Iglu Student Accommodation heads for South Yarra
Iglu Student Accommodation wants a prime piece of South Yarra's Forrest Hill precinct for their next Melbourne outlet.
Forrest Hill has been dominated by traditional apartment developments in recent years, although the designated urban renewal precinct is beginning to further diversify. Alongside Iglu's intended redevelopment of the land at 6-8 Claremont Street, LK Property Group are looking to add a 294 suite hotel further north along Claremont Street.
Iglu's South Yarra footprint would be the first dedicated student accommodation building in the area, although both Ozihouse South Yarra and District South Yarra provide limited student accommodation beds within their respective properties.
For site owner Harbour Claremont Pty Ltd, their agreement with Iglu Student Accommodation has seen intentions for the 1,029 square metre plot change. Initially, the developer had sought approval for a Bates Smart-designed tower during 2016, which included 106 apartments, 2,700 square metres of office space and 81 car parks within a 26-storey building.
6-8 Claremont Street application summary
- 1,029sqm site currently a three storey commercial building
- Proposed 24 storey tower at 74.4m in height
- 488 lodging rooms
- No car parking or retail spaces
- Communal: gym, media & games room, lounge, study spaces, outdoor balcony/verandah
- Shared vehicle and pedestrian thoroughfare included
- Cluster and studio configurations included
- Cost of works: $40 million
Now expected as a 24 storey tower, Iglu South Yarra's 488 rooms will be offered for rent on either 6 month or 12 month agreement terms.
In line with all contemporary student accommodation buildings, a bevvy of amenities are included. A gym, media room, lounge areas, games room, computer zone and study spaces are present, as is a first floor balcony/verandah that will bring added vitality to Claremont Street.
Cluster formations are present across levels 2-9 whilst levels 10-17 are dominated by studio apartments. At ground level, the building entry splays into an open plan lobby with a shared thoroughfare to the north of the site.
According to Bates Smart "We aim to maximise the activation of both the street frontage end the laneway. To achieve this we are proposing a linear planter with integrated seating along the northern edge. We are also proposing to incorporate a three-dimensional artwork which will bring colour and life to the space."
Iglu Melbourne City is the provider's first Melbourne project, with Hacer Group advancing the build to structural completion.
Due to open mid 2018, the 594-bed student accommodation building opposite the Queen Victoria market is also a design produced by Bates Smart. A smaller nine storey building fronts 299 Franklin Street with another twenty three storey building at the rear.
Iglu Melbourne City and the South Yarra site which has gone to construction tender are part of the Iglu Australia series, joining two outlets in both Brisbane and Sydney.
6-8 Claremont Street development team
- Developer: Harbour Claremont Pty Ltd
- Project Architect: Bates Smart Architects
- Town Planning: Contour Consultants
- Waste and Traffic: One Mile Grid
- Environmental Sustainable Design & Services Engineer: ADP Consulting
- Wind Consultant: Windtech
- Project Management: Point Polaris
- Fire Engineering: Olsson Fire & Risk
- Structural Engineering: Webber Design
- BCA: Steve Watson & Partners