_st_cbus_property_mckillop_st_wellness_hub_render_4.jpg" rel="gallery-all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="514" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/435_bourke_st_cbus_property_mckillop_st_wellness_hub_render_4.jpg?itok=g8DTVXpT" width="580"></a></figure>
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435 Bourke Street

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