Brady Group

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<p>A stretch of Little Lonsdale Street between Queen and Elizabeth is becoming a microcosm for various other pockets of the CBD and Southbank, in that is will be a showcase of previous planning attitudes. As a raft of new towers push through, the fundamental feel of this Little Lonsdale stretch is being altered to something very different.</p>

<p>The crux of the issue was best described by Laurence Dragomir at the turn of 2015:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>The proposed development continues the recent trend of large scale high-rises encroaching on the relatively low scale streetscapes which define Melbourne's 'Little' streets and laneways. I've always been a proponent for skyscrapers in the CBD, I won't shy away from that fact, however I don't consider developments of this scale to be appropriate responses to the character and grain of these areas.</p>

<p>The footprints of these sites is generally much smaller than the larger sites on the primary CBD streets. This results in narrow skyscrapers with two shared boundaries that if built to the extremity as usually tends to occur, creates a 'wall' effect that is amplified on much smaller streets from a pedestrian perspective.</p>

<p>I don't consider this to be a desirable outcome and would invite anyone to tell me otherwise or convince me that these are the type of streets we wish to create moving forward.</p>
<cite>Laurence Dragomir, "<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/planning-application-278-little-lonsdale-street-melbourne">Planning Application: 278 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne</a>", February 19 2015</cite>
</blockquote>

<p>Much has changed since early 2015, particularly the planning fundamentals that underpin what can and cannot be approved within Melbourne's CBD. The stretch of Little Lonsdale Street is heading into a phase of redefinition, owing to construction beginning on a number of towers that were approved prior to Minister Wynne's new planning decree.</p>

<p>Union Tower and 399 Little Lonsdale are both at early construction, with Brady Group also poised to launch sales for the <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/new-apartments/380-melbourne-380-lonsdale-street-melbourne">hulking 380 Melbourne</a>. With <a href="http://380melbourne.com.au/">380 Melbourne's website taking registrations</a>, Brady Group also have the approved 207 metre 272-282 Queens Street up their sleeve, as well as a failed development site opposite 380 Melbourne at 278 Little Lonsdale Street.</p>

<p>The above projects fall within a roughly 150 metre stretch of Little Lonsdale Street, turning it into a a monument to previous planning attitudes; highlighting all that is both good and bad about Melbourne's sustained development drive over recent years.</p>

<p>Good in that two multi-level car parks have or will be razed, with the expectation that what replaces them will be of an almost infinitely superior design outcome. Bad in that this emerging 'wall' effect will subsume another section of Melbourne's CBD, which incidentally acts as a gateway to the sensitive Guildford Lane Precinct.</p>

<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/image102_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="An engaging street level. Image: Brady Group "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="422" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image102_1.jpg?itok=M9TaC-OX" title="An engaging street level. Image: Brady Group " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>An engaging street level. Image: Brady Group</figcaption></figure><p>380 Melbourne as the are's largest development also shapes as the most promising. A much improved public realm experience will see an aesthetically pleasing street level overhaul, including a new mid block pedestrian thoroughfare and heavily green aspects applied to its Little Lonsdale Street podium.</p>

<p>380 Melbourne has the luxury of maintaining quite a sizeable development plot, allowing for higher levels of design sophistication and increased setbacks. 399 Little Lonsdale and Union Tower with their smaller plots employ lesser setbacks, resulting in "a 'wall' effect that is amplified on much smaller streets from a pedestrian perspective" as Laurence so correctly spoke about.</p>

<p>Add these projects to the already completed Melbourne Star, Melbourne Sky and Elm Tower, and the result is less than ideal. In isolation each project has its own design merit, yet together they shift the physical form well beyond what should be considered acceptable for the area, while eroding the finer grain street level character of the area.</p>

<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/image106.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="399 Little Lonsdale and Union Tower. Images: K2LD &amp; RotheLowman"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="317" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image106.jpg?itok=0NT8HoGv" title="399 Little Lonsdale and Union Tower. Images: K2LD &amp; RotheLowman" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>399 Little Lonsdale and Union Tower. Images: K2LD &amp; RotheLowman</figcaption></figure><p>With Planning Minister Richard Wynne's reworked planning controls, the 'Little Lonsdale effect' could now not be repeated elsewhere within Melbourne's CBD.</p>

<p>What remains unclear is Brady Group's intentions for the Phillips Shirts site at 278 Little Lonsdale Street. Submitted prior to the change in planning controls and having failed to gain approval for a 180 metre residential tower, the historic building now sits forlorn as if almost caught between two differing planning eras.</p>

<p>It will be fascinating to see Little Lonsdale Street change over the next five years. For those who appreciate the current character of this stretch of Little Lonsdale Street, best take it in now while you still can.</p>
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silvermb

Little Lonsdale Street becomes a showcase of previous planning attitudes

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<p>A design can now be put to the news reported upon during late 2014 concerning Brady Group's latest intended Melbourne project. 280 Queen Street has been in and out of planning for the best part of four years, but with the news that Brady Group is the <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/brady-group-push-to-develop-80level-queen-street-tower-20141111-11k5jn">intended developer</a> of the mid-CBD site, the chances of the current scheme progressing beyond approval have increased dramatically.</p>

<p>Weighing in at over 250 metres in height and located in an elevated part of the CBD, 280 Queen Street may become one of the more prominent buildings to grace Melbourne's skyline in years to come. Or even sooner as according to the article linked above Brady Group intent to proceed with the project in a relatively short time-frame.</p>

