After putting his foot on one of the Gold Coast’s most premium sites, Luxcon managing director Ilya Melnikoff has moved quickly on plans for a premium beachfront apartment tower.
It signals the developer’s confidence in the resilient luxury market of the Gold Coast, despite other developers pulling the pin on projects amid escalating construction costs.
Luxcon acquired the site about four months ago after negotiating with 12 unit owners to amalgamate the 1011sq m site at 63-65 Garfield Terrace at Surfers Paradise.
Escape is the actor-turned-developer’s first project on the Gold Coast off the back of significant mixed-use developments in Sydney.
Luxcon has filed plans for the beachfront tower with the Gold Coast City Council.
The PBD Architects-designed tower will rise to 30 storeys with a unique diamond truss design, accommodating 28 whole-floor apartments.
“We have used PBD Architects on four other projects … they’re good at interpreting our vision," Melnikoff said.
“They have designed a unique rectilinear design that is very different to the curved glass facades everywhere on the Gold Coast at the moment.”
The tower comprises two dual-floor penthouses with double-height ceilings and three podium floors of communal amenities, including a 20m infinity pool and a beach club that opens out to the beach.
“We see this as the most exclusive building on one of the best sites on the Gold Coast.”
Melnikoff said they were planning to launch to market at the end of September and that he was confident there was appetite and depth of market for the Gold Coast.
He said the project would be aimed at high-end owner-occupiers looking to move to the coast from NSW, Victoria and Brisbane.
“It will be good to gauge how the market responds to our product,” he said.
“I think the more premium prices can absorb inflation impacts more than the mid-level market.
“Launching now (at this point in the cycle) we’ll be able to mitigate the risk. We’ll build it ourselves too.”
Melnikoff said he was also developing partnerships with furniture and homeware retailer Coco Republic and fashion brands for interior design and fitout at the luxury beachfront tower.
According to PBD Archtiects’ design statement, Escape will be unique in its addition to the Gold Coast City skyline.
“Its uniqueness is comparably contemporary and ‘edgy’ amongst a sea of beachfront architecture incorporating coastal curvature and sleek ripple effects in their designs,” the report said.
“Inspired by origami, a simple rectangular paper begins to articulately transform into a sculptural object.”
A diamond truss at the podium level and the use of different textures and colours emphasise the taper of the tower and set it apart from the neighouring mid-rise towers.
