[+] vic land laws WEB.jpg

<p>The Victorian government’s decision to increase taxes on vacant residential land and empty houses will force developers to look to other states for business, industry leaders have warned.</p><p>Developers, builders, economists and lobby groups all say the new tax—which could, according to estimations, add an additional $37 million into state coffers—is unlikely to make much difference to Victoria’s critical housing shortage.</p><p>The planned tax increase was first mooted last month when, in a surprise to the industry, Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas announced he was expanding the 1 per cent tax on vacant homes to include the whole state, rather than only Melbourne’s inner and middle neighbourhoods.</p><p>“We know the best thing you can do to make homes more affordable is supply more of them,” Pallas said at the time.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“This is all about freeing up empty houses for rent and vacant land for new homes, particularly across the outer suburbs and regional Victoria.”</p><p>But after a deal was struck this week between Jacinta Allan’s government and the Greens Party, the tax rate on vacant property will rise from 1 per cent of the vacant property’s total improved value to 2 per cent in the second consecutive year.</p><p>The tax will increase to 3 per cent in the third year.</p><p>Samuel Property managing director Illan Samuel accuses the government of failing to understand the industry.</p><p>“We can’t change the market fundamentals … that is a major misalignment the government has at the moment,” he says.</p><p>“We are sitting on land and opportunities because we have a choice.</p><p>“Racehorses race and developers develop. We like to get things done, we are not shy of risks or taking things on but if the market fundamentals are not there—be those construction costs, infrastructure, finance requirements, the ability to get sales, or red tape and planning restrictions—all you can really often do is wait for the next cycle.</p><div id="3wAwWIV3LrmUgIamsqCLDg"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/Gy9mRHIQhRRR98XPm8W70/b534616cff64072a4d7403689c4db2b7/3.jpg" alt="Newly built homes will also escape the tax for three years if owners can show they made genuine attempts to sell " data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/Gy9mRHIQhRRR98XPm8W70/b534616cff64072a4d7403689c4db2b7/3.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ Newly built homes will escape the tax for three years if owners can show they made genuine attempts to sell.</span></div><div><br></div></div><p>“I think that’s what anybody who’s sitting on vacant land is doing,” he says. “But to tax them under the guise we are somehow restricting supply on purpose?”</p><p>When the treasurer announced the tax changes in October, the Victorian branch of the Property Council of Australia took the industry’s biggest concerns directly to the government.</p><p>The PCA says it was able to wrangle concessions to the Bill, including protections for existing holiday homeowners regardless of ownership structure.</p><p>Now, under the tax scheme, the government says it will extend an exemption for holiday homes occupied by owners for more than four weeks a year to include use by immediate family members.</p><p>Newly built homes will also escape the tax for three years if owners can show they made genuine attempts to sell at, or below, the price they expected when construction started.</p><p>Still, the PCA is far from happy with the announcement.</p><p>Victorian executive director Cath Evans says the council does not believe new or expanded taxes will build the new homes that the state desperately needs.</p><p>“Victoria already has the heaviest property tax burden of any state in the nation,” Evans says.</p><div id="5nXC11ddP1PamjBlyys2Vw"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/e7ZOc1yWLPTi2aszMAHxK/8bb190de057025b3dc7cc1b4f162720a/2.jpg" alt="The Property Council says Victoria already has the heaviest property tax burden of any state in the country." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/e7ZOc1yWLPTi2aszMAHxK/8bb190de057025b3dc7cc1b4f162720a/2.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ The property council says Victoria already has the heaviest property tax burden of any state in the country.</span></div><div><br></div></div><p>“The reality is that this is creating an economic environment where Victorian businesses are struggling to attract capital investment to our state—jeopardising the capacity for our industry to build more homes.</p><p>“We encourage the Victorian government to focus its attention on delivering policy outcomes that incentivise the construction of new homes, reduce the burden on business and allow the property industry to get on with delivering the housing supply that Victorians need and expect.”</p><p>Samuel echoes that sentiment.</p><p>“What the government could do is actually try to stimulate demand by incentivising activity rather than penalising those that are perceived to control supply.”</p><p>Like Samuel, Wel.Co founder and managing director Andrew Welsh has long criticised the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/victoria-planning-dilemma-solutions" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/victoria-planning-dilemma-solutions">Victorian government’s approach to planning&nbsp;</a>and development. For him, the increased taxes are another nail in the coffin.</p><p>“They’re trying to solve issues with taxes rather than getting to the real source of the problems,” Welsh says.</p><p>“In my view, the majority of housing supply is being held up and being caught up in red tape and the approvals process.”</p><p>Wel.Co is a Melbourne-based developer specialising in building communities. Its bread and butter has been Melbourne’s Growth Corridor Plans—the Victorian capital’s integrated land use and transport schemes which will decide the region’s growth in the coming decades.</p><div id="5ZRCBxT5OcpbbtGWTYSr0S"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4TsWUe0wE1chg1Nxmkov6K/31c68bba8f5163131a93a6a58de58c18/1.jpg" alt="Kyle Wathen, Cath Evans, Illan Samuel and Andrew Welsh.  All agree the tax increase will have little effect on housing supply." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4TsWUe0wE1chg1Nxmkov6K/31c68bba8f5163131a93a6a58de58c18/1.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ Kyle Wathen, Cath Evans, Illan Samuel and Andrew Welsh. All agree the tax increase will have little effect on housing supply.</span></div><div><br></div></div><p>But Welsh says they’ve struggled to find value in Melbourne’s growth corridors during the past couple of years.</p><p>“There are large tracts of developable land in growth corridors that could be unlocked for housing,” he says, “but Melbourne Water, the local councils are not providing the approvals as fast as they should be.</p><p>“I know numerous vendors that would develop their properties if they could, but they can't because the authorities are holding up approvals or not enacting their powers to allow development to happen,” he says.</p><p>“Now they will be hit with this tax.”</p><p>Kyle Wathen advises on property and construction for chartered accountants William Buck.</p><p>He says that for developers, the new rates could mean an additional land tax bill of $200,000 a year for a property with a Capital Improved Value (CIV) of $20 million.</p><p>For a residential property investor with an asset of $1 million, it will add $10,000 each year.</p><p>“I just can’t see this being the golden key to unlocking housing supply, which right now, that’s where the bottleneck is,” Wathen says. “It’s the supply issue.”</p><p>“The amount of new taxes around [the] property market that have come in the last calendar year alone is quite incredible,” he says. “Even if the numbers do happen to stack up now, there’s still that uncertainty as to what Big Government is going to do in the future.</p><div id="3qbGvTfeKliXxk06vLm9pq"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2eAwUl6DU5tSiDD7dSlOzt/37446a59d0a9d3ffcafd00c7a8f86213/4.jpg" alt="Exemptions may be made for land not currently under an application or request if there is proof of efforts being made to prepare it for development." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2eAwUl6DU5tSiDD7dSlOzt/37446a59d0a9d3ffcafd00c7a8f86213/4.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ Exemptions may be made for land not currently under an application or request if there is proof of efforts being made to prepare it for development.</span></div><div><br></div></div><p>“Because it takes a few years to get these things out of the ground.”</p><p>Wathen believes Victorian developers will start looking to other states.</p><p>Welsh says it is already happening.</p><p>“We see it every day, and more and more,” he says.</p><p>“We’ve seen a huge amount of developers move into the Queensland and South Australian markets over recent years.</p><p>“It’s not just developers, we’re seeing engineers, sales agents, marketing companies, civil contractors … we’re seeing a lot of businesses that have been home-based in Victoria, move into these other markets because there is more stability around what planning is or isn’t going to happen.”</p><p>Samuel agrees.</p><p>“It just says even more that perhaps Victoria is closed for business because it makes it harder for people to get things to work.”<br>&nbsp;</p><hr><p><strong><br>You are currently experiencing <em>The Urban Developer</em> Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. </strong><a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans"><strong>Click here to learn more.</strong></a></p><div id="2GhuueZl01Zwo2aFfjNVi2"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg" alt="TUD + Banner" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg"></picture></div>

The decision to increase taxes on vacant land and empty houses will force developers out of Victoria, industry leaders have warned…

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<p>A backlog of work and lack of trades is continuing to hold back Australia’s construction activity despite recent gains for engineering.</p><p>The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows total value was up 8.5 per cent compared to last year, but this was largely driven by engineering construction, which was up 14.9 per cent.&nbsp;</p><p>Building work sat around $34 billion and has been close to that level since 2016. Meanwhile, engineering jumped to $30 billion from $24 billion a year previous.</p><p>Western Australia and NSW drove growth across the country, according to the data set for September from the ABS.</p><p>Oxford Economics Australia economist Michael Dyer said the lead from non-residential approvals has softened somewhat from the recent record highs but commencements were lagging behind.</p><p>“This is contributing to the challenges being faced in terms of housing supply, despite a significant backlog of homes waiting to be delivered,” Dyer said.</p><p>“The number of houses under construction remains north of 100,000 nationally, well above the historical average near 60,000, and we expect the normalisation process will extend through 2024.</p><p><strong>Construction activity, seasonally adjusted</strong></p><p><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1uWhkuCxhrblDuoIwOigDp/e8fb935b09d7dafc975d66360acca611/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T150824.572.jpg" alt="A graph showing engineering work is on the up while other construction remains constant at an elevated rate." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1uWhkuCxhrblDuoIwOigDp/e8fb935b09d7dafc975d66360acca611/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T150824.572.jpg"></picture></p><div id="4WdW6tKyor5fnS2gVhaoDP"><div><sup>^Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics&nbsp;<br><br></sup></div></div><p>“Trade labour shortages are slowing the rollover onto new projects and this is contributing to the negative profile for home approvals, which were down 4.6 per cent in September.&nbsp;</p><p>“We anticipate this will begin to materially impact on work done as the backlog clears in 2024.”</p><p>Dyer expected activity would hold up over the final quarter of this year supported by a sizeable pipeline of public works particularly in transport.&nbsp;</p><p>However private investment softened particularly for office and retail projects as economic and structural headwinds bite.</p><p><strong>Value of construction work done, seasonally adjusted</strong></p><table style="width: 100%; font-family: Panton-Bold, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); border: unset;" border="1"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 24.8081%;">State/Territory</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">Sep 23 ($m)</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">Jun 23 to Sep 23 (%)</td><td style="width: 24.8109%;">Sep 22 to Sep 23 (%)</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 24.8081%;">NSW</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">19,739</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">2.7</td><td style="width: 24.8109%;">12.8</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 24.8081%;">Vic</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">16,245</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">-2.5</td><td style="width: 24.8109%;">-0.7</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 24.8081%;">Qld</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">12,314</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">-0.8</td><td style="width: 24.8109%;">9.5</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 24.8081%;">SA</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">4,194</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">6.9</td><td style="width: 24.8109%;">4.8</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 24.8081%;">WA</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">9,558</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">6.6</td><td style="width: 24.8109%;">21.3</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 24.8081%;">Tas</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">1,003</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">-5.8</td><td style="width: 24.8109%;">-3.2</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 24.8081%;">NT</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">809</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">-0.7</td><td style="width: 24.8109%;">8.5</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 24.8081%;">ACT</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">1,006</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">0.0</td><td style="width: 24.8109%;">0.4</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 24.8081%;">Total</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">64,769</td><td style="width: 25.1906%;">1.3</td><td style="width: 24.8109%;">8.5</td></tr></tbody></table><h5><sup><span style="vertical-align: super;" data-mce-style="vertical-align: super;">^Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics&nbsp;</span></sup><br></h5><p>Construction is almost complete on Sydney Metro’s newest stop,&nbsp; <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/sydney-nsw-barangaroo-station-nears-completion" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/sydney-nsw-barangaroo-station-nears-completion" target="_blank">Barangaroo Station</a>, while the NSW pipeline continues to grow.</p><p>Meanwhile in Queensland, work on the Cross River Rail is expected to ramp up over the end-of-year break.&nbsp;</p><p>Victoria was falling behind the other states with total value down 2.5 per cent in the month and 0.7 per cent for the year.</p>

A backlog of work and lack of trades is continuing to dampen Australia’s construction activity despite recent gains for engineering work.

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<p>Taking risks was all part of the strategy for Australian Unity general manager for healthcare Chris Smith when developing what will be Australia’s first all-electric private hospital.</p><p>“It’s a case of build it and they will come,” Smith said. “If you don’t build it, they won’t come.”</p><p>Australian Unity Healthcare Property Trust began construction of the developer in St Albans, 17km north-west of Melbourne, in April, 2021 and it was completed this year.</p><p>Currently, 64 per cent of the building is tenanted. The Sunshine Private Hospital is the anchor tenant.</p><p>It is opposite the Western Health-operated public hospital Sunshine Hospital.&nbsp;</p><p>The hospital features four operating theatres, an endoscopy suite, a 30-bed medical and surgical ward including high-dependency beds, a 21-bed women’s mental health inpatient unit, mental health outpatient services, consulting suites and sleep study facilities.</p><p>Unitas HC will become the operator of the hospital under a 30-year lease deal, while Australian Unity will retain it as an asset.&nbsp;</p><p>The risks, obstacles and key lessons learnt during the process will be the focus of Smith’s presentation at <em>The Urban Developer</em>’s <a data-mce-href="https://web.cvent.com/event/baf6dfa4-51c0-4873-82ff-a8df7afc7871/register?RefId=TUD%2B+Member+%7C+Registration&amp;rp=a0940eaa-cc19-479e-acc0-83d359a4e051" href="https://web.cvent.com/event/baf6dfa4-51c0-4873-82ff-a8df7afc7871/register?RefId=TUD%2B+Member+%7C+Registration&amp;rp=a0940eaa-cc19-479e-acc0-83d359a4e051" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Healthcare Real Estate vSummit</a> on Thursday, November 30.</p><div id="4sKbfqcLm4yt5TcSP3JwME"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6TX5jKslvxihCv0OKLXKHH/83a7a6611c554e6ccaca171a27698e67/SPH1-770x386.jpg" alt="An aerial view of the Sunshine Private Hospital in St Albans, Melbourne, developed by Australian Unity's Healthcare Property Trust." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6TX5jKslvxihCv0OKLXKHH/83a7a6611c554e6ccaca171a27698e67/SPH1-770x386.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ An aerial view of the Sunshine Private Hospital in St Albans, Melbourne, developed by Australian Unity's Healthcare Property Trust.<br><br></span></div></div><p>The 51-bed hospital cost $84 million to build. Work on planning for the hospital and its buildings first began in 2008 under a 15-year timeline for its delivery on the 1.34ha site—so patience has also been important.&nbsp;</p><p>“My first introduction to the project was in 2008,” Smith said.</p><p>Smith became involved with the project in 2008 but with the financial crisis in that same year, things took longer than expected.</p><p>“We finally purchased property in 2017,” Smith said.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“We are 40 per cent of the way through the journey.”</p><p>Smith is referring to the fact that the hospital is just one part of the Sunshine Health Wellbeing and Education Precinct with more buildings planned for the site.</p><p>The current building now has two additional floors with the fourth and fifth floor set up so that they can be converted into working lab space once other buildings on the site are completed.</p><p>Sunshine is expected to have 1.2 million residents by 2036.&nbsp;Building a private hospital allows for beds to be freed up in the area’s public hospitals providing more accessible services to residents.</p><p>It also encourages more health workers to live and work in the area as it becomes easier for them to work in the public and private sectors.</p><p>Australian Unity’s Healthcare Property Trust was launched in 1999 with $3.8 billion.&nbsp;<br><br></p><hr><div><div data-zephrid="regular-article-main"><div id="normal-article"><p><strong><br>The Healthcare Real Estate vSummit will take place virtually on Thursday, November 30. &nbsp;<a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/baf6dfa4-51c0-4873-82ff-a8df7afc7871/regProcessStep1:4db2eead-ad02-4cc7-9617-fa719af4099d?RefId=TUD%2B%20Member%20%7C%20Registration&amp;rp=a0940eaa-cc19-479e-acc0-83d359a4e051" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-mce-href="https://web.cvent.com/event/baf6dfa4-51c0-4873-82ff-a8df7afc7871/regProcessStep1:4db2eead-ad02-4cc7-9617-fa719af4099d?RefId=TUD%2B%20Member%20%7C%20Registration&amp;rp=a0940eaa-cc19-479e-acc0-83d359a4e051">Click here to register and learn more</a>.</strong></p></div></div></div><p><br><br></p>

With many a delay and obstacle, Australian Unity’s patience is paying off as Australia’s first all-electric private hospital and precinct takes shape…


