GSA Group

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Another week and another student accommodation tower enters the Urban.com.au Project Database.

Following on from a string of fresh projects seeking their place in the expanding sector, GSA Australia's intentions for a Queensberry Street plot are the latest to be unveiled. 198-208 Queensberry Street is GSA Australia's third current student housing project, after <a href="/new-apartments/205-223-pelham-street-carlton">205-233 Pelham Street</a> and <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic-3000">684-688 Elizabeth Street</a>.

The work of DKO Architecture, the Queensberry project involves 229 beds within 136 apartments. 

On a 546sqm corner plot, the tower spans 14 levels and draws heavily upon two fellow DKO Architecture projects. Above the retained low-rise facade, the glazed section references their <a href="http://www.dko.com.au/cms_subcat_14/marina-tower-docklands-melbourne">Marina Tower</a> project, whilst precast elements closely resemble the pattern across DKO Architecture's <a href="http://www.dko.com.au/cms_subcat_14/the-metropolitan-melbourne">Metropolitan</a> design.

198-208 Queensberry Street and 684-688 Elizabeth Street are likely to follow the Pelham Street example by way of being managed by The Student Housing Company.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image7_13.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="GSA Australia's latest play within the student market. Planning image: DKO Architecture"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="405" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image7_13.jpg?itok=zypFfzRI" title="GSA Australia's latest play within the student market. Planning image: DKO Architecture" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>GSA Australia's latest play within the student market. Planning image: DKO Architecture</figcaption></figure>Conversely, a student tower slated for Caulfield East has come unstuck during planning.

Applicant Derby Road Developments Pty Ltd late last year submitted plans for a substantial 18-storey student accommodation building at 9-13 Derby Road. 158 student units, 15 car parking spaces, 51 bicycle parking spaces, a 150sqm retail premises/shop fronting Derby Road and communal facilities across levels one and five were envisaged.

Earlier this month Glen Eira chose to issue a Notice of Refusal for the tower which falls within the Phoenix Precinct adjoining Monash University.

Issues cited with the proposal include its inability "to respond to the fine grain rhythm and heritage character along Derby Road as the scale and form of the podium and tower are inconsistent with the scale and form of existing buildings in the Derby Road Heritage Overlay Area. The building proposed to be partially demolished is identified as a contributory building in this heritage area. Council discourages the demolition of Contributory buildings in heritage areas."

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image9_13.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Derby Road may not see this 18 level tower become reality. Planning image: Interlandi Mantesso Archtects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="378" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image9_13.jpg?itok=fxVH8YA6" title="Derby Road may not see this 18 level tower become reality. Planning image: Interlandi Mantesso Archtects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Derby Road may not see this 18 level tower. Planning image: Interlandi Mantesso Architects</figcaption></figure>The student accommodation sector is awash with news as developers and institutional investors seek to meet the shortfall in demand for the housing typology.

Earlier this month Urban.com.au outlined Cedar Pacific's <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/inter-war-and-student-to-the-core-another-whopping-student-accommodation-project-unveiled">intentions for 123-135 Bouverie Street</a>, which include a further 596 rooms within the Nettleton Tribe-designed tower. In close proximity to 198-208 Queensberry Street, Icon Construction has begun works on Urbanest's 599 Swanston Street.

That project consists of a new 21-storey tower incorporating 583 student beds within a vertically bladed bronze facade.

Also earlier this month Scape Student Living <a href="http://www.afr.com/real-estate/scape-will-build-a-60storey-uni-student-residence-in-melbournes-cbd-20170427-gvtk0e">outlined plans</a> for a $300 million 60-storey tower overlooking RMIT University. The proposal includes 740 student beds, 146 city living units and a substantial amount of commercial space within the mixed-use project.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/231_urbanest-2.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="599 Swanston Street. Image: Icon Construction"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="486" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/231_urbanest-2.jpg?itok=3RqDDTH9" title="599 Swanston Street. Image: Icon Construction" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>599 Swanston Street. Image: Icon Construction</figcaption></figure>
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silvermb

The student living drive churns out an additional tower, but provides no luck for another

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The rampant growth in Melbourne's student housing sector will likely gain extra impetus, with international operator GSA Group lining up a second inner city development.

With their initial Melbourne foray reaching an important construction marker over the last week, GSA Australia will now look to develop a pre-approved site at 684-688 Elizabeth Street. City of Melbourne had previously granted approval for a 19 storey, SJB Architects-designed tower with 120 apartments in tow over the site which also fronts Berkeley Street.

At that stage LBP Group Holdings Pty Ltd was the nominated owner/developer, although along the way GSA Australia have snared the site and now plan a student accommodation tower with a nominal development cost of $40 million.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image11_12.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="DKO Architecture's new design as seen from Berkeley Street"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="541" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image11_12.jpg?itok=xoB0hY-s" title="DKO Architecture's new design as seen from Berkeley Street" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>DKO Architecture's new design as seen from Berkeley Street</figcaption></figure>Having only re-entered the Australian market during 2016 via subsidiary GSA Australia, GSA Group at the timed flagged their intentions of securing <a href="https://www.gsa-gp.com/asia-pacific/australia/">25,000 beds under management by 2025</a>.

<a href="/new-apartments/205-223-pelham-street-carlton">205-223 Pelham Street</a> as the group's first Melbourne endeavour gained a tower crane last week, with the eventual result a DKO Architecture-designed building set behind a retained heritage facade.

684-688 Elizabeth Street is much the same in that DKO Architecture are once more at the design helm, with the tower for the most adhering to the approved design envelope of the previous scheme. This includes the redesigned tower maintaining a setback to the existing and historically sensitive Elizabeth Street frontage.

Expected behind is a tower that would absorb 327 beds set within 246 student rooms. A retail outlet and communal spaces span the tower ground floor footprint, with further communal spaces across levels 1 and 11 and within the basement.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_4122.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="GSA Australia's Pelham Street project gathers construction momentum"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="729" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_4122.jpg?itok=4iDX1GO_" title="GSA Australia's Pelham Street project gathers construction momentum" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>GSA Australia's Pelham Street project gathers construction momentum</figcaption></figure>684-688 Elizabeth Street effectively heads a conga line of upcoming student accommodation projects covering the northern reaches of Melbourne CBD through to the Haymarket Roundabout.

Waiting in the wings are projects such as <a href="/developments/north-melbourne-vic-3051">15-27 Wreckyn Street</a>, <a href="/developments/north-melbourne-vic-3051">1 Flemington Road</a>, <a href="/developments/north-melbourne-vic-3051">5-17 Flemington Road</a>, <a href="/developments/carlton-vic-3053">197-235 Bouverie Street</a>, <a href="/developments/carlton-vic-3053">557-591 Swanston Street</a> and <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/buildings/599-605-swanston-street-carlton">599-605 Swanston Street</a>. These projects along with GSA Australia's will add in excess of 3,000 student beds to the inner Melbourne student accommodation market.

Furthermore, construction is underway on some of the city's larger student-oriented projects. <a href="/new-apartments/iglu-229-franklin-street-melbourne">IGLU</a>, <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/buildings/scape-melbourne-393-swanston-street-melbourne">Scape Melbourne</a> and <a href="/developments/melbourne-vic-3000">42-50 La Trobe Street</a> will combine to add thousands of additional new beds for students.

Waiting in the wings is the new 97 Franklin Street with Scape recently adding the site to its development portfolio, while South Africa-based Redefine has approval for the repurposing of 16-32 Leicester Street from a multi-level car park into their first Australian student project.
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