Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Beyoncé-inspired skyscraper to be built in Melbourne

Australian architectural firm Elenberg Fraser has unveiled its plans for a 68-story,226-metre-high mixed-use skyscraper in Melbourne. Located at the west end of the city’s Central Business District, the Premiere Tower at 134 Spencer Street will contain 660 apartments, a 160-room hotel, and retail space. What’s most striking about the skyscraper is its appearance – a curvy, vertical cantilever to best distribute the building’s mass. How did the architects come up with the shape?



The shape is an homage to the undulating fabric-wrapped bodies of dancers in the singer's music video for Ghost – a song from her self-titled 2013 album, which was originally published as one half of track called Haunted but released as a stand-alone music video.

"For those more on the art than science side, we will reveal that the form does pay homage to something more aesthetic – we're going to trust you've seen the music video for Beyoncé's Ghost," said the Melbourne-based studio.

According to Elenberg Fraser, the shape of the Premiere Tower also responds to climate, wind and the particular limitations of the site.

"This project is the culmination of our significant research," said the firm. "The complex form – a vertical cantilever – is actually the most effective way to redistribute the building's mass, giving the best results in terms of structural dispersion, frequency oscillation and wind requirements."



It follows in the footsteps of MAD's hourglass-shaped skyscrapers in Mississauga, Canada, which were dubbed the "Marilyn Monroe towers" by local residents.

The project is backed by Fragrance Group, the property development arm of Singapore real estate tycoon Koh Wee Meng. Public house the Savoy Tavern, which reopened in 2014 after laying derelict for nearly 20 years, will now be demolished to make way for the tower.



The aim is to eventually replan the entire precinct, whilst also respecting its heritage buildings. "The whole precinct is designed with a more long-term view to urban design, creating a self-sustaining development," added the architects.

No completion date has yet been released.

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