Is this Melbourne’s most beautiful building?
An extensive makeover of one of Melbourne’s best-loved heritage buildings is complete, as Pembroke unveils its upgrade to the T & G Building at 161 Collins Street.
Occupying a prime corner location at the prestigious ‘Paris end’ of Collins Street, the 1928 neo-renaissance building has attracted some top-notch tenants – including Google.
The 10 levels of A-Grade office space is already 100 per cent leased, with new brands Google, co-working group SPACES and Treasury Wine Estates joining longer term tenants VMIA, Accenture and IOOF in the refreshed office floors.
Proclaimed Melbourne’s most beautiful building shortly after its construction, the building was expanded in 1939 and 1959. In 1991, everything but the façades, tower and foyer was demolished, and a new Postmodern-style wing added along with large floor plates and a new central atrium.
The latest modernisation, designed by Bates Smart and delivered by Built, features dual entrances with access to Collins Street, and the newly pedestrianised Ramsden Place embracing Melbourne’s laneway culture.
Club-style concierge services are integrated into the 43,000 sqm design, with 4,000sqm campus-style floor plates included around the atrium. The heritage façade is showcased with new feature lighting.
New end-of-trip facilities include 266 secure bicycle spaces and substantial shower and locker facilities.
Pembroke’s vice president and head of Australia, Matthew Knight, says the company’s goal was to “deliver more than just a workplace”. Instead, it’s a “thoughtfully curated business community”.
Luxury retailers include Versace, Gucci and Bottega Veneta’s flagship stores, and onsite food and beverage offerings will be announced later in the year.
Tim Leslie, studio director at Bates Smart, says the design is “respectful of the site’s century-old heritage but reimagined with contemporary interventions”.
“We applied a people-centred approach to make the building more relevant for the current tenants and what they expect from a contemporary workplace: high-end support facilities, while maintaining the expansive floorplates,” Leslie adds.
A range of “curated experiences” support a range of work settings. “The signature space is the central atrium which creates a semi private oasis,” Leslie explains.
Services in the building have been overhauled and the building owners are now targeting a 4 star NABERS Energy rating.
Pembroke specialises in mixed-use and office buildings, investing private capital from Fidelity Investments, the world’s fourth largest asset manager with around US$2.4 trillion in assets under management.