The proposal of 710 Collins is a 34 storey commercial office building standing 180m in height from Collins Street level; purpose built to accommodate a flexible and technologically advanced commercial work environment. The proposed form of the tower responds to its multiple street levels, urban and heritage fabric, reflecting in its design the adjacent Goods Shed to the north of the site. The development will include the refurbishment of the Goods Shed, to include shared cyclist facilities and service based retail amenities.
The developer of the project, Goods Shed Docklands PTY LTD, seeks to deliver a landmark development that benefits not only the site but also the overall Melbourne Docklands and Melbourne CBD area, together as an integrated destination. The proposal will deliver a striking new addition to Melbourne’s skyline, connecting the Batman Hill precinct of Docklands to the CBD via Collins Street.
The development will provide:
_ 34 storey commercial office tower with a total height of 180m from Collins Street level
_ Office area of 47,500m2 (NLA)
_ Potential Ground level retail area of up to 1200m2
_ Minimum 5 Star Green Star Design and As Built
_ Minimum 5 Star NABERS
_ Iconic lobby seamlessly integrated with heritage Goods Shed North
The proposed tower presents as a crystalline element on the skyline "whilst providing a glimpse of the overall super structure within." Hassell's scheme employs a largely homogenous glazed skin raised above a brick plinth that suggests an erosion of form, with openings 'carved in' to allow views from within and out, with the stair cascading down from Collins Street to the new lobby below.
While the Goods Shed and proposed tower never physically come into contact, a number of visual relationships are intimated through the timber-lined, vaulted underbelly of the tower. Generated from the profile of the goods shed and enhanced via the angled facade to the lower levels of the tower - the skyscrapers highly reflective glazing is designed to capture the Goods Shed in an almost ethereal reflection of what was once a much longer continuous structure.
The benefit of the proposed development is two fold - it frees up the Goods Shed from any new architectural intervention thus providing the public with a greater viewing opportunity of its interior and structure, allowing for an enhanced pedestrian experience. Additionally a new view is opened up through to the Goods Shed below and Stadium Precinct beyond (including another Hassell tower at 720 Bourke), framed by the vaulted ceiling above.
The ground floor area of the development is largely permeable with retail offerings flanking the new east-west laneway and activity spilling out on to it which should also go someway to activating both Aurora Lane and Village Street. The proposed treatment to these areas is a timber decking - a softer contrast to the robust brick plinth. Minimal car parking of only 8 spaces is included with an entry off Village Street; extremely low by any measure but particularly so for a commercial complex.
Cyclist facilities are proposed within the Goods Shed via Village Street with visitor bicycle spaces externally.
Computational design of the parametric tower:
The diagram explains the computational logic on how to develop a parametric tower. The script was developed in Grasshopper/Rhino 3D was to execute unlimited options of a set of feasibility study drawings and calculations that is based on inputs from clients and the surrounding site in order to test form generation and impact on Gross Floor Area GFA and Net Lettable Area NLA.
Team and Courtesy: HASSELL Architects
Year 2013
Stage: Development Approval ( Design development)
Location: 710 Collins street, Melbourne, Australia