[+] Seven Australian Skyscrapers That Never Got Off the Ground

From concept to completion, creating city-shaping buildings is no easy road. There are a multitude of hurdles to face, from approvals to finance to public opinion to construction. However, there will always be those ready to risk it and put forward their plans for really tall buildings that will make a mark. Some become reality. Many do not. Take a look back at seven skyscrapers proposed for Australian cities that never rose to the heights intended. Grollo Tower Melbourne Initially proposed in 1997 by Grocon, the construction company owned by the Gollo family, for 678m, the tower planned for the Docklands precinct was scaled down to 560m for a 2001 iteration. However, the 113-storey skyscraper, which would have been the world’s tallest, was knocked on the head in April of that year when the Docklands Authority ruled it out of the tender for development of the Batman Hill's precinct. The design by Denton Corker Marshall, which followed a previous design for a different site by Harry Seidler [ pictured left with the DCM design on right ] for the tower that would have comprised a hotel, residential and office components, was reported to be later commissioned for construction in Dubai, as the Burj Khalifa. However, the Burj Khalifa was eventually built to an entirely different design, by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. CBD-1 Sydney Proposed in 1987, this skyscraper was proposed in part to topple Chicago’s Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, from its perch as he world’s tallest. Planned for a site on Harrington Street, it would have topped the US tower by adding an extra 5m to take it to 445 metres. With an estimated cost of $1 billion, the tower would have housed 11,000 workers over 95 levels with about 1500 underground parking spaces. But just months later, Octavius Development’s plans were in a spot of bother with concerns about overshadowing of neighbouring sites as well as Department of Transport concerns over towers above 300m disrupting air traffic. In retrospect, not a particularly well-thought-out plan, CBD-1 fizzled out and the Harbour City never reached those dizzying heights—its tallest building, the Crown Sydney at 271m, would have been dwarfed by this oh-so-1980s proposal. Brisbane Central Brisbane Power, corruption and lies—history has judged Queensland’s Bjelke-Petersen era with the harshness it deserves. Among then premier Sir Joh’s passions project during the mid-1980s was this 107-storey tower planned for the corner of Edward and Ann streets in the CBD opposite Central station. At 450m it would have been Australia’s tallest building and dominated the River City’s skyline completely. Unsurprisingly, Joh’s baby was approved in 1986, and excavation work began before it was disbanded soon after. On the site now is the seven-storey Mincom Central—a very different proposition for what would still be the nation’s tallest had Joh had his way. Queen Victoria Market redevelopment Melbourne In the 1970s plans to redevelop Melbourne’s much loved Queen Vic markets appeared, replacing much of the precinct with a brutalist development comprising a trade centre office and hotel skyscraper complex, and two residential towers. There was a public outcry over the plans, with a 18,000-signature petition tabled with the City of Melbourne in 1972. In 1975, the plans were finally laid to rest and the market continues to this day, albeit with a new set of renovation plans now under way—with much more sympathy than the concrete monoliths envisioned more than 45 years ago. Bond Street Tower Sydney Another from the decade when excess was hardly enough, the 1980s, this 37-storey building featured a cantilevered section 15 levels above the street to preserve the historic 19th century George Patterson House. Designed by architect John Andrews, costs for the McNamara Group development were estimated at $600 million. But the plan for the 160m tower hit a series of snags, including issues around overshadowing of the nearby Australia Square. It all ground to a halt in 1990 with McNamara putting up a more traditional office building on the site. Vision Brisbane This $900-million tower planned for 222 Margaret Street was approved in December, 2006 with work beginning on the 72-storey skyscraper soon after. It was to be a mixed-use tower with two levels of retail and entertainment space, 13 floors of commercial, 376 residential apartments across 53 floors and a two-storey observation deck on levels 60 and 61. Designed by the Buchan Group and developed by Austcorp, Vision ’ s plaza was to provide a link between Mary and Margaret streets. However, funding issues, helped along by the 2008 GFC, ended the plans and instead, Billbergia Group’s Brisbane Skytower has risen on the site. Skytower Sydney Back to the 1980s again and the vision of a man whose spectacular rise to success was mirrored by an equally noteworthy fall—Alan Bond. In 1987, “Bondie” unveiled perhaps his most ambitious plan of a career not know for its subtlety—the 421m Skytower planned for the Waltons department store site on Park Street in the Emerald City’s CBD. The store, part of the chain Bond bought in 1982, came down and he pushed ahead with the plan, which also included a major upgrade to the Hilton Hotel, acquired by the Bond Corporation and to be integrated into the complex. But getting approval for the now renamed Park Plaza proved difficult, with the NSW government keen to restrict building heights, backed by the Civil Aviation Department push for a 305m limit, the height of Sydney Tower. The 102-storey version of the tower was rejected on November 22, 1987. A year later, Bond was bankrupt. You are currently experiencing The Urban Developer Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. Click here to learn more.

Lindsay Saunders
Sun 26 May 24

[+] Seven Australian Skyscrapers That Never Got Off the Ground

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