Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
“There are many aspects that make up this truly multi-faceted landmark and our aim is for its architecture to be appreciated in different ways by residents, Melburnians and future visitors to the city,” states Nicky Drobis, director at Fender Katsalidis.
The new Fender Katsalidis-designed skyscraper in Southbank—the tallest in Melbourne—has become the city’s newest vertical icon with its unusual, golden-starred volume that bursts out of the building envelope midway up.
What is most apparent about Australia 108 is its visual presence on the skyline.
Designed for developers World Class Land, the tower is visible from afar and conspicuous from the main access points to the Hoddle Grid.
The slender profile stands relatively unobstructed at this point, retaining an enviable position that most buildings in Melbourne can no longer afford.
The most prominent feature of the tower is its striking golden Starburst expression, protruding approximately two-thirds of the way up the building.
The defining Starburst is inspired by the Commonwealth Star on the Australian flag, thoughtfully appointed as a nod to the Australian spirit of community, which is a celebrated and fundamental aspect of the building design.
The Starburst feature not only solidifies Australia 108’s stance as a defining skyscraper amongst its peers, but the element itself also cantilevers six metres out into the sky and houses two levels of amenities including infinity swimming pools and a double-height sky garden.
The neighboring Eureka Tower, the landmark residential skyscraper designed by the same architects in the early 2000s, now has a slightly taller and yet familiar companion in Australia 108.
Australia 108 is a highly sculptural residential tower, unlike any other in Australia.
Its slender form is highlighted by a golden starburst expression which intervenes with a curvaceous profile against the sky.
The small site necessitated a slender tower while a curvy silhouette was used to mitigate adverse aerodynamic effects.
Located on Melbourne’s Southbank, Australia 108 is also the tallest building to roof in the Southern Hemisphere, at 319 metres.
The building contains 1,105 apartments over 100 floors, and unprecedented resident facilities including dining and function spaces, theatrettes, gymnasiums, pools, spas and an extensive barbeque terrace.
Two of the amenities levels are found within the Starburst, which cantilevers eight meters out from the building facade.
Here, residents can relax in a double-height sky garden or enjoy the infinity edge swimming pools.
Offering an unmatched level of luxury, the $25 million penthouses is located across the entirety of level 100.
The penthouse, which offers 360-degree views of Melbourne, is entered through a private lift and triple-height lobby and has access to a sky courtyard.
Paying homage to Melbourne’s traditional heritage, the ground floor podium has been reimagined with new inclusions established around its original façade of a timber mill and warehouse which were constructed in 1899.
Merging modernity with nature, canary palms and trees shroud the 10 carpark levels above the lobby, offering layers of greenery as you
Australia 108 appears as a shining beacon in Melbourne’s city skyline, though both street and twilight experiences were considered by Fender Katsalidis in addition to those at the skyline level and during the daytime.
The oscillating appearance of the glass panels is lined by horizontal white bands constructed from wireframes, glowing and highlighting the curves and contours of the building.
These white bands of light are programmable to form patterns that complement the internally lit Starburst as it glows like a star in the night sky.
Project: Australia 108
Lead Architects: Karl Fender and Nonda Katsalidis
Design Director: Nicky Drobis
Project Director: Craig Baudin
Directors: Karl Fender and Kathie Hall
Design Team: Shem Kelder, Jim Stewart, Wayne King, Kianson Tay, Sophie Zasempa, Nidhya Sakathevan, Cheryn Cheam, Wuff Keeble, Jessica Lee, Sarah Hurst, Andrew Samuel, Sally Jacob, Poonam Randev, Stephanie Fourniotis, Sprina Singh, Pinar Kolay, Delu Pok, Yasmin Dall, Sophie Addison, Zac Yiu, Bryan Dinh, Claudia Reinhardt, Domenic Bono, Sheila Fung, Jet Leong, Shin Kil, Georgie Tiernan, Edgar Lopez, Ping Tan, Ashleigh Briggs, Ben Sann, Cliff Chang, Sheila Fung, and Tina Gelberidis
General Contractor: Brookfield Multiplex
Façade Engineers: Aurecon
Client: World Class Land
Photographers: Peter Bennetts and Willem-Dirk du Toit
