RotheLowman seeks a new high design benchmark of Highett

RotheLowman seeks a new high design benchmark of Highett
Mark BaljakApril 7, 2016

Highett is set to mirror neighbouring suburbs such as Cheltenham and Moorabbin with a taste of high density apartment living. No stranger to smaller stature apartment projects, a planning application was lodged with City of Kingston during February for a prime Highett development site located at 1233-1237 Nepean Highway.

Designed by RotheLowman for developer Growland Group, the 13 level building sits on a site of 4,383sqm. Urban.com.au recently touched upon the site which was subject to a concept design by McBride Charles Ryan, although RotheLowman has been installed as project lead.

Dubbed the Highett Gateway Project, the large tract of land holds frontages to Southland Shopping Centre and an open air car park to the south, the ever-busy Nepean Highway to the west and low-rise residential properties to the north and east. The proposal also maintains a secondary address of 60-64 Matthieson Street, Highett.

The development site was offered for sale by Savills during September 2015.

RotheLowman seeks a new high design benchmark of Highett
Aerial perspective of the site. Image: Savills

RotheLowman Senior Associate Belinda Nincevic provided Urban.com.au with the following project description:

The concept for this proposal focuses on the opportunity to create a community, through the building’s composition, articulation and iconic presence in this location.

The overall development will create a visual buffer to the blank hard edges at the northern side of the shopping centre while the commercial frontage will activate and improve the urban streetscape. A new pedestrian link is also proposed along the southern boundary promoting an improved pedestrian experience and connection between transport, commercial and residential destinations.

The proposal is for a collection of buildings varying in height from three to thirteen storeys; all of which connect at pedestrian level.

Belinda Nincevic, Senior Associate, RotheLowman
RotheLowman seeks a new high design benchmark of Highett
A new Nepean Highway focal point? Image courtesy ROTHELOWMAN

Overall the 13 storey proposal totals 31,282.1sqm in Gross Floor Area, and will consist of approximately 265 apartments with associated amenities. Provisions for 289 car spaces have been included.

City of Kingston currently have the project at a Request for Further Information stage, with public advertising likely to follow for may would become Highett's tallest building.

Mark Baljak

Mark Baljak was a co-founder of Urban.com.au. He passed away on Thursday 8th of November 2018 after a battle with cancer. He was 37. Mark was a keen traveller, having visited all six permanently-inhabited continents and had a love of craft beer. One of his biggest passions was observing the change that has occurred in Melbourne over the past two decades. In that time he built an enormous library of photos, all taken by him, which tracked the progress of construction on building sites from across metropolitan Melbourne.

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