TAS/ HOBART - #APPROVED: 3 Victoria Street - 8L / 31m / office

OptomistOne · April 22nd, 2009, 05:55 AM

Hobart's "flood" of new proposals shows no sign of abating it seems. This is a replacement proposal for a previous 10 level building which got knocked back last year.

Here is the text of the Council's Planning Description;

No.3 Victoria Street is the site of a former service station. The proposal is for a 10 level primarily office building with 8 above ground levels, as follows.

The ex-service station workshop and ancillary buildings would demolished with the main building – the ‘cottage’ – partially retained. The site (excluding the retained building) would be excavated to provide for two basement storage levels. The ground floor would be redeveloped as a restaurant with lift lobby and office building entry.

At first floor level (level 1) would be a void above the restaurant and some office space.

Beginning at second floor level (level 2) would be six levels of offices.

The building elevations would mainly comprise a glazed facade facing the street frontage, with curved vertical metal sunshade fins. Also facing Victoria Street would be a ‘precast concrete panel’ section with ‘folded metal fins’. A lower section of the façade would also feature decorative ‘coloured light boxes’. The side and rear walls of the building would not have windows, and would comprise a combination of ‘precast concrete panels’ set in an angled pattern, and ‘precast concrete panels with folded metal fins’. A portion of the side wall facing Macquarie Street would be glazed, comprising ‘comfort plus or equivalent insulated glazing, protected by wall-wetting sprinklers to required code’.

The applicant submission states the ‘ground level and level 1 are dedicated to the containment of the existing cottage, which will be presented as a feature in the foyer. A largely glass façade will permit the cottage to be easily viewed from the street, especially at night when specialised lighting will enhance its presence within the building. The decontamination, conservation and interpretative treatment that shall be bestowed upon the cottage are an essential element of this project. A café will also be contained within the foyer to create a contemporary, vibrant feel to this space.’

There would be a likely total of 260 building occupants.

Seems to be about 30 metres overall. I think this has a better chance of being approved. I suspect though once it is the owner might try and sell it off. There are a number of renders on the the Council website accompanying the application. Here is the link.

http://www.hobartcity.com.au/HCC/STA...LICATIONS.html

Still, another new building for Hobart's CBD is back in the game.

Chuq · April 22nd, 2009, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OptomistOne

Seems to be about 30 metres overall. I think this has a better chance of being approved. I suspect though once it is the owner might try and sell it off. There are a number of renders on the the Council website accompanying the application.

http://www.hobartcity.com.au/go/Adve...B_12022009.pdf

31m to be exact it appears

and the nearby 144 Macquarie St is listed as 42m here.

OptomistOne · April 22nd, 2009, 07:52 AM

Cheers Chuq - great PDF render link. To my eyes it looks a little lop-sided with the "fins" but overall it will add to Hobart's density so hope it actually gets built.

I reckon this one might get up approval wise.

Burden · April 22nd, 2009, 08:00 AM

Very impressive, Although it may not be tall it certainly make's up for it in design:

[IMG]http://i43.************/2qbi104.jpg[/IMG]

Tassieboy · April 22nd, 2009, 11:56 AM

Really don't like this! Doesn't mix in at all well with the surroundings. The first image is a real turn off. The second goes alright.

OptomistOne · April 23rd, 2009, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burden

Very impressive, Although it may not be tall it certainly make's up for it in design:

[IMG]http://i43.************/2qbi104.jpg[/IMG]

Cheers Burden - now tell me how do you extract and then paste the image from a PDF attachment? I can never quite work it out!

Tassie Boy - beauty is in the eyes of the beholder....its better than than what is there at the moment!

Ordex · April 23rd, 2009, 01:53 AM

I agree tassie boy, but any stories is better than no stories which is what is there at the moment!

Tassieboy · April 23rd, 2009, 10:02 AM

Why does it have to be brick?

OptomistOne · April 24th, 2009, 01:02 AM

Tassie Boy

I know it looks a bit like brick from the renders but the accompanying plans etc to the proposal actually dictates the use of textured concrete panels for most of it with coloured glass for the window treatments.

I hope it gets approved but I reckon there will still be opposition from the heritage lobby - this is Tasmania after all!

Ordex · April 24th, 2009, 03:23 AM

yes, that vacant space has heritage value!

castrovalva · April 25th, 2009, 03:12 AM

If you look at the plans on the HCC website, you can see that they're trying to preserve an old building within the foyer, "Melbourne Central" style...

In terms of the design, it's a bit all over the place: The curved fins of the tower create a visual "argument" rather than a visual dialogue with the fins on the podium. The angled panels on the sides, while interesting, don't seem to mesh with any other part of the building. For me, the podium is the most successfull part of the design.

It seems to me like they could have given each element to a different architect do design, then stuck them all together. Build away, I say. My 2c worth.............

CULWULLA · April 29th, 2009, 03:43 AM

looks cool, pity it isnt 4m higher. i could add to emporis. suppose add as lowrise

OptomistOne · May 8th, 2009, 03:12 AM

Report in Today's (7/5) Mercury - seems like this little baby has passed the first hurdle....encouraging sign. Usual whingers still having a go though. This one might just get up!

CHARLES WATERHOUSE

May 08, 2009 04:00am

A NEW version of a controversial CBD office tower proposal has won the Tasmanian Heritage Council's approval.

The council has approved an application for the Hobart office tower to be built on the site of a former service station in Victoria St, behind historic Macquarie House, