OfficeClare BurnettTue 22 Sep 26
Riverlee Reveals 13-Storey Coworking, Wellness Scheme for Collingwood
Riverlee has revealed plans for a wellness-focused coworking office tower in the inner Melbourne suburb of Collingwood.
Plans have been submitted to the state for the proposal at 36-38 Gipps Street, which the developer acquired in 2024 under a joint venture with coworking specialist The Commons.
The proposal before with the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning details a 13-level complex with 10,355sq m of flexible office space.
It comprises co-working spaces, a wellness centre, cafe and new pedestrian laneway.
Established in Collingwood in 2016, The Commons has expanded to 19 locations across Melbourne and Sydney, the planning report said.
The Commons Health Club would be a 2332sq m wellness centre in the Gipps Street tower intended to allow access to services “that enhance health, wellbeing and work–life balance”.
It is being geared towards The Commons’ mission, which is “centred on community, sustainability, and wellness, creating spaces where businesses can grow, with workers having access to wellness programs and amenities that support a healthy work‑life balance”.
“It complements the primary office use by offering convenient, on‑site services that encourage social interaction and support productivity,” the planning report said.
These spaces would be used for fitness and training, meditation and mindfulness facilities and a bathhouse as well as therapy and assessment areas, housed in the level one basement.
Riverlee’s plans also provide a four-storey podium to Singleton Street, and the provision of a 225sq m forecourt and 341sq m laneway to connect Gipps and Singleton streets.
The plans cover end-of-trip facilities and the provision of 82 bicycle spaces.
Urbis’s planning report said that with a threefold increase in homes expected in the City of Yarra by 2051—adding 44,000 to the area—the subsequent population growth would generate demand for local employment opportunities in the Gipps Street Major Employment Precinct.
“Without a corresponding increase in the supply of office space within the municipality, a greater proportion of businesses and the workforce will be required to travel outside Yarra to access employment and commercial floorspace,” it said.
The report positioned the new office tower as a response to this, redeveloping a 1427sq m site currently home to a two-storey brick building into a major employment zone.
B-Corp Certified Riverlee has made its point of difference breathing new life into mixed-use projects, such as at its Hanging Gardens development at Hobart, and Seafarers in Melbourne.