<h2>Application summary</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/image18_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="280 Queen Street. Image © Peddle Thorp"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="314" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image18_1.jpg?itok=ouwGMcCJ" title="280 Queen Street. Image © Peddle Thorp" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>280 Queen Street. Image © Peddle Thorp</figcaption></figure><ul>
<li>Planning application submitted October 2014</li>
	<li>Current 1,290sqm site currently used as four and five storey office building</li>
	<li>Proposed 80 level mixed-use tower at 254.62 metres</li>
	<li>589 apartments - 242*1BR / 287 * 2BR / 36*3BR</li>
	<li>Included are 23 Penthouses and one custom design penthouse</li>
	<li>1,400.2sqm office space through podium</li>
	<li>322.4sqm retail space</li>
	<li>504sqm residential communal facilities</li>
	<li>130 basement car parking spaces</li>
</ul>
<h2>Apartments and penthouses</h2>

<p>Dwellings within the project begin within the podium, fronting both Little Lonsdale to the north and Queen Street to the west. Beyond the podium a generic floor plan covers levels 9-35 and 37-63 where 9 apartments per floor is the norm, split between one and two bedroom options.</p>

<p>Sitting atop the penthouse floors is a split level custom designed penthouse located over levels 76/77. The lower floor contains 290.2sqm of internal space while the upper floor contains 265.6sqm, allowing a sizeable dwelling with unimpeded views given there are no towers of equal height either existing or planned nearby.</p>

<h2>Finlay Lane retained</h2>

<blockquote>
<p>There is an existing easement along the east boundary that joins with Finlay Lane, an ‘L’ shaped service lane, which connects to Queen Street. The existing easement and Finlay Lane provide rear access to the adjoining buildings. The lane is covered in registered street art. The proposed development seeks to maintain a predominately hard edge to this boundary with openings for vehicle access and loading. This will provide opportunities for future street art along the majority of these walls, maintaining the existing character of this lane.</p>
<cite>Urbis - Town Planning Report</cite>
</blockquote>

<h2>Previous incarnations</h2>

<p>Peddle Thorp have been active on the site in question for some years, initially devising a scheme for an office tower in excess of 200 metres, carrying a dappled facade. That particular scheme was superseded by another Peddle Thorp design which gained approval during 2013.</p>

<p>Championed by developers with little experience, the site lent itself to being onsold post approval resulting in the third and current version up for approval.</p>

<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/image17_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Early versions of 280 Queen Street. Image © Peddle Thorp"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="286" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image17_0.jpg?itok=R-VtlLYJ" title="Early versions of 280 Queen Street. Image © Peddle Thorp" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Early versions of 280 Queen Street. Image © Peddle Thorp</figcaption></figure><p>Also worthy of mention is that the current proposal for 280 Queen Street includes inactive precast panels to its eastern facade, reaching mid way up the tower. This is likely in response to the adjoining property at <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/buildings/399-little-lonsdale-street-melbourne">399 Little Lonsdale Street</a> which is also subject to a current 200 metre planning application.</p>

<p>399 Little Lonsdale Street's western-facing facade is also heavy with precast elements, albeit slightly activated with the sparse use of windows. Both proposals almost butt one another; the use of precast panels may go some way to mitigating concerns planning authorities may have about proximity.</p>

<h2>Comment</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/image14_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Artist's impressions of the proposed development. Image © Peddle Thorp"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="440" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image14_0.jpg?itok=v7xEGKVR" title="Artist's impressions of the proposed development. Image © Peddle Thorp" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Artist's impressions of the proposed development. Image © Peddle Thorp</figcaption></figure><p>The tower element of the design receives two thumbs up. With a bowed northern aspect and slanted roof profile, it adds more to the skyline than merely another rectangular box. Viewed from east and west, the asymmetrical apex is a worthwhile design feature.</p>

<p>Conversely the podium as presented in the renders looks less than ideal. In a case of 'misconstrued' rendering what looks to be a large blank orange volume is actually timber screening over activated levels while the yellow protrusion above the main entry is gold metal cladding. Fair to say it's quite hard to conceptualise the qualities of the podium based on the render above.</p>

<p>On the face of it the podium doesn't slot seamlessly into its surrounds.</p>

<p>Regardless Peddle Thorp have made the immediate area their own with 280 Queen Street joining the completed Melbourne Star and Melbourne Sky apartment towers (both Brady Group projects), in addition to <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/projects/278-little-lonsdale-street-melbourne">278 Little Lonsdale</a> which is at planning. Add the under construction <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/buildings/vision-500-elizabeth-street-melbourne">Vision</a> and the Brady Group-Peddle Thorp alliance is defined by a handful of deep blue towers dominating the area.</p>

<h2>Development team</h2>

<ul>
<li>Developer: 280 Queen Pty Ltd / Brady Group</li>
	<li>Urban context report: Peddle Thorp Architects</li>
	<li>Architectural plans: Peddle Thorp Architects</li>
	<li>Town planning: Urbis</li>
	<li>Traffic and Transport Assessment: Cardno</li>
	<li>ESD report: Sustainable Built Environments</li>
	<li>Wind Assessment: MEL Consultants</li>
	<li>Waste Management:y Leigh Design</li>
</ul>
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