Tall & Urban News

Wentworth Equities is planning to build a triple tower development connecting to Portside Hamilton, undertaking a significant redesign on the vacant site.

The first stage of the Platinum development features a 153-unit residential tower with multiple “sky gardens” to service 53 two-bedroom, 49 three-bedroom and 51 four-bedroom apartments at 19 Hercules Street, Hamilton.

The 29-story tower also includes ground floor retail spaces, five-levels of basement parking and concept approval for two other towers which will have apartments, shops, offices, indoor entertainment and medical spaces.

This compares to the 2014 approved plans, the AU$650 million (US$503 million) Icon project featuring four towers up to 34 stories on the site connected by air bridges, housing 567 apartments, a 227-room hotel, civic plaza, restaurants, conference spaces and childcare facilities.

Wentworth Equities purchased the 7,637-square-meter site in 2014 for US$19.8 million (US$15.3 million) before submitting the applications.

“The current development proposal involves a significant redesign of the previous scheme to improve the architectural quality of the development and ensure the development delivers design excellence and outcomes that are in the communities interest,” the development application said.

“In comparison to the previous scheme, the proposal will effectively reduce the building height, deliver some quantum of units, provide fewer retail and no hotel accommodation is proposed.”

The new towers designed by Sydney-based Fuse Architecture have a more subtropical feel and “shift in mindset from apartment living to sky home living” and are created for professionals with young families or downsizers.

The Northshore Hamilton precinct located between the Brisbane CBD and Gateway Motorway bridge has undergone significant redevelopment in the past decade, particularly around the cruise terminal.

For more on this story, go to The Urban Developer.