The $600-million twin towers 308 Exhibition Street in Melbourne’s CBD have reached practical completion.
Built by Multiplex, developed by Malaysian developer S P Setia and designed by Fender Katsalidis in collaboration with Cox Architects, 308 Exhibition Street encompasses two separate high-rise towers comprising luxurious apartments and will be the future home of Melbourne’s 5-star Shangri-La hotel.
The 60-level residential tower Sapphire by the Gardens has 325 apartments, including two high-end penthouse apartments and numerous custom-designed apartments.
The 61-level hotel is joined to the 59-level residential tower via a sky bridge on level 46.
Internally the sky bridge hosts amenities and a Sky Lounge for visitors and residents, and features a transparent “oculus” glass floor with views into the UNESCO world-heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building surrounding the Carlton Gardens and Port Phillip Bay.
The two towers stand on a a mixed-use podium with spaces for resident recreational facilities, future hotel function, and above ground carparking.
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Sapphire by the Gardens features resident facilities across two floors with a heated swimming pool, gymnasium, Sky Lounge, a cinema, karaoke room, chef’s kitchen and lounge with fireplace.
During construction, Multiplex co-ordinated a purchaser upgrade that involved the installation of a $3-million McLaren supercar into the living room of the super-penthouse, which set a record as the highest recorded apartment sale price in the city when it sold for $39 million.
“We are thrilled to deliver this world-class precinct, and it is testament to the collaboration and determination of our team and subcontractors,” Multiplex regional managing director Ross Snowball said.
“Constructing two towers simultaneously takes exceptional planning and management, especially when facing construction and engineering complexities like the sky bridge, 46-storeys in the air.”
Work on 308 Exhibition Street spanned four-and-a-half years, generating more than 1000 jobs, with more than 500 workers on site during peak periods.