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<p>The first look inside the new Barangaroo Station has been shared as work on the newest Sydney Metro stop nears completion.</p><p>Train services on the station are due to being early next year for the new entry way at the tip of Sydney’s commercial spine. &nbsp;</p><p>The waterfront station precinct plans were released mid-2022 and included a <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/scentre-aqualand-central-barangaroo-future" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/scentre-aqualand-central-barangaroo-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener">future entry to Aqualand’s Central Barangaroo project</a> as well as improved access to nearby Nawi Cove.</p><p>Arcadis and Mott MacDonald developed the plans under the joint-venture monniker of Metron along with principal sub-consultants Robert Bird Group, Foster + Partners, Architectus, WT Partnership and Group DLA.</p><p>Barangaroo Station will become one of the terminuses of the Metro North West Line, which opened in 2019 and is extending out to Tallawong north-west of the city. In the future it will service the Western Sydney Airport via St Marys.</p><div id="carousel-root" data-reactroot=""><image-carousel-remove-button><div class="rm-carousel-wrapper"><button id="rm-carousel" class="rm-carousel-btn">Delete</button></div></image-carousel-remove-button><div class="slider-wrap"><image-carousel><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="Copy of Mid article resizes - 2023-11-29T123517.779.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/0ZZdFa60lsLNr9FFC9ssF/b80885e4f2b6f8e421ed2a765f62207f/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T123517.779.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/0ZZdFa60lsLNr9FFC9ssF/b80885e4f2b6f8e421ed2a765f62207f/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T123517.779.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="Copy of Mid article resizes - 2023-11-29T123444.367.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3sPnIf7GdN42GIjyfrP7oe/ce7c906fdfe0f606864bfcefd652c4ed/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T123444.367.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3sPnIf7GdN42GIjyfrP7oe/ce7c906fdfe0f606864bfcefd652c4ed/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T123444.367.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="Copy of Mid article resizes - 2023-11-29T123605.724.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4gso0hiGPSV29uy29XCFHr/7c2e358ef2763b5483e03ab1450697da/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T123605.724.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4gso0hiGPSV29uy29XCFHr/7c2e358ef2763b5483e03ab1450697da/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T123605.724.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div></image-carousel></div></div><p><br>The accessible station included terrazzo flooring on both levels, 7700 Sydney sandstone panels, 10 escalators, and eight lifts to the platform which is 25m underground.</p><p>There is artwork within the station by Khaled Sabsabi called <em>In Time We Shall</em>, which is related to the native tree species in the Barangaroo headland.</p><p>Above ground, upgrades are progressing on nearby Hickson Road and the public domain surrounding the station with new footpaths, landscaping, lighting and bike facilities.</p><p>The waterfront precinct is undergoing rapid expansion, led by <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/from-barangaroo-to-elephant-park-lendleases-112bn-development-pipeline" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/from-barangaroo-to-elephant-park-lendleases-112bn-development-pipeline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lendlease’s One Sydney Harbour Precinct </a>and three International Towers, <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/strong-local-appetite-for-100m-barangaroo-penthouse" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/strong-local-appetite-for-100m-barangaroo-penthouse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crown Residences’ One Barangaroo</a> as well as<a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/scentre-aqualand-central-barangaroo-future" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/scentre-aqualand-central-barangaroo-future"> Aqualand’s Central Barangaroo.</a></p><p>Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said the region was growing, and to date more than 5000 people had worked more than 1.3 million hours to build the new station.</p><div id="carousel-root" data-reactroot=""><image-carousel-remove-button><div class="rm-carousel-wrapper"><button id="rm-carousel" class="rm-carousel-btn">Delete</button></div></image-carousel-remove-button><div class="slider-wrap"><image-carousel><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="Copy of Mid article resizes - 2023-11-29T124324.762.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3u3Hk1vl73BlukAGSwq1y2/662b8e3395d86209e9f2b7d2264c874d/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T124324.762.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3u3Hk1vl73BlukAGSwq1y2/662b8e3395d86209e9f2b7d2264c874d/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T124324.762.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="Copy of Mid article resizes - 2023-11-29T124418.923.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2TEGdAX7DyWbXfxDKiDbhc/168b07f2cc67caf379382756b8af3b5b/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T124418.923.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2TEGdAX7DyWbXfxDKiDbhc/168b07f2cc67caf379382756b8af3b5b/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T124418.923.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="Copy of Mid article resizes - 2023-11-29T124500.616.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/51VCBbb1QWtL8SEPoi3EJJ/fc537aecb2cc04720691e9c3c8c9e29c/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T124500.616.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/51VCBbb1QWtL8SEPoi3EJJ/fc537aecb2cc04720691e9c3c8c9e29c/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T124500.616.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="Copy of Mid article resizes - 2023-11-29T124255.730.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/527xbwqjx5ooslWRa9NGT1/f29c2f1ff36ddf76cf46d30be10900f6/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T124255.730.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/527xbwqjx5ooslWRa9NGT1/f29c2f1ff36ddf76cf46d30be10900f6/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-29T124255.730.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div></image-carousel></div></div><p><br>“We’re delivering Barangaroo’s first rail connection, linking passengers to Sydney’s growing waterfront precinct and providing high-quality public transport access to Sydney Harbour,” Haylen said.</p><p>“This station will be a game-changer for workers, visitors and residents, who will benefit from a world-class metro at their doorstep with improved connectivity to wider Sydney.</p><p>“From 2024, Barangaroo station will alleviate congestion at Wynyard and Martin Place train stations and improve access to the northern part of the Sydney CBD and The Rocks for locals and tourists alike.”</p><p>When metro services start next year, travel from Barangaroo to Martin Place will take an estimated two minutes while under the harbour to Victoria Cross in the city’s north would take three minutes.</p><p><span class="mce-preview-object mce-object-iframe" contenteditable="false" data-mce-object="iframe" data-mce-p-allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-p-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RQmKZ8tRdnA?si=EB9PDIeIZC7nu4sa"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RQmKZ8tRdnA?si=EB9PDIeIZC7nu4sa" width="560" height="314" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><span class="mce-shim"></span></span></p>

Construction on the new Barangaroo Station is nearing completion with the first look of the newest Sydney Metro stop unveiled...

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<p>Hospitals and healthcare assets have been hot property in 2023, immune from the headwinds impacting core real estate markets in Australia.&nbsp;</p><p>And underpinning the resilience of healthcare and subsectors is Australia’s growing and ageing population, according to Dexus Healthcare Property Fund (DHPF) manager Jemma Maddick.&nbsp;</p><p>With almost $2 billion in healthcare assets, Dexus is one of Australia’s bigger healthcare property players, with 12 assets in its portfolio.&nbsp;</p><p>In July this year Dexus raised a further $220 million for its healthcare property fund to add to its portfolio and further diversify its holdings.&nbsp;</p><p>Speaking ahead of <em>The Urban Developer</em> <a data-mce-href="https://web.cvent.com/event/baf6dfa4-51c0-4873-82ff-a8df7afc7871/register?RefId=TUD%2B+Member+%7C+Registration&amp;rp=a0940eaa-cc19-479e-acc0-83d359a4e051" href="https://web.cvent.com/event/baf6dfa4-51c0-4873-82ff-a8df7afc7871/register?RefId=TUD%2B+Member+%7C+Registration&amp;rp=a0940eaa-cc19-479e-acc0-83d359a4e051" target="_blank" rel="noopener">healthcare summit</a> where she will be speaking, Maddick said there were growth opportunities in some key subsectors that the property fund was targeting.&nbsp;</p><p>Maddick said Dexus had focused on <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/dexus-southport-private-hospital-sale" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/dexus-southport-private-hospital-sale" target="_blank" rel="noopener">specialist private hospitals</a> and mental health where she said there was “huge demand”.</p><p>“Day surgery hospitals are another area where I think there’s going to be more growth as you see treatment times reduce and theatre utilisation increase,” she said.&nbsp;</p><p>“Life sciences is also a massive growth area. Covid really showed how far behind Australia was on its life sciences investment.</p><p>“We’re definitely seeing more of a demand in our portfolio for life science space.”</p><div id="3mPh9QC8QaOwCIZeKn73cW"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3sk6PC8itIcHYNK5MmAtg7/88eaf1fa6b1e56b1b420d7e85503764a/Dexus_healthcare_MID.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3sk6PC8itIcHYNK5MmAtg7/88eaf1fa6b1e56b1b420d7e85503764a/Dexus_healthcare_MID.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ Dexus Healthcare Property Fund manager Jemma Maddick will speak at The Urban Developer healthcare summit this week.<br><br></span></div></div><p>Future-proofing <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/dexus-healthcare-development-sites-brisbane-131m" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/dexus-healthcare-development-sites-brisbane-131m" target="_blank" rel="noopener">healthcare asset</a>s comes down to close collaboration with long-term tenants and embedding adaptability into the design of the built form. Maddick said they worked closely with key tenants, such as Ramsay, to “ensure our facilities can accommodate their business as it changes, because how healthcare is delivered now, is not how it will be delivered in 10 years’ time”.</p><p>Precincts were also a focus for Dexus’s institutional capital where it could develop co-located healthcare assets such as Dexus’s $500-million Bragg Centre in Adelaide.&nbsp;</p><p>The biomedical facility will be the first in the southern hemisphere to offer groundbreaking proton therapy treatment.</p><p>Dexus has also partnered with the South Australian government to invest in the Royal Adelaide in a private partnership model.&nbsp;</p><p>“We also have a focus on mixed-use healthcare assets like the North Shore Health Hub in the Royal North Shore precinct,” she said.&nbsp;</p><p>“And underpinning the growth [of healthcare] is the combination of huge population growth and an ageing demographic. The demand is going to outweigh the supply and the government is going to need robust, efficient and sustainable private healthcare partners to assist to meet that demand.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>“Key-worker housing is definitely something that is being considered as part of health precinct, it is going to be a key piece because you do see the mismatch in the availability of suitable accommodation and attracting and retaining staff, which is crucial to viable precincts.”<br><br></p><hr><p><strong><br>The Healthcare Real Estate vSummit will take place virtually on Thursday, November 30. &nbsp;<a data-mce-href="https://web.cvent.com/event/baf6dfa4-51c0-4873-82ff-a8df7afc7871/regProcessStep1:4db2eead-ad02-4cc7-9617-fa719af4099d?RefId=TUD%2B%20Member%20%7C%20Registration&amp;rp=a0940eaa-cc19-479e-acc0-83d359a4e051" href="https://web.cvent.com/event/baf6dfa4-51c0-4873-82ff-a8df7afc7871/regProcessStep1:4db2eead-ad02-4cc7-9617-fa719af4099d?RefId=TUD%2B%20Member%20%7C%20Registration&amp;rp=a0940eaa-cc19-479e-acc0-83d359a4e051" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to register and learn more</a>.&nbsp;</strong></p>

