Breaking Ground, Building a Legacy: Why BVIA on Bank is a Game-Changer

“A bunch of guys get together in a room and say, ‘Yeah mate let’s get together and do something’.” Women don’t do that, and Anne Michaels is not taking that lying down. But contrary to much of the hand-wringing that goes on with regards to women and their under-representation in property, Michaels is tipping the scales. Or maybe completely upending them. Michaels turned a South Melbourne landholding at 305-309 Clarendon Street into an opportunity to showcase what an all-female team can do in development—a first of its kind. And the results speak for themselves. At a time when Melbourne’s office vacancies are at record highs and new projects struggle to attract tenants, Michaels and her team of consultants created a seven-storey A-grade commercial mixed-use precinct that is fully leased and a bold statement—and not just in its built expression. Michaels leveraged her broad experience across the property sector to deliver the project, her first as a solo developer. She served as a non-executive director of Hotel Property Investments, a REIT which was acquired by Charter Hall Wholesale Management Limited, and founded AT Property Holdings. Michaels founded SheBuilt eight years ago to provide women in the built environment the opportunity to collaborate and create landmark projects. “[Women] are more risk averse, but I want to create those opportunities for women to get together in a room and say, ‘Yeah let’s get together and do something’,” Michaels says. ▲ About 30 female consultants collaborated on the BVIA on Bank project. BVIA on Bank is the realisation of Michaels’ passion project for the suburb and block she has a deep connection to. Built in 1880 to the design of architects Terry and Oakden, the English, Scottish and Australian Chartered Bank building is in the Gothic Revival style. “We worked with the site’s heritage, and some of it is also my personal heritage,” she says. Michaels’ aspirations for the site, which was home to her father’s cobbler shop of 35 years, was to create a “functional but glamorous” bold statement for the South Melbourne area that honoured the site’s heritage as well as her family’s history. Scorpo’s design weaves together the old and the new to create an active street frontage and an introduced courtyard space that bridges the historic and contemporary structures, while the facade of the block tells a story. An oculus in that facade is a modern interpretation of the ox-eye motif, which was part of the original structure. A hatched effect designed by Alice Springs-based artist Elliat Rich is embedded in the design of the new building, reflecting the intricate stitching of a cobbler, and triangular shapes echoed throughout the building are another nod to Michaels’ father’s craftsmanship. That triangular motif, reminiscent of the mark a cobbler’s chisel leaves, is throughout the building’s design, its facade and its presence to the street. Even the vanities echo the shape. “We had Zuster design all the vanities with the same triangular theme. It was putting a bit of personal heritage into the project,” Michaels says. Bronze was incorporated into the palette in homage to the bank’s long history in South Melbourne, while green hues reference the Emerald Hill precinct. ▲ Copper and green hues, hatching and triangular designs were incorporated into the public art and embedded in the facade in a nod to the history of the site. ‘A woman alone has power but collectively we have impact’ It was that mantra and her determination that drove Michaels’ commitment to break ground and deliver a female-led commercial project of this scale. Michaels followed what she calls a “reverse bias, women first”, seeking out the best women in the business to lead the project. Finding female engineers was probably the toughest nut to crack for Michaels but her efforts were rewarded with the forming of a team of about 30 consultants working across all aspects of the project. “They’re out there, you just have to be patient and determined,” she says. Michaels wanted to provide women, who didn’t necessarily have a profile within their own organisations, with the opportunity to showcase their skills on a project of this scale. It was a “very different” experience on the female-led development, Michaels says. “It seemed to be a lot more collaborative, there were less arguments, and women had a comfortable space to come up with ideas and not feel like they were going to be shouted down. “The women stood up and stepped up.” Every meticulously crafted detail is considered but the journey of getting to completion had its challenges. “We had our original plan in 2019, before Covid, and then we had to make a small change,” she says. And that one minor change caused major delays as the pandemic shut down Melbourne. “It was a long, drawn-out process trying to get through our second lot of town planning meetings. It was really touch-and-go there for a while,” Michaels says. “It was far more challenging because of Covid—we had trade delays, cost escalations and 11 rate rises. “The windows were delayed a year or so. “Despite all the challenges and road blocks ... we delivered it, and it is amazing.” ▲ The design blends the old and the new—the oculus echoes the ox-eye motif of the 1880 Gothic Revival bank building. And in true multi-tasking style, it wasn’t just a project and precinct that was delivered. “From planning to delivery we had 11 babies born. Those women worked, they took time off, and they came back, and that continuity was there. “My architect, Claire, had her first and second babies through the project, and she says BVIA is her third child.” The building was fully leased ahead of its completion, including billionaires Doug Clarke and Grant Petty of Blackmagic Design joining tenants in the mix. The project has been shortlisted for the Australian Institute of Architects Victorian awards for 2025. While Michaels is not sure what her next project will be, she hopes BVIA on Bank will continue her family’s legacy in South Melbourne, and become an iconic piece of heritage in its own right. “I don’t know what my next project will be, but I want to bring other women on the journey with me,” she says.

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Wed 09 Apr 25

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