Lendlease to Build Melbourne’s The Fox: NGV Contemporary

Lendlease and Kapitol have secured contracts for two significant Melbourne projects with a combined value exceeding $147 million.

Development Victoria this week appointed Lendlease as construction partner for The Fox: NGV Contemporary, which will become Australia’s largest gallery dedicated to contemporary art and design.

Construction is expected to begin this month on the 30,000sq m facility, which forms part of the state’s $1.7-billion Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation.

The gallery, designed by Angelo Candalepas and Associates, will comprise more than 13,000sq m of display space, including exhibition galleries and a rooftop terrace with sculpture garden.

The landmark building will incorporate a dramatic 40m-high spherical hall as its centrepiece, creating what the NGV said would be “an unforgettable architectural experience”.

Lendlease executive general manager, Victoria, construction Bill Alexandrakis said Lendlease shared “a long-standing partnership with Development Victoria and are ready to deliver … the centrepiece of Melbourne’s Arts Precinct transformation”.

Lendlease would work with the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation, Creative Victoria, Development Victoria and a design team led by Angelo Candalepas to “create a celebrated, city-shaping cultural landmark that will create a new global destination for the arts”, Alexandrakis said.

Meanwhile, Kapitol has been appointed as the builder for developer Assemble’s build-to-rent-to-own project at 511-537 Sydney Road, Coburg, 8km north of the Melbourne CBD.

The development received fast-track planning approval through the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning.

The development, two towers of 15 and 16 storeys, comprises 326 apartments in one, two, and three-bedroom configurations.

It has an estimated end value of $147 million.

Designed by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, the development will include public open space, cafe, office space, 156 carparking spaces and 610 bicycle storage spaces.

Sixty per cent of the apartments will be designated as affordable housing, well in excess of the Government’s requirement of 10 per cent for fast-track approval.

The build-to-rent-to-own model will allow tenants to lease properties for five years while saving to acquire them.

The Sydney Road site is near tram stops and the Coburg Station.

▲ A rendering of Assemble’s planned project for 511-537 Sydney Road, Coburg.

It is Assemble’s second build-to-rent-to-own project. The first is under construction at Brunswick.

The Coburg development features a green spine for enhanced light and ventilation, alongside extensive communal spaces, including a bike workshop, street-level cafe, laundry facilities, rooftop barbecue area and landscaped courtyard.

Kapital director Andrew Deveson said digital engineering would play a key role in the Coburg project, with BIM modelling to be used for clash-free design and efficient co-ordination.

“[And] by partnering with trusted prefabrication specialists, we aim to accelerate the build process while minimising waste, aligning with our sustainability goals,” Deveson told The Urban Developer.

There was some initial objection to the project due to height concerns—the City of Merri-bek Council’s previous planning approvals for the site were for an eight-storey building with 270 homes.