Melbourne Skyscraper
Tower of Stacked Vase is a future project of Landreams, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. It is a 54 storey multipurpose high rise 582-606 Collins Street, Melbourne Skyscraper. Visually stacked in four segments by vase shaped structure that has been designed to obtain better energy and resource efficiency than the existing buildings around.
The glazed tower will create three elevated terraces offering social interactions, shading pedestrians from the sun and reducing solar gain. To include a public plaza at its base, the building’s vertical volume will emphasize a connection between the vertical and linear lively interaction.
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
According to the developer, “a high performance glazing system, high efficiency central cooling, high efficiency lighting and grey-water reuse systems are proposed to reduce consumption of resources and further lower the emissions”. Through this, it is estimated that the building will use 50 per cent less energy than a conventional mixed-use tower as the unorthodox façade contributes to a reduction in the direct solar gain of the building.
According to the Architect Zaha Hadid, “a delicate filigree gently envelops the building, including the Francis Street service areas to ensure there is no sense of “back of house” to the surrounding areas”.
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
Evolving from the city’s very distinct urban fabric, the arrangement of the proposed tower takes inspiration from its mixed-use program, converting the building’s overall volume into a series of smaller stacked ‘vases’. Central to the concept is the break-down of the vertical volume by the design team to establish a coherent relationship between the tower, the podium and the surrounding streetscapes.
Each stack will offer a different function for use. So far, the developer has revealed that the tower will house residential units, shops, offices and retails. Each volume will taper towards its base, breaking down the tower’s verticality and creating additional public spaces where the volumes meet. A new pedestrian route will be created to connect Collins with Francis Street. The scheme also includes 350 bicycle spaces and parking bays for electric vehicles and car clubs. Within the proposal there is a significant proportion of the ground plane given over to public realm, with external area dedicated to a plaza which is accessible 24 hours a day
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
Junctions between each vase invite the interaction fostered at a street level to continue inside the podium, where a rich mix of retail and commercial offerings as well as easily accessible communal spaces have been included to promote public engagement. The design also proposes the creation of a new pedestrian route that would connect Collins with Francis Street, further alleviating pressure at the Collins and Spencer Street junction.
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
Project Information:
Project Name: Tower of Stacked Vases
Architects: Zaha Hadid Architects & Plus Architecture
Location: 582-606 Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia
Construction Period: Not stated
Developer: Landreams
