Sapphire by the Gardens tops out both high-rise towers
Multiplex has reached a major construction milestone on S P Setia’s Sapphire by The Gardens development, topping out both high-rise towers in the mixed-use precinct in Melbourne’s CBD.
Located on the corner of Exhibition and La Trobe Streets, the towers soar 232 and 220 metres above street level, designed by the renowned Fender Katsalidis in collaboration with Cox Architecture.
The project comprises a 62-level 5-star flagship Shangri-La Hotel, along with a 60-level residential tower, housing 325 apartments.
S P Setia’s President and CEO, Datuk Choong Kai Wai, said the completion of Sapphire by The Gardens and the Shangri-La hotel marks the group’s fifth significant development within Melbourne.
“We are thrilled to see this iconic development come to life and stimulate thousands of local jobs during and after construction,” Wai added.
Multiplex’s Regional Managing Director, Graham Cottam, said the construction of the two towers simultaneously took exceptional planning and management to deliver.
“Especially when facing construction and engineering complexities like the iconic sky bridge, 46-storeys in the air,” he added.
The Skybridge design posed construction challenges, with Multiplex creating a temporary protection deck beneath it to enable safe working access. This deck cantilevered out from the building and sat between two large trusses.
The 500-room hotel will be joined to the residential tower via the unique Sky Lounge on Level 46, featuring a glass floor that overlooks the UNESCO world heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building and its surrounding Carlton Gardens.
With a striking façade featuring champagne gold fins, the hotel will also deliver the largest ballroom space in Melbourne’s CBD.
Shangri-La Melbourne will offer a variety of guestrooms, including family rooms, Horizon Club guestrooms, Premier and Presidential Suites, as well as a range of bars and restaurants with alfresco dining, expansive conference facilities, a spa, gym and wellness centre and an indoor heated pool.
The apartment tower will include an activated podium with overhanging plants over terraced podiums integrated into the façade, along with two-floors of residential amenity, including a heated infinity edge swimming pool, a gym, sauna, sky lounge, a cinema, a karaoke room, chef’s kitchen and a lounge with a fireplace.
The first residents are expected to move into the apartments by October this year, with construction of the precinct on track for completion in early 2023, while the Hotel will welcome its first guests by 2024.
Multiplex has completed several new residential projects in Melbourne in recent years, including the recent ‘wave-like’ Premier Tower, as well as the Southern Hemisphere’s highest residences with the 100-storey, Australia 108.