Might as well get a thread started for this project:
Mammoth doubles its city efforts with twin towers Simon Johanson December 15, 2012
MALAYSIAN property developer Mammoth plans to put its mark on Melbourne's horizon and build a sister tower next to its landmark 55-storey MY80 development. Mammoth paid $15.1 million to a Melbourne family for a 1028-square-metre block at 398 Elizabeth Street two weeks ago, beating two other parties in a public tender. In a rare interview with BusinessDay, the directors of the little-known Malaysian group said they hoped to build a twin tower to complement the $250 million MY80 high-rise being built next door in A'Beckett Street. ''Maybe we will have another tower slightly taller or the same height. When you come to this area you will feel the vibrancy, you will see twin towers here,'' director Joseph Ooi said. At present the site houses a nondescript single-storey building tenanted to a hairdresser and software retailer. The nearest skyscraper is the Melbourne Central tower on the corner of La Trobe and Elizabeth streets. However, one block away at 150 Queen Street, Planning Minister Matthew Guy this week gave formal planning approval for a soaring 71-level residential tower that will dwarf most other city buildings. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/mammoth-doubles-its-city-efforts-with-twi...
^^ Nice.
What's there now, can't wait for this to go!
Looking great ..
Looking great indeed!
Observe. Design. Build. Live.
Reminds me of Infinity in Brissie.
some more info - images © Hayball
design precedent
context
potential neighbouring development
podium treatment
ground render
ground plan
potential laneway suspended greenery
L25 amenity
1/2 bed indicative render
The title for this thread is wrong it is 177m high.
Larger image:
http://empiremelbourne.com.au/
fins look more composite than precast - big tick
AFR
LARRY SCHLESINGER
>>Mammoth Empire director Joseph Ooi told The Australian Financial Review its interests remained firmly focused on Melbourne, with MY80 and its next project, Empire, its only forays to date outside its Malaysian home base, where it has a dozen mixed-use projects under development.
“We are always looking for prime CBD sites in Melbourne to further our portfolio in the Australian sector,” Mr Ooi said.
Explaining the preference for Melbourne over other capital cities such as Sydney that have attracted offshore developers, Mr Ooi said the city appealed because it is a “multicultural city, attractive to the Asian market for education, lifestyle, liveability and style”.
“Developers see Melbourne as a prime location to house the influx of people from Asia who wish to invest in this country,” he said. He praised Melbourne’s status as the world’s most liveable city, and the CBD’s accessibility compared to other cities around the world.
>>Later this month, Mammoth will begin marketing its second Melbourne high-rise development, Empire, directly across from MY80 at 398 Elizabeth Street. The $250 million project will rise to 55 storeys, with 465 apartments. It is Mammoth’s second collaboration with Melbourne architects Hayball and property developer PDS Group.
Mr Ooi said offshore buyers accounted for about 40 per cent of sales.
“We feel this is the right mix. Maintaining funding through local banks is our preferred approach so long as the local banks support and increase their thresholds and acceptance of foreign purchaser sales,” he said.
But, he cautioned, any changes to Foreign Investment Review Board rules, which allow up to 100 per cent of approved apartment projects to be sold offshore, would affect its involvement in Australia.
FIRB rules will soon be reviewed by a House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics, chaired by Victorian Liberal MP Kelly O’Dwyer.
>> Another challenge facing Asian developers is the high cost of construction. “Melbourne construction costs are significantly higher than those in Malaysia. This is largely due to the cost of labour,” Mr Ooi said.
“However, Melbourne’s construction productivity, even with the limited work hours, is considerably higher than in Malaysia where they are able to work six days a week, 24 hours a day,” he said.
Approval for the Empire project was granted by Victorian planning minister Matthew Guy in March, and construction is expected to start in October.
>>>>>>> just on construction costs - they may be high but so are the purchase prices otherwise there'd be no influx of asian developers looking to cash in
My oh my!
Certainly different.
Display suite almost done:
just me or has that grown some?
It certainly looks a good deal taller than previous images. Has there been a height increase that we don't know about?
Looks significantly taller than MY80. Was only supposed to be a difference in height of 4m.
I noticed that too. At first I thought it was just because MY80 wasn't complete but looking at it again it looks taller than Melbourne Central?
Did a quick count, looks more like 70ish. If that's right thats like 4x200m+ towers (all at sales by reputable developers) that could potentially go up at the same time, not including Vision...
I just don't get this one at the moment...weird
Height is 61 levels, 181.9m apparently.- not really sure how that fits in with the renders but anyway..
^^ I think the render is nothing more than an attempt to make Empire look like it will be a tall landmark development.
A bit of stretching in photoshop is easy, especially if the client is pushing for this to happen.
It's all about marketing and selling!
Am I the only one who's finding it a bit hard to figure out what this will actually look like based on the renders?
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