Dexus is bullish on resilient healthcare property assets with some key subsectors in focus for its latest equity raise...

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<p>Urbis has filed plans on behalf of HK Realway with the City of Melbourne council to retrofit a multi-level carpark at Flinders Street, adding office space and restaurants to the building.</p><p>The 3153sq m site at 114-128 Flinders Street is only a few blocks from the Hotel Lindrum site and is also close to other development projects near Flinders Street Station.&nbsp;</p><p>The Gray Puksand-designed<a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/city-of-melbourne-retrofit-plan-cbd-offices" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/city-of-melbourne-retrofit-plan-cbd-offices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;partial refurbishment and retrofit</a> of the building would create restaurants and bars and some office space.</p><p>Currently the 17-storey parking station has space for 1221 cars but HK Realway’s proposal will cut it to 951 spaces, to make way for restaurants and offices.</p><p>There will be five restaurant tenancies totalling 2600sq m and 2432sq m of commercial and retail space.</p><p>The first floor will have new commercial and retail spaces with back-of-house facilities, 54 new bicycle storage spaces and end-of-trip facilities with two spaces set aside for electric vehicles.</p><p>Existing end-of-trip facilities will be removed from the second floor along with 71 carparks from the second floor.&nbsp;</p><p>New commercial and retail spaces will be added along with an entry from Higsons Lane and a connecting corridor between the commercial and retail spaces and Higsons Lane.&nbsp;</p><p>There will be eight new electric vehicle spaces on the second floor, while a new pedestrian entrance from AC/DC Lane will be added on the third floor with six carparking spaces removed.</p><div id="1HkVtHBzhkrTb3F7C59KM8"><div id="5ZS1pV1jo1gNoaP4lNRYuR"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/7I5lTxw1EdyEqNbFvdMpll/acf05e83a6a5a657bfc06b3231179c15/MELBOURNE_Lindrum_Hotel__Dusk__038.jpg" alt="The former Lindrum Billiard Centre—built in the 1920s by Walter Lindrum and later converted into offices, then a hotel, has sold." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/7I5lTxw1EdyEqNbFvdMpll/acf05e83a6a5a657bfc06b3231179c15/MELBOURNE_Lindrum_Hotel__Dusk__038.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ Development activity is increasing along Flinders Street with the Hotel Lindrum a few blocks away now earmarked for an office tower project.<br><br><br></span></div></div></div><p>The fourth floor will remain as is but carparking spaces will be removed from the fifth floor with a new cafe across from existing retail spaces with access via Flinders Lane.</p><p>There will also be new lift lobbies and the existing Flinders Lane carpark entry and exit will be changed to allow for entry only.&nbsp;</p><p>Carparks on level 6 would be reduced to make way for new commercial and retail spaces and a new lift lobby.</p><p>No changes are planned for levels 7, 8, 9, 12, 13 and 14, and new restaurants and fewer carparking spaces are planned for levels 10 and 11.</p><p>There will be more spaces removed on levels 15 and 16 with new double floor restaurant tenancies planned.</p><div id="6XmKO4Bck07lODjcwDEml2"><div id="6FSPH1bxljy96JRnsOneiu"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/I87m1SgxgvaOrV1HjDcLg/cb64ff1e2919baa93e25acbf1f36c285/2.jpg" alt="Each year, more than 80 buildings will need to be retrofitted if the City of Melbourne is going to meet its 2040 zero carbon target." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/I87m1SgxgvaOrV1HjDcLg/cb64ff1e2919baa93e25acbf1f36c285/2.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ Each year, more than 80 buildings will need to be retrofitted if the City of Melbourne is going to meet its 2040 zero-carbon target. <br><br><br></span></div></div></div><p>HK Realway bought the site in 2017 from rich-lister Lloyd Williams for $120 million.</p><p>There was also reportedly an off-market deal proposed for the site in 2019 to Barry’s Bootcamp.&nbsp;</p><p>CoreLogic Property records show that it last changed hands in 2017.</p><p>ASIC records list three different companies: HK Realway Pty Ltd, HK Realway Group Pty Ltd and HK Realway Flinders Pty Ltd, which is also known as Real Goal Property Pty Ltd.</p><p>It is not immediately clear which company owns the site but all three companies list Zhi Cheng Ding as a director.</p>

Economic conditions have made it more feasible to retrofit a Flinders Street carpark instead of bringing in the wrecking ball…

