Queens Place approved, construction to commence on Opèra
On Saturday the Planning Minister announced that he had approved the twin tower Queens Place development located at 350 Queen Street and on Tuesday, Golden Age and Asian Pacific Group announced Hickory has been selected as the builder for Opera on St Kilda Road.
Queens Place is a twin 79 level / 246 metre tower development located in the CBD annex north of La Trobe Street. A joint design involving Cox Architecture and Fender Katsalidis, the development includes a mix of one, two three and four bedroom units and the approval comes with a condition that both buildings are to be set back at least 4.5 metres from the street.
The Planning Minister Richard Wynne said "good design that responds to the streetscape and provides for good amenity is critical and I'm pleased to clear the way for this project to proceed. This is a well-designed development that will provide new apartments for our growing city as well as new services to support that population."
Opèra heads to construction
Golden Age and Asian Pacific Group announced the Bates Smart-designed Opèra located at 450 St Kilda Road will be built by Hickory. Opèra is a 19 level, 228 apartment development and is set to commence later this month.
Bates Smart design director Kristen Whittle said the building was a statement and aimed to bring back the beauty and art of architecture in Melbourne.
"Opèra is designed as a living sculpture that will enrich this historic area of Melbourne through its expressive form that twists and flares with a curvaceous beauty unlike any other building in the city,” he said.
“I hope it stimulates conversation about the next evolution of architecture in Melbourne. The world’s greatest cities place a value on creative architecture as beauty. Melbourne needs to evolve into this space and pursue artistic projects that reshape how we think about architecture, as we hope Opèra does.”
Kristen Whittle - Bates Smart
In an Australian first, Opèra's facade will be created using double curved glazing panels - a process known as cold bending.
