Beulah International submits planning application for Southbank by Beulah

Beulah International submits planning application for Southbank by Beulah
Nicholas FaillaAugust 6, 2019

Award winning Melbourne developer Beulah International has officially submitted the planning application for Southbank by Beulah to the Victorian Government last Friday.
With the proposed City Road and Southbank Boulevard location, the application details plans to transform the current BMW Showroom site into a world class, multi-use development that sets a new benchmark in liveable city design.

The ‘vertical village’ concept will introduce Melbourne to a welcoming and functional mixed use precinct underpinned by creativity and cultural innovation that will support The City of Melbourne’s ‘Future Melbourne 2026’ plan.
The stunning structure composed of two twisting terraced forms with a design led by acclaimed Dutch firm UNStudio and local firm Cox Architecture, is a refinement of the winning ‘Green Spine’ concept from the 2018 Southbank by Beulah global architecture competition. Selected by the competition jury, chaired by Victorian government architect Jill Garner, the 10 months of dedication to refining and enhancing the original design showcase Beulah’s passion towards the project.

The updated Southbank by Beulah has a strong emphasis on placemaking, with the 270,000sqm mixed use lifestyle precinct to host:

  • Four distinct collections of private residences
  • 35,000sqm of commercial offices
  • A 220-key five star urban resort
  • 6,600sqm of conference and entertainment centre
  • A children’s play centre
  • A health and wellness precinct
  • 30,000sqm of world class experiential retail including the BMW Experience Centre
  • 7,250sqm of public green spaces including the Future Sky Garden
  • 13,500sqm of arts and culture programs


The projects world class consultant, Beulah International Managing Director Jiaheng Chan said the project team are thrilled with the finished concept and are excited to collaborate with all stakeholders on the next phases of Southbank by Beulah.

“We have worked closely with both the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning​ ​and the City of Melbourne and are inspired by their vision for Southbank. We believe this project will significantly support the wider transformation of the area by creating a green, active, connected urban environment that invites and encourages an enjoyable experience for both residents and visitors.

“We look forward to working alongside all parties to play a part in unlocking the area’s true potential and solving the urban pedestrian realm by creating a green and culturally vibrant Southbank.” 

Southbank by Beulah begins its journey with a proposed 4,000sqm fresh food marketplace at street level. Through a series of stairs and stepped terraces, the unfolding pathway leads to the first of seven podiums to which offer an exciting experiential retail space where collaborations and experiences will offer a changing and seasonal expression of the intersection between art, technology, culture, fashion and design.

On the first level, a progressive and versatile conference and entertainment venue will amplify and expand to the cultural offering of the already dynamic Southbank Arts Precinct.

“We see this project as an extension of the famous Arts Precinct and we are already in discussions with prospective prominent local and international art collaborators to create an experience to complement the current arts offering,” said Jiaheng. 

Beulah International submits planning application for Southbank by Beulah
Norm Li


An elevated civic square is at the heart of the project with a childcare, cultural podium and wellness precinct connected together within a public realm to give Melbournians and visitors a space of creative play, reflection and recreation. A network of external and internal artwork commissions will deliver new engaged and activated spaces for residents, visitors and workers, enhancing the quality of Southbank.

Southbank by Beulah is dedicated to the city’s wellness with the square home to a central garden; a true urban oasis set to become Australia’s first sequence of green terraces trailing to the top of the building. It is at this point that the two twisting forms emerge with the shorter of the towers to encompass a new type of workplace, with flexible commercial offices comprising of both indoor and outdoor green terraces.
The new generation five star urban resort with generous gardens will give guests the luxury of experience and integrate people with nature within the city environment. The tower then culminates with a world-class rooftop culinary experiences, with sweeping views above the Yarra River of the Melbourne skyline.

Australia’s love of the backyard lifestyle is not lost with double height pocket parks throughout the towers and a myriad of connected communal spaces to inspire social integration and environmental consciousness. The main tower is crowned by a publicly accessible ‘Future Sky Garden’ showcasing innovative landscape technologies and offering spaces of opportunities for creativity.
With Beulah’s focus and dedication to the community, the submission outlines the use of greenery and plants which will be uniquely prominent on the Melbourne skyline, as a way to enhance the quality of life of its residents, using vegetation to mitigate winds, filter noise, dust and carbon dioxide.

As Melbourne continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, Beulah embarked on an extensive global study tour in late 2018 and early 2019 to explore some of the world’s most inspiring architecture and design to further understand how leading global cities have approached the regeneration of urban areas.

“Our project is a vote of confidence in Melbourne's economy, and it will transform Southbank. It's our vision to improve the urban environment on City Road and create an internationally significant landmark that will be a vibrant mini metropolis for people to live, work, shop, learn, play and stay,” said Jiaheng.

 

For more information on Southbank by Beulah, please visit ​www.southbankbybeulah.com​.

Nicholas Failla

Nicholas is a content writer and graphic designer who is passionate about cities, architecture, urban planning and sustainable communities.

Editor's Picks