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<p>Transitional, liminal spaces such as forecourts, laneways and plazas have often been afterthoughts—but they can be key to setting an office apart in a challenging market.</p><p>Aspect Studios has made a point of emphasising the importance of these small spaces, particularly as tenants attempt to woo workers back to the office.&nbsp;</p><p>Aspect has won awards for its Sydney laneway revamp, Quay Quarter Lanes, and worked on small projects including Berry Square, created as part of Winten’s 1 Denison Street development, and Mirvac’s One Darling Island, a plaza for Google’s headquarters in Sydney.</p><p>“In CBDs, there are buildings that are almost placeless, and stark—buildings that could be anywhere,” Aspect senior associate Alex Woodside says.</p><p>“But the modern city is changing, and what tenants want is changing.”</p><p>The refocus on small spaces speaks to major “flight-to-quality” trends in the office sector towards better amenities and “wellness”, which has buoyed prime office assets in a difficult time for the commercial sector.</p><p>“Assets in the market that have not had significant investment and upgrades to appeal to occupiers will continue to struggle,” Knight Frank says in its latest Sydney CBD office report.</p><h2><strong>Designing for the tenant&nbsp;</strong></h2><p><br>Small spaces pose a challenge and an opportunity for existing assets.&nbsp;</p><p>“A lot of these big buildings—whether it’s Westpac’s headquarters on Kent Street, or 8 Chifley Square, or One Darling Island, or Berry Square—are home to major tenants,” Woodside says.&nbsp;</p><p>“The owners of these assets want those assets to be that level of quality that they will last, and they have to be places that people will want to sign up for 20 years.&nbsp;</p><p>“The work we do [with small spaces] is often the first thing people see, so if we can create a vibrant area, with a choice of where people socialise, sit and eat, centred around care and nature, it’s a massive bonus.”&nbsp;</p><div id="MdYg1dAolpmAny3WMYZUy"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/zjWXFVCwVqlC15JwzlQp2/5e9583ffe4114901737714e5e1f671f5/Small_spaces_mid_5.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/zjWXFVCwVqlC15JwzlQp2/5e9583ffe4114901737714e5e1f671f5/Small_spaces_mid_5.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ Aspect won the Urban Habitat Award at the 2023 Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Awards in Singapore for Sydney's Quay Quarter Lanes.<br><br></span></div></div><p>Mirvac general manager for offices Andrew Butler says that for 1 Darling Island, a lack of ground plan amenity prompted a refresh and upgrade.&nbsp;</p><p>“The concept development for the upgrade was conducted in consultation with Google to ensure a coherent and precinct-focused experience for their employees and the public, and aligns with our approach to small-scale activations in urban communities,” he says.</p><p>“The activation of One Darling Island has reinvigorated the site, creating a more attractive and engaging urban space.</p><p>“These activations can significantly impact the streetscape and contribute to a positive overall experience for tenants and the surrounding community.”</p><div id="40uaqpDGLWMMrxJoarh3Fu"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/63WUf9BzISSlUQ1dCcIsJ3/320e17278cbac6b59a63e972e66e41f0/Small_spaces_mid_4.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/63WUf9BzISSlUQ1dCcIsJ3/320e17278cbac6b59a63e972e66e41f0/Small_spaces_mid_4.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ One Deniston Street, home to Berry Square, was delivered by Multiplex in 2020 and is home to companies such as Microsoft and Nine.<br><br></span></div></div><p>Similarly, developer Winten invested in the redevelopment of Berry Square at its 37-storey 1 Denison Street development.</p><p>“All of our projects have considered outdoor placemaking and amenity, from spaces like Berry Square to creating accessible roofs on our residential developments,” Winten development director Chris Ryan says.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>“With the changes in the area, such as the new Metro opening soon and 1 Denison St, there is a significant need for high-quality outdoor places.&nbsp;</p><p>“As a result of the project, seating in the space has been doubled, there are now a range of different green spaces to sit and relax including a day bed area and lawn… and we have significantly upgraded a new outdoor cafe structure that will welcome a new Japanese restaurant in 2024.”&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Changing values</strong></h2><p><br>According to the Knight Frank Australian Horizon 2024 report released this week, the core Sydney CBD market is outperforming other office markets and new developments have triggered significant tenant migration.</p><p>This creates more opportunity for businesses to cluster around newly activated precincts. But of course, activation is the key term.&nbsp;</p><p>Winten’s Berry Square is an example of the benefits that revamping a small space can bring, says Aspect Studios global design director Sacha Coles.</p><p>“Berry Square was a good example of an ageing, traditional corporate forecourt to a building.&nbsp;</p><p>“Luckily that public space is in private title, owned by Winten, which had the foresight to engage something which meant that the general public would be attracted to.”</p><div id="50VZxvFURGCqgqCvR2GuIs"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5j94qusDfXvQOzTgswqBWW/e2d256355e71881a74c3858d53ac3b0d/Small_spaces_mid_7.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5j94qusDfXvQOzTgswqBWW/e2d256355e71881a74c3858d53ac3b0d/Small_spaces_mid_7.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ Quay Quarter Lanes was developed by a team including SJB, Silvester Fuller, Studio Bright, Carter Williamson, Lippmann Partnership, Urbis, and Dexus.<br><br></span></div></div><p>The brief was to take a privately owned public place, delivered in 2000, and create a unique green oasis for the North Sydney CBD, says Winten’s Chris Ryan.</p><p>“Berry Square is part of the project approval for 1 Denison Street and is a rare north-facing sun-drenched space in the middle of North Sydney.&nbsp;</p><p>“There was a desire from the Rothwell family [owners of Winten] to reposition a rarely considered public space for people to be able to rest and relax in the CBD.</p><p>“[And] Winten has always had a high regard for the detailing of the landscaping in our projects, it’s part of the company’s core values.”</p><p>The focus on a space like that marks a step-change in the way developers and asset owners perceive buildings, and for tenants, how they want to be perceived.&nbsp;</p><p>“In an older city, at a different time, they would say here’s my foyer, walk across it from the taxi, into the amazing lobby, it’s incredible—but it’s the biggest and most impersonal thing,” says Coles.&nbsp;</p><p>“But now we actually care about our people and want to create a series of environments so they can work at their desks but also externally, take calls, have lunch.”</p><div id="3ukPmCneYOs9a8RakSuSi2"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/ywyHRycR9hYLGT0q2zOOO/c04ac0f117dc75e515f97ecee45712a9/Small_spaces_mid_1.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/ywyHRycR9hYLGT0q2zOOO/c04ac0f117dc75e515f97ecee45712a9/Small_spaces_mid_1.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ Aspect also designed Farrer Place in Sydney CBD, part of a redevelopment of two historic sandstone offices. </span></div></div><p><br>Woodside agreed with the focus on the small scale and the individual.&nbsp;</p><p>“It’s not the place for a large group of people to congregate, it’s about small groups and how they are able to interact and find comfort in a hard CBD environment. There’s an intimacy with these spaces,” she says.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Innovation and experimentation</strong></h2><p><br>Developer Mirvac has seen such potential in these spaces that it has invested in similar activations across its portfolio.&nbsp;</p><p>In addition to 8 Chifley Square, it has also redeveloped small spaces at 275 Kent Street and Riverside Quay in Melbourne, as well as the upcoming 21-storey 7 Spencer Street development that is set to deliver 46,000sq m of floor space as part of the emerging Northbank precinct.&nbsp;</p><p>Mirvac will develop 10 individual terraces to make the most of river views and natural light.&nbsp;</p><p>From a design and development perspective, small spaces can be staging grounds for everything from branding, experimental streetscapes and new materials.&nbsp;</p><div id="1RJygVZbxoqGnidTxhnibj"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1qOjB13uNm1wweZcPM3hok/ade2bae1c5797adc8b4ff84aa33d9020/Small_spaces_mid_2.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1qOjB13uNm1wweZcPM3hok/ade2bae1c5797adc8b4ff84aa33d9020/Small_spaces_mid_2.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ One Darling Island is home to an A-grade office building with 22,197sq m of office space across six storeys.<br><br></span></div></div><p>“Small projects are tactically where we can test and innovate new ideas,” says Woodside.&nbsp;</p><p>“As designers, we can do more in smaller spaces and take more risk when we play with innovative materials.</p><p>“Something we’re using a lot more of is recycled materials, like our recycled plastic tabletops at One Darling Island.&nbsp;</p><p>“There’s often a weird tension between recycled products and the aesthetic outcome but that also ticked a lot of boxes in terms of sustainability outcomes.”</p><p>These small details can be both the sparks and indicators of change in how we approach our cities, says Coles.</p><p>“Cities have changed since the 1980s when they were all about exchange and finance” he says.</p><p>“Now they’re rediscovering their identities, as places of society and culture, not just trade and work and that’s fantastic.</p><p>“We’re liberated in the smallness of these projects and lots of small things together have a bigger impact.”<br><br></p><hr><p><strong><br>You are currently experiencing&nbsp;<em>The Urban Developer</em>&nbsp;Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals.&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans"><strong>Click here to learn more.</strong></a></p><div id="2GhuueZl01Zwo2aFfjNVi2"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg" alt="TUD + Banner" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg"></picture></div>

Forecourts, laneways and small plazas have always tended to be afterthoughts in the development of buildings, but they  can be the key in moving assets into the ‘prime’ category…

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<p>The largest urban renewal in Brisbane since South Bank is moving ahead, says the state government, and they’ve got a new name for it.</p><p>The Gabba Stadium Project Validation Report (PVR) had been completed, the government said, and community consultation on the urban renewal was under way, including what Brisbanites think of calling it “East Bank”.</p><p>The new name would cover the broader Woolloongabba urban renewal precinct, which includes much of the suburb.</p><p>“The vision for the precinct is to be a vibrant place on event and non-event days that is better connected and more sustainable and supports more open space, proving a lasting legacy for residents,” the government said.</p><p>“The broader precinct provides the opportunity for urban renewal of a world-renowned location for the enjoyment of residents and those who visit for work or fun.</p><p>“It will deliver a great mix of uses, from commercial and retail opportunities to hotel and residential options, including at least 20 per cent social and affordable housing.”</p><p>The government said the full stadium rebuild would support this vision, as well as “providing an optimal fan experience and achieve international best practice”.</p><p>The PVR provides detail on how The Gabba stadium would be fully deconstructed and rebuilt to support Queensland’s long-term sport, community, and entertainment needs before, and for decades after, Brisbane 2032.</p><p>In 2018, before the successful bid for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Stadium Taskforce Report found that The Gabba was a “tired” venue and that it would come to the end of its useful life by 2030, indicating a rebuilt Gabba should be considered irrespective of the Games.</p><p>Of the four options considered in the PVR, the one selected not only provides the best value for money, but also hits the mark on all four key pillars, including being a catalyst for sustainable urban renewal, investment and ability to attract and host world-class events, according to the government.</p><p>Deconstruction is due to begin in 2025, and the new stadium to be ready for use in 2030, well ahead of Brisbane 2032.</p><div id="2kFjCBn8b0mHO8AqdhYeSG"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1rDKpewRwurgUCuEV5QGVE/e6075db1e5155f33cd20c7716271a2eb/_NEW_Reference_Design_Report_-_PART_C_Precinct_Masterplan.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1rDKpewRwurgUCuEV5QGVE/e6075db1e5155f33cd20c7716271a2eb/_NEW_Reference_Design_Report_-_PART_C_Precinct_Masterplan.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ A graphic overview of the Gabba precinct.<br><br></span></div></div><p>This rebuild is within the Woolloongabba Priority Development Area (PDA), which will also include the Cross River Rail and the Brisbane Metro connect to South Bank, the Brisbane CBD and new Brisbane Arena at Roma St via a walkable spine, an active travel corridor to South Bank plus Brisbane City Council’s new green bridge.</p><p>The new Gabba stadium improvements include:</p><ul><li><p>Better viewing through an enhanced design to provide a 360-degree fan experience</p></li><li><p>Larger entries and concourses for better admission</p></li><li><p>Better connectivity and accessibility throughout, including lifts and escalators</p></li><li><p>Two pedestrian bridges across Main Street to form the ‘station to stadium’ connection between the stadium and the Cross River Rail station, as well as a pedestrian bridge over Stanley Street</p></li><li><p>50,000 seats (potential for greater than 50,000 seats in legacy mode depending on the sport and between 50,000 and more than 70,000 for concerts, depending on placement of stage and standing or seated, among other factors)</p></li><li><p>Seamless connection to the broader precinct, currently being masterplanned to create a new mixed-use precinct with increased greenspace, retail and dining.</p></li></ul><p>Deputy Premier Steven Miles said The Gabba’s 128-year history made it “iconic for Queensland, and this redevelopment will ensure a lasting legacy to be enjoyed for another 128 years and beyond”.</p><p>“This isn’t just about a stadium upgrade. This is about anchoring an urban renewal project that will see Woolloongabba transformed like South Bank was for Expo 88.</p><p>“The Woolloongabba redevelopment, along with Cross River Rail and the Brisbane Metro, will anchor a major redevelopment of Woolloongabba to maximise the benefit of public investment and deliver more housing including social and affordable housing, more jobs, and better connectivity.”</p>

