New Sky Group

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Hickory Group has announced its appointment as head contractor for 88 Melbourne, after signing the contract for New Sky Group's 61-storey residential tower. Located at 88 Queensbridge Street Southbank, the 208m edifice designed by Rothelowman, will comprise 252 residences upon completion, and represents New Sky Group's largest undertaking in Melbourne to date. 

The site has a long history, with the project <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/what-the-fook-84-88-queensbridge-street-southbank">first covered on Urban.com.au back in February of 2014</a> after Financial Fook via its subsidiary acquired the site for $18 million. Upon receiving planning approval later that year late Starryland Melbourne sold the site to New Sky Group for $22 million, who subsequently reworked the scheme towards owner occupiers before launching 88 Melbourne almost two years later.

<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/hickory_contract_signing.jpeg" rel="gallery-all" title="The signing of the contract for 88 Queensbridge Street. Image: Hickory "><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="304" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/hickory_contract_signing.jpeg?itok=p58IvzQr" title="The signing of the contract for 88 Queensbridge Street. Image: Hickory " width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The signing of the contract for 88 Queensbridge Street. Image: Hickory</figcaption></figure>The design for 88 Melbourne is defined by its three-dimensional diamond patterned façade that has drawn inspiration from hand crafted jewellery and origami. An integrated LED installation will run the full height of the building further accentuating the pattern and illuminating the tower on the Southbank skyline at night.

The development will sit diagonally opposite a dual-tower scheme at <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/new-apartments/87-127-queensbridge-street-southbank">87-127 Queensbridge Street</a> which received approval mid-year following a protracted planning process, amidst continued site consolidation and a number of redesigns.

88 Melbourne adds to Hickory's current pipeline of builds across Melbourne which also includes Yarra One South Yarra, Sky One Box Hill, <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/projects/collins-house-melbourne-466-collins-street-melbourne">Collins House</a> in the CBD, MGallery Chadstone and Market Lane South Melbourne, to name a few.  

Collins House which utilises Hickory's pre-fabricated construction technology, is racing up the Melbourne skyline providing a unique and dynamic focal due to its lack of visible core. The HBS module allows building elements be erected more efficiently and safely on the challenging narrow site.

Hickory also recently poured the level 8 slab on the 12-storey hotel MGallery-branded hotel at Chadstone Shopping Centre. Façade installation is set to commence imminently, with the 250-room hotel due for completion in mid-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/hickory_projects.png" rel="gallery-all" title="A snapshot of Hickory's construction pipeline. Images: Hickory and Mark Baljak"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="175" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/hickory_projects.png?itok=4GWoWtBf" title="A snapshot of Hickory's construction pipeline. Images: Hickory and Mark Baljak" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>A snapshot of Hickory's construction pipeline. Images: Hickory and Mark Baljak</figcaption></figure>Tomorrow, Hickory is due to break ground on Dahua Group's Hawthorn Park project at an event to commemorate the occasion. Located at 33 Camberwell Road in Hawthorn East, the Rothelowman-designed project of 345 apartments will be set within a landscape garden setting and is characterised by its 'sky pool' - Melbourne's first suspended pool - linking the two buildings.
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Laurence Dragomir

Hickory adds 88 Queensbridge Street to its workbooks

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First covered on Urban.com.au <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/what-the-fook-84-88-queensbridge-street-southbank">over two years ago</a>, <a href="http://88melbourne.com.au/">88 Melbourne</a> was officially launched by New Sky Group on 30 April, marking its first major foray into the Melbourne market.

The project has already proven popular with locals currently living within Southbank and interstate purchasers with buyers from Sydney in particular.

The $100 million 60-storey tower, located in the Southbank Entertainment Precinct is designed by RotheLowman in conjunction with KPDO.

Inspired by hand crafted jewelry and the art of origami, the building features a three-dimensional diamond patterned façade, that will shimmer during the day. This will be further accentuated in the evening sky by an integrated LED installation, the first residential tower in Melbourne to feature a full height LED lighting design.

<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/88m_03.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="88 Melbourne hero perspective. Image courtesy of New Sky Group"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="1114" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/88m_03.jpg?itok=-YWmatxh" title="88 Melbourne hero perspective. Image courtesy of New Sky Group" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>88 Melbourne hero perspective. Image courtesy of New Sky Group</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
88 Melbourne will have a sophisticated presence in the city and change the way people think of apartment living. It will be an iconic Melbourne address and a lasting moment in the evolution of local architecture and how we design for changing life-stages.
<cite>Chris Hayton, Principal, RotheLowman</cite>
</blockquote>

88 Melbourne will be Melbourne’s first apartment building to feature hand-crafted kitchen appliances by Sub- Zero and Wolf, the brand associated with professional chefs internationally including Heston Blumenthal, Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver.

At time of writing, 72 of 252 apartments within 88 Melbourne have been sold in the first 3 weeks, with 50% of the 1 bedroom apartments sold. Apartments range in size from 50-58sqm for 1 bedroom apartments, up to 88sqm for 2 bedroom and 113-158sqm for the 3 bedroom apartments with an average of five apartments per floor.

Penthouses occupy full floors and feature floor to ceiling heights of four metres.

Sales agent Matt George of Urban Activation said 88 Melbourne was a unique project for the city and with the introduction of stricter planning controls meant the chances of views being built out were less likely particularly above level 44. 88 Melbourne identified a gap in the market for owner-occupier driven apartment stock within the CBD and Southbank according to Matt.

<blockquote>
The city has not seen a CBD tower of this scale designed specifically with owner occupiers in mind before. While investors will undoubtedly be interested in this building, its residents will overwhelmingly reside here.

It reflects an evolution to a more New York urban style of living in Melbourne, as more and more families and empty nesters trade their family home for an urban pad with everything they need either in their building or on their doorstep.
<cite>Matt George, Urban Activation</cite>
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<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/88m_amenities_level.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Level 8 recreational facilities. Image courtesy New Sky Group"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="321" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/88m_amenities_level.jpg?itok=7ynvjg42" title="Level 8 recreational facilities. Image courtesy New Sky Group" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Level 8 recreational facilities. Image courtesy New Sky Group</figcaption></figure>The AFR has reported that 88 Melbourne has received consent from Planning Minister Richard Wynne to increase its height by six floors to an overall height of 199 metres, or 208 metres to top of plant. Construction of 88 Queensbridge is expected to commence in late October / early November with an expected construction programme of two years.
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