Geocon recently revealed its plans for ‘Republic’, a $700 million mixed-use project that will be integrated with the ACT’s Belconnen precinct.
Geocon Managing Director Nick Georgalis said the precinct would add an extra 1300 apartments to Belconnen and take about 10 years to complete.
Mr Georgalis said they have assembled Fender Katsalidis Architects and OCULUS to bring Republic to life, with 2,500 workers projected to be brought in over the course of the project.
The 1.6-hectare site is bounded by Cameron Avenue, Emu Bank, Eastern Valley Way and the Labor Club. The project will include building what will be Canberra’s tallest building, its first glass towers and a 130-room hotel.
Residential accommodation will include traditional one, two and three-bedroom apartments, as well as terraces, penthouses and Manhattan-style sky homes.
Mr Georgalis said public amenity has been designed to attract visitors as well as residents.
Republic’s three buildings will range from 16 to 27 storeys and be centred around a large public square and a series of interconnected laneways.
Upon completion it will feature an urban park, amphitheatre, public sky deck and more than 500 public car parks.
The sky deck on top of the tallest building would be open to the public, allowing them to appreciate the view, Mr Georgalis said.
“How that’s run, whether that’s a cafe or a restaurant or a function space, whether it is literally just an open observation deck, and we’re going through all the models of what’s the most appropriate, but it will be a public space,” he said.
A food market hall, urban grocer and gastro pub overlooking the lake are a few of the commercial offerings slated for the precinct.
“It’s going to create a destination,” Mr Georgalis said.
“Having a cultural destination, retail precinct, commercial precinct, street theatre, food hall and residents living in an area like this is going to create more vibrancy, as well as a connection between the UC and the town centre.”
The tallest building will be 27-storeys – the same height as Geocon’s previous development Belconnen Wayfarer and in-line with the town centre’s height limit, which is capped at 27-storeys.
Republic will be built in three stages, with the first stage expected to start in the second half of 2017.