SP Setia raises the bar with UNO Melbourne
Property developer receives strong response from buyers.
MELBOURNE: SP Setia Bhd, which has a strong presence in this Australian city with its iconic projects, has raised the benchmark again with the impending Kuala Lumpur launch of UNO Melbourne residential and hotel tower project.
The project, located along A’Beckett Street in the central business district (CBD), comprises 486 apartments and 256 hotel rooms.
UNO Melbourne represents the latest property project by SP Setia following the successful launches of Fulton Lane, Parque, Maison Carnegie and Marque Prahran and Sapphire by the Gardens.
According to Setia (Melbourne) Development Company Pty Ltd chief executive officer Choong Kai Wai, the proposed concept for UNO Melbourne aims to produce a landmark development that addresses inner-city urban living in this evolving northern fringe CBD precinct.
It took into account the surrounding urban context, particularly the heritage building, and amenity – vehicular and pedestrian patterns as well as shared open space.
Choong said even before the preview to be held on Jan 20 to Jan 21 at the Setia International Centre in Kuala Lumpur, SP Setia has received strong response from buyers.
Construction of the 65-storey landmark mixed used development – which has a combined gross development value of A$518mil (RM1.6bil) – starts in the third quarter of 2018. It is targeted to be completed by the first quarter of 2021.
The sizes of the apartments range from 548 sq ft for a one-bed, one-study unit to a threebed and a study covering1,108 sq ft.
With a price range from A$499,000 to A$1.45mil, UNO’s target market are owner occupiers, young families, young couples, investors, down-sizers and offshore residents that frequent Melbourne, touted the world’s most liveable city.
The facilities include a lobby and a concierge on the ground floor, a wellness club on level 40, sky lounge on level 64, secured car- park, hotel amenities on level, a childcare centre on level two and hotel amenities on level nine.
During a media trip, Choong said Setia executed the project within six months upon purchasing the site last July. It engaged ElenbergFraser to come out with the architectural design. The orientation of the building is orthogonal both to the street and to the existing heritage building which creates a commanding presence in the streetscape.
This also orients the building to the north to harness the winter sun for passive solar heating. Choong said the apartments can achieve an average five-star energy rating using the NatHERS standard.
“The shape is derived from the internal planning of the building. It is a direct result of planning the building to maximise views from the living areas and provide privacy to the bedrooms.
“The building is a true mixed-use building where the largest challenge is in incorporating high quality residences upon a fully serviced four-star hotel, as well as integrated retail, food and beverage and a childcare facility,” he said.
According to Reade Dixon, the principal of ElenbergFraser, UNO has a high plot ratio of 36:1, compared with the current standard of 18:1 ratio. This allows the company to scale up the significance of the project and also the grandeur and makes UNO one of the last few high-rise towers in Melbourne CBD offering spectacular views .
“It has a commanding view of the other parts of Melbourne as the other buildings were then at an 18:1 ratio before the ruling was changed in April 2016.
“Bedroom windows are pulled back into the floor plate and living areas are pushed out to the corners, allowing privacy to the personal spaces and maximising amenity to the living spaces. This provides a distinctive butterfly-shape to the plan,” Dixon added.
The glass to be used is double glazed with an Argon gas filled cavity.
“The colour and dichroic effect is provided by a sophisticated Low-E coating that reduces the heat and glare in summer and insulates from the cold in winter, as well as providing a bright, reflective appearance that ensures the privacy of the occupants,” he said.
The launch in Malaysia will be held this weekend at Setia International Centre.