Australia 108 officially becomes the tallest residential tower in Southern Hemisphere

Australia 108 officially becomes the tallest residential tower in Southern Hemisphere
Staff reporterDecember 8, 2020

Australia’s newest super-skyscraper – Australia 108 – is officially the tallest residential tower in the Southern Hemisphere from floor to roof, spanning a colossal 319-metres tall or 100-storeys.

Located in the inner-metropolitan Melbourne suburb of Southbank, Australia 108 has been officially ‘topped out’ with its roof complete and its glass façade now reaching its highest levels.

This milestone has taken five years after piling work started in November 2015. 

The entire 100th floor of Australia 108 sold at record equaling $25 million asking price to a Chinese businessman in April 2015.

After one month, Australia 108 was marketed as 90% plus sold.

In September 2015, less than 30 Cloud residences were still remaining unsold as Brookfield Multiplex was appointed to to construct the residential tower. Three months later, the construction of Australia 108 was commerced. 

In June 2018, the first residents moved into the super-skyscraper. 

In November 2019, Australia 108 completed construction of its landmark Starburst's external facade. In the same month, the international property developer of skyscraper Australia 108 has been questioned by the Singaporean stock exchange about the tower’s structural soundness.

Builder Multiplex will now complete the remaining apartment interiors as well as the building’s Starburst amenity spaces, which includes two infinity pools cantilevering 210 metres above the street.

The building will be fully completed by the end of quarter three of this year.

Chief Executive at developer, World Class Global, David Ng said the topping out of Australia 108 was a special moment for Melbourne’s skyline.

“Australia 108 is already a familiar landmark and has cemented itself on Melbourne’s iconic skyline as it has risen over the past five years." 

Karl Fender, founding partner of the project’s architect Fender Katsalidis, said this milestone marked another satisfying achievement for the firm.

“The arrival of Australia 108 on Melbourne’s skyline is another defining moment for our city and of course one which we are extremely proud to have contributed to.”

Construction at the new Melbourne landmark has been led by Multiplex, which utilised new techniques developed specifically for the project.

Multiplex created purpose-built platforms from which builders worked safely on to install the golden panels of the Starburst that were delivered by crane during the middle of the night.

Multiplex Regional Managing Director, Graham Cottam, said the build from many metres below ground to the top had required innovation and had proceeded without any major issues.

One consideration the build team successfully addressed prior to topping out at Australia 108 is how the structure copes with gale force winds up to 140km/h which blow in from Port Phillip Bay. To combat this, underneath level-100 of the tower has been fitted with a 300,000-litre damper tank to act as a counterbalance.

Multiplex said the tower crane at Australia 108 would come down over the coming months. A special purpose recovery crane will be installed to the top of the building roof to recover the final tower crane. This recovery crane then breaks apart and is able to lift itself down from the roof to the ground.

Residents started moving into Australia 108 from 2018 as part of a staged handover of lower level apartments.

The building’s premium Cloud Residences – luxury apartments from levels 72 – are the latest residents moving into their new apartments, the majority of which are perched higher than most of Southbank’s surrounding buildings, offering panoramic 360-degree views of Melbourne.

More than three-quarters of apartments have been completed, with construction workers now focused on finishing the remaining premium Cloud Residences at the top of the building.

They will also focus on completing the amenity within the Starburst – the protruding golden structure from levels 70 and 71 which pays homage to the Commonwealth Star on the Australian flag.

Here, within the 2,800 square metre Star Club, residents can enjoy infinity pools, dining rooms, gyms and lounge areas, with residents living above the Starburst enjoying their own private VIP zones and exclusive pool.

A limited selection of 3-bedroom Cloud Residences are still available for sale at Australia 108. Exclusive one and two-bedroom Sky Rise Residences up to level 67 are ready to move into. 

 

 

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