Labelled the largest urban renewal in Brisbane since South Bank, the government think the time is right for a name change too…

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<p>Developer Geno Hubay’s Monno has won approval for its latest mixed-use project in Geelong.</p><p>The Victorian Department of Transport and Planning has granted approval for the <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/geelong-influx-development-plans-projects-development-applications" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/geelong-influx-development-plans-projects-development-applications" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moorabool Street project</a> on a 917sq m site at 61-71 Moorabool Street.</p><p>The site has three separate street frontages—Moorabool Street, Corio Street and Emerald Place, and views over Corio Bay.&nbsp;</p><p>The JCB Architects-designed plans propose a 12-storey tower with ground floor retail and hospitality spaces, commercial office space on the first floor and 58 apartments over the remainder of levels.</p><p>There would also be four levels of basement car parking with 79 car spaces and 73 bicycle spaces.&nbsp;</p><p>Monno said the project has an estimated end value of $75 million.&nbsp;</p><p>It also said the building would be carbon neutral as it will be fully electrified with renewable energy supplied via an embedded network.&nbsp;</p><p>Passive design would also be incorporated to achieve a NatHERS rating of 7.5 stars.&nbsp;</p><p>There would also be covered arcades and active street frontages to help contribute to Geelong’s laneway culture, public spaces and a residents-only rooftop area.&nbsp;</p><p>The Greater Geelong Planning Scheme has designated Corio Street as a key street for laneway culture.&nbsp;</p><div id="2ScUcxh3XG7ylh3haAGwzk"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2Y2b9dDbqtESQiF7AZfPep/ecf8f77955f167e232582b083a0274ab/COST2003_Moorabool_V02_Laneway.jpg" alt="Monno will create spaces within the Moorabool Street project to help contribute to Geelong's laneway culture." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2Y2b9dDbqtESQiF7AZfPep/ecf8f77955f167e232582b083a0274ab/COST2003_Moorabool_V02_Laneway.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ Monno will create spaces within the Moorabool Street project to help contribute to Geelong’s laneway culture.<br><br></span></div></div><p>The project would replace an existing two-storey brick office building on the site. Monno plans to launch sales early next year.&nbsp;</p><p>Acre is the landscape architect for the project while Hip V Hype provided environmental design consultation and advice.&nbsp;</p><p>Monno has a $1.25-billion pipeline of projects and $200 million in projects under construction.</p><p>These include the $130-million residential project Stella Maris at Rippleside, where a builder was appointed two weeks ago, and <a data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/cremorne-melbourne-victoria-office-sector-projects" href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/cremorne-melbourne-victoria-office-sector-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a $70-million office building at Cremorne</a>.&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; white-space-collapse: preserve;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“</span>We genuinely believe in Geelong - we have long identified the region as a strategic investment opportunity leveraging our strong design-led capabilities,<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; white-space-collapse: preserve;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; white-space-collapse: preserve;">”</span> Hubay said.&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; white-space-collapse: preserve;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“</span>Our current Stella Maris development is testament to our commitment to Geelong and the broader region.<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; white-space-collapse: preserve;" data-mce-style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; white-space-collapse: preserve;">”</span></p><div id="YCfB28LOmqckI85DZgBb6"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3WD5gI3UhBaAe5jbcHrdEk/554b6ed935eaf729d3c69d53fe11dfbf/COST2003_Moorabool_V03_Vignette_A.jpg" alt="The project will have an expected end value of $75 million." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3WD5gI3UhBaAe5jbcHrdEk/554b6ed935eaf729d3c69d53fe11dfbf/COST2003_Moorabool_V03_Vignette_A.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ The Geelong project has an expected end value of $75 million.<br><br></span></div></div><p>And Monno will retain the Everlane when it is completed in February, the company’s second asset on Gordon Street, Cremorne.&nbsp;</p><p>Geelong Activity Centre Zone controls were recently gazetted, setting a six-storey preferred height limit for the area, but Victorian planning minister Sonya Kilkenny granted the approval for a 12-storey tower despite these limits.</p><p>In the next 30 years, central Geelong is expected to have a population of more than 16,000 people with employment and services for more than 60,000 people.</p>

With construction under way at another project in Geelong, Geno Hubay’s Monno has won approval for a second project in the city…


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<p>The Queensland Investment Corporation has been given the go-ahead for its landmark $750-million, 40-storey office tower in the Albert Street Cross River Rail precinct.</p><p>Economic Development Queensland has approved the over-station development above the Cross River Rail project in the priority development area within the Brisbane CBD.&nbsp;</p><p>The decision paves the way for construction of the 45,000sq m Architectus and Henning-Larsen-designed mixed-use commercial building on a 2500sq m site at 101 Albert Street in the Brisbane CBD.</p><p>The Albert Street development will be the first of four above-ground developments linked to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/cross-river-rail-brisbane" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/cross-river-rail-brisbane">$5.4-billion Cross River Rail project</a>—a key transport link being built in advance of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.</p><p>The tower will include 31 storeys dedicated to prime office, as well as a 4000sq m of public open space, with retail and dining across the “vertical village”. Two basement levels will sit below a five-storey podium.</p><p>The structure will rise slightly more than 190m, next to and slightly above the new Albert Street Cross River Rail Station.</p><p>An engineering report lodged with the development application says the building will adjoin a cavern station—a mined arched structure—that runs under Albert Street. There are duct and escape passages below the cavern that link back to the main station structure.</p><div id="1ZVPaM8Qhp9vo4os79Y3LT"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2hAQLOZFqHOiqTsrwjvwKK/e8e6efdb9954a60980b00e0821afb705/QIC_Approval_Mid___800x500_.jpg" alt="An aerial photo of Brisbane.  The cross-river rail project includes 5.9km of twin tunnels running under the Brisbane River and the central business district." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2hAQLOZFqHOiqTsrwjvwKK/e8e6efdb9954a60980b00e0821afb705/QIC_Approval_Mid___800x500_.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ The cross-river rail project includes 5.9km of twin tunnels running under the Brisbane River and the central business district.</span></div><div><br></div></div><p>The cross-river rail project is a new 10.2km rail line that includes 5.9km of twin tunnels under the Brisbane River and the central business district. It includes four new underground stations at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street and Roma Street.</p><p>The project will also deliver a new above-ground station at Exhibition [Bowen Hills] and a rebuild of seven stations between Dutton Park and Salisbury. Three new stations will be built on the Gold Coast, as well as two new train stabling facilities while a a world-class signalling system will be installed.</p><p>At its peak, the Cross River Rail is expected to create 7700 construction jobs.</p><p>When completed, the new rail precinct is expected to service more than 67,000 commuters each weekday by 2036.</p><p>The Albert Street Cross River Rail precinct is slated for completion in late 2027.&nbsp;</p><div id="7yyVIKzjFoM1MRVExHTY7O"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5OT2JTTYNPmwEHybZf0t9/b644c84fb06fdc75b0a441cb332eaba2/QIC_Approval__Mid_2.jpg" alt="An artist's impression of the project, will deliver 31 storeys dedicated to prime office, as well as a 4000sq m of public open space." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5OT2JTTYNPmwEHybZf0t9/b644c84fb06fdc75b0a441cb332eaba2/QIC_Approval__Mid_2.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ The project will deliver 31 storeys dedicated to prime office, as well as a 4000sq m of public open space.</span></div></div>

The Queensland Investment Corporation has been given the go-ahead for its landmark $750 million 40-storey office tower in the Albert Street Cross River Rail precinct...

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<p>Healthcare real estate is only proving its worth to those with sector know-how as investors and operators feel the squeeze.</p><p>While profits for health insurers doubled in the 2023 financial year to $2.2 billion, the percentage of private hospitals that made a profit was far less—just a third in 2022.</p><p>Yet competition between real estate investment trusts and private capital seeking diversification away from office and retail continues to increase.&nbsp;</p><p>One of those staying on top despite these challenging conditions is Northwest Australia with $6 billion in assets under management and expansion on the horizon.&nbsp;</p><p>The healthcare heavyweight has a $3.1-billion development pipeline and is listed on New Zealand’s Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange.</p><p>Northwest senior vice-president precincts Alex Belcastro will be uncovering growth strategies as part of a panel discussion at <em>The Urban Developer’s</em> <a data-mce-href="https://web.cvent.com/event/baf6dfa4-51c0-4873-82ff-a8df7afc7871/register?RefId=TUD%2B+Member+%7C+Registration&amp;rp=a0940eaa-cc19-479e-acc0-83d359a4e051" href="https://web.cvent.com/event/baf6dfa4-51c0-4873-82ff-a8df7afc7871/register?RefId=TUD%2B+Member+%7C+Registration&amp;rp=a0940eaa-cc19-479e-acc0-83d359a4e051" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Healthcare Real Estate vSummit</a>&nbsp;on Thursday, November 30.</p><p>In her&nbsp;role, Belcastro focuses on healthcare precincts, from planning development, capital transactions and to leasing as well as research and strategy.</p><div id="48CNixdLbnWbzcWJ6ActWm"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6luJZmzkA6VzGzBuqcGlVE/44ab2003ecb6b3814d0da34c02c75ec6/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-22T115327.435.jpg" alt="Northwest RDX exterior at night shows a multi-storey curved building on the Gold Coast. " data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6luJZmzkA6VzGzBuqcGlVE/44ab2003ecb6b3814d0da34c02c75ec6/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-22T115327.435.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ Northwest’s RDX Lumina at the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct is a cutting-edge research, innovation and life sciences building.<br><br></span></div></div><p>“It’s a tough time at the moment but it is a defensive sector with expenditure from government and insurers, so we are very lucky with that,” Belcastro said.</p><p>“The key characteristics of advantage in this kind of market is that you’ve got to be market leading, specialised, you have to have unmatched sector expertise.</p><p>&nbsp;“You’ve got to be backed by a stable embedded earnings growth so you’ve got the confidence to do the right developments.</p><p>“I think because Northwest is so strong and established in terms of our tenant operator pool and we’ve got really high occupancy rates across our portfolios.</p><p>“We are looking at a very targeted high-quality development pipeline.”</p><p>Northwest partnered with Campbelltown City Council and GenesisCare to develop a 2.8ha site near Campbelltown Public Hospital.</p><div id="4YRnSKdPE43qDSOtHbX4Io"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3p5LrQ0CsJT3p7jAyApEOz/054274e24d8a064ef0ace2d0447d597c/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-22T115229.637.jpg" alt="render of a four plus-storey white health care building surrounded by trees and with a modern facade in Campbelltown." data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/3p5LrQ0CsJT3p7jAyApEOz/054274e24d8a064ef0ace2d0447d597c/Copy_of_Mid_article_resizes_-_2023-11-22T115229.637.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ A render of Northwest’s Macarthur Health Precinct Stage 2.<br><br></span></div></div><p>The first stage is expected to be completed early next year and featues a comprehensive cancer centre while planning is under way for stage two with short stay and other services.</p><p>And construction of Northwest’s RDX Lumina within the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct has started.</p><p>That project is expected to be completed by mid-2025 and has attracted notable tenants including Philips Healthcare and Sonic Healthcare.&nbsp;<br><br></p><hr><p><strong><em><br>The Urban Developer </em>Healthcare Real Estate vSummit will take place virtually on Thursday, November 30. <a data-mce-href="https://web.cvent.com/event/baf6dfa4-51c0-4873-82ff-a8df7afc7871/register?RefId=TUD%2B+Member+%7C+Registration&amp;rp=a0940eaa-cc19-479e-acc0-83d359a4e051" href="https://web.cvent.com/event/baf6dfa4-51c0-4873-82ff-a8df7afc7871/register?RefId=TUD%2B+Member+%7C+Registration&amp;rp=a0940eaa-cc19-479e-acc0-83d359a4e051" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to register and find out more.&nbsp;</a></strong></p>

Northwest Australia has $6 billion in assets under management with expansion on the horizon...

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<p>At last count, there were more than 16.1 million buildings across Australia along about 2.3 million kilometres of roads.</p><p>But around $60 million from the public coffers is about to be splurged to construct another building that none of these roads lead to.</p><p>In fact, it will not even be in this wide brown land.</p><p>Nevertheless, for six months it will attract an estimated five million or so visitors, sharing the title of Australia’s most visited building with the Sydney Opera House that each year draws a tad more than 10 million.</p><p>The Australian Pavilion for Osaka’s World Expo 2025 will be a striking antipodean oasis among Japan’s cherry blossom trees—albeit with a few token eucalypts.</p><p>But while its existence will be fleeting compared to the closer-to-home cultural icon this year celebrating its 50th birthday, the importance of Expo as an enabler and showcase for cutting-edge built form cannot be underestimated.</p><p>The pavilion designs invariably provide a glimpse of the possibilities and path ahead for shaping our cities and urban environments.</p><div id="carousel-root" data-reactroot=""><image-carousel-remove-button><div class="rm-carousel-wrapper"><button id="rm-carousel" class="rm-carousel-btn">Delete</button></div></image-carousel-remove-button><div class="slider-wrap"><image-carousel><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="1.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6JBwnm33ttDyYrUS5UhMtu/93c7749a08994ae7803fece09a67eac0/1.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/6JBwnm33ttDyYrUS5UhMtu/93c7749a08994ae7803fece09a67eac0/1.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="2.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4Xu8wsz973bv1akNVnqXQo/037f3e20d3e60eeb0e46776a33bfbe67/2.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4Xu8wsz973bv1akNVnqXQo/037f3e20d3e60eeb0e46776a33bfbe67/2.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="osaka ring construction sized.jpeg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/29GPcx0RRMqRWWPLjzTnLS/cc073c3274cb6c775fe28ded202564f9/osaka_ring_construction_sized.jpeg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/29GPcx0RRMqRWWPLjzTnLS/cc073c3274cb6c775fe28ded202564f9/osaka_ring_construction_sized.jpeg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div><div class="slider-el"><img style="height: 100%;" title="3.jpg" src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2Fv3k3cfjgO0u2mPrYCNca/13166dbe57f865730dee2a0acf48f64b/3.jpg" data-mce-src="http://images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/2Fv3k3cfjgO0u2mPrYCNca/13166dbe57f865730dee2a0acf48f64b/3.jpg" data-mce-style="height: 100%;"></div></image-carousel></div></div><p><br>“It’s where the seeds of future ways of living will be sown, and Expo 2025’s impact will be seen in our cities and urban landscapes across the decade that follows,” says Australian Pavilion lead architect and Buchan senior associate Nataly Ernst.</p><p>“Expo 2025 is about solving global challenges and will be a place for architects around the world to explore regenerative design, sustainability and innovation in materials and building methodologies.</p><p>“The emphasis is very much on creating a future that is carbon-positive and energy self-sufficient.”</p><p>The overarching theme of Expo 2025 is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”.</p><p>About 150 countries and 25 international organisations will participate in the event, which is to be staged from April to October, 2025 on Yumeshima, a 390ha man-made island in the southern Osaka Bay area. It is expected to attract more than 24 million visitors.</p><p>Setting the Expo’s design tone, work is under way on what will be one of the world’s largest timber structures—a ring-shaped wooden canopy that will rise five storeys and encircle the exhibition precinct.</p><p>The gently sloping accessible “grand roof” has been designed by local architect Sou Fujimoto and draws inspiration from traditional Japanese timber craftsmanship that uses no nails.</p><p><span class="mce-preview-object mce-object-iframe" contenteditable="false" data-mce-object="iframe" data-mce-p-allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-p-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wq7ravMwEyo?si=3ensJSpsUPrhy0kO"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wq7ravMwEyo?si=3ensJSpsUPrhy0kO" width="560" height="314" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wq7ravMwEyo?si=3ensJSpsUPrhy0kO"></iframe><span class="mce-shim"></span></span></p><p><br>To be constructed from 20,000 cubic metres of wood, it will be 615m in diameter and have a 2km circumference.</p><p>Not only will it be symbolic but it also will serve as a massive multi-dimensional, 30m-wide passageway and sheltering structure, topped by a 60,000sq m green-filled aerial corridor offering panoramic views of the Expo site and Osaka Bay.</p><p>Fujimoto describes the aim of the colossal canopy as providing a platform from which people “can see the future positively”.</p><p>“I designed a large ring-like platform that people can walk on and this will make a link of people and cultures from diverse worlds,” he says. “Here we share one sky above us.</p><p>“It is a place where people from all over the world will unite their thoughts, respect each other and experience something special together.”</p><p>The first World Expo—the Great Exhibition—was held in London’s Hyde Park in 1851. It was housed within the Crystal Palace—a glass-and-iron building longer than 11 Olympic swimming pools and twice the height of the landmark Hollywood sign in Los Angeles—that became a symbol of Victorian England and the industrial revolution.</p><p>Ever since, participating countries have been upping the ante on their pavilion designs for the gathering of nations, which happens every five years as a platform for sharing scientific, technological, economic and social progress with a view to finding solutions to global challenges.</p><div id="VNBF7fbzjAehR6QXqQ0qE"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4HaaWikrjtFrKk2VTQDmfT/896eb31dd54a1c17e901c6af7c593e4f/aust_expo_88_Ken_Woolley.png" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/4HaaWikrjtFrKk2VTQDmfT/896eb31dd54a1c17e901c6af7c593e4f/aust_expo_88_Ken_Woolley.png"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ The Australian Pavilion at World Expo 88 in Brisbane, designed by Ken Woolley and featuring Ken Done art.<br><br></span></div></div><p>Buchan’s concept design for the Australian Pavilion's 3504sq m allocated plot at Expo 2025 was recently unveiled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.</p><p>Like renowned architect Ken Woolley’s famed pavilion design—boldly adorned with artist Ken Done’s colourful giant letters spelling Australia—for Brisbane’s 1988 World Expo, it aims to capture the essence of the nation.</p><p>And although the latest design is somewhat less retina-busting—hey, that was the 1980s, folks—it is no less era-defining and visionary.</p><p>Thirty-five years on, Australia’s population has grown from 16.5 million to nearly 26.5 million people—creating a national identity of greater substance, sophistication, diversity, creativity and ingenuity.</p><p>Encapsulating the nation’s ongoing evolution, Buchan's team has conceptualised the Australian Pavilion for Expo 2025 under the theme “Chasing the Sun”.</p><p>Ernst describes its form as “an abstraction of a eucalyptus gumnut”.</p><p>“We wanted a fresh, distinctly Australian concept,” she tells <em>The Urban Developer</em>. “Australia is vast and its regions are all different.</p><p>“In our research phase, we identified that the gum tree is common to all. There are more than 700 species, with a huge variety of forms, textures and colours. The gumtree and its nuts and blossoms provided our inspiration as an expression of diversity, resilience, growth and optimism.</p><div id="6AlEMB4r9sNsbggVKEsw94"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5UiNF4j1Y5X8GsHVsYcemc/079c98e43338fb0a242891a3526c01f2/1.jpg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/5UiNF4j1Y5X8GsHVsYcemc/079c98e43338fb0a242891a3526c01f2/1.jpg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ The Australian Pavilion is as “an abstraction of a eucalyptus gumnut”, says lead architect and Buchan senior associate Nataly Ernst.<br><br></span></div></div><p>“The gumnut has a protective shell and its colourful blossom bursts from within. Our facade has been conceived as a protective skin with an aperture that provides space for vibrant programming and activity to blossom.”</p><p>She says the concept also responds to the Expo 2025’s sustainability theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives” through the adaptability of the eucalypt to many conditions.</p><p>“Our design explores the concepts of circular economy, sustainability and our architectural responsibility to society.</p><p>“We’ll be primarily re-using a modular construction system that can be disassembled and re-used again, and most of the structure will have a second life.”</p><p>As well as the Australian Pavilion, the covers recently have come off a number of other inspiring and innovative Expo 2025 pavilion designs.</p><p>London-based studio Foster and Partners has designed the pavilion for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, modeling it after the organic forms of traditional Saudi villages.</p><p>It also has an emphasis on sustainability and is committed to reaching a net zero operational carbon target using solar technologies for electricity generation, rainwater recycling, low-carbon materials, and energy-efficient lighting.</p><div id="1Yd72YNstZB1mkxGKzT5xI"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1gQFafBsHjoMROdzdgDTuf/59cc11fea5d72674ef9701fcfca67a1b/the-pavilion-of-the-czech-republ.jpeg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1gQFafBsHjoMROdzdgDTuf/59cc11fea5d72674ef9701fcfca67a1b/the-pavilion-of-the-czech-republ.jpeg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ A render of the Czech Republic Pavilion for World Expo 2025.<br><br></span></div></div><p>The design for the Czech Republic Pavilion is the work of Zurich-based Apropos Architects and features an ascending spiral form with a glass exterior paying homage to the country’s long tradition of glassmaking.</p><p>Spirals also are an integral part of the Poland Pavilion designed by Paris-based Interplay—providing inherent stability on a site exposed to wind and seismic forces. Timber is its chosen eco-friendly primary building material due to its low carbon footprint.</p><p>Milan-based studio AMDL Circle is behind the Nordic Pavilion, taking a sustainable and circular approach, purposely designing the structure for disassembly and reuse. It is planned to be built entirely of forest-managed wood.</p><p>China, Italy and Brazil are among the other countries to have revealed innovative, state-of-the-art Expo 2025 pavilion designs.</p><p>“Expo is a platform for Australia to showcase our design capability and innovation and participate in a global exchange of ideas,” Ernst says. “The event is an opportunity to explore architectural expression free from many of the usual constraints and is an important platform for architectural visioning for the future.”</p><p>She cites Rotterdam-based MVRDV’s Netherlands Pavilion for the World Expo 2000 as a classic example of design ingenuity that has come from the event.</p><p>Featuring six artificial landscapes stacked into a tower as a solution to future land needs, it became a lauded sustainable design for creating a building as a self-contained eco-system.</p><div id="3pvbwWsavKu2mGWSf09rdy"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/45vFCi0degIVR76in9O5ll/259e8100a3f393a47438d6fffee4d6fb/MVRDV_s_Dutch_Pavilion_for_Expo_2000_2.jpeg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/45vFCi0degIVR76in9O5ll/259e8100a3f393a47438d6fffee4d6fb/MVRDV_s_Dutch_Pavilion_for_Expo_2000_2.jpeg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ MVRDV’s Netherlands Pavilion for the World Expo 2000.<br><br></span></div></div><p>“It had an internal forest of trees and running water—revolutionary at the time—and was a catalyst for what we see in many buildings today in terms of integrating nature, and the way we repurpose and share space,” Ernst says.</p><p>The pavilion was subsequently converted into a co-working office building with two structures for student housing and parking.</p><p>Noting the vibrant Australian Pavilion design from Brisbane’s coming-of-age 1988 World Expo as a “bold expression of our growing confidence and our playfulness”, Ernst says: “Looking back across the years we can see how Australia's pavilions reflect the times.</p><p>“Expo is a place for experimentation and pushing boundaries—architects and designers everywhere will be looking to Expo for inspiration and ideas.</p><p>“It plays a significant and valuable role in driving innovation and creativity and showcasing it in one location. And our goal with the pavilion is to make an indelible impact, without leaving a trace.”</p><div id="5DDrSPIuXYsa1pKT4Ct4QL"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1zpHBgzOorcKygMznZYroJ/70147317bab145236681122cdef45540/21-09-26-brazil-pavilion-expo-20.jpeg" alt="null" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/1zpHBgzOorcKygMznZYroJ/70147317bab145236681122cdef45540/21-09-26-brazil-pavilion-expo-20.jpeg"></picture><div><span style="opacity: 0.8;" data-mce-style="opacity: 0.8;">▲ A render of the Brazilian pavilion planned for Expo 2025. </span></div></div><p style="background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-mce-style="background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><br></p><hr><p><br></p><p><strong>You are currently experiencing <em>The Urban Developer</em> Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. </strong><a href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans" data-mce-href="https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/membership-plans"><strong>Click here to learn more.</strong></a></p><div id="2GhuueZl01Zwo2aFfjNVi2"><picture><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg" alt="TUD + Banner" data-mce-src="//images.ctfassets.net/8pr762qjocl3/12UMq5eMSEOh0QxJVBYaDt/d7507cf4ceb1365cc9ce7eaff84d06cc/tud___banner.jpg"></picture></div>

Lessons learnt from expo pavilions continue to impact our cities and how we live, say proponents, as designs for Osaka 2025 are revealed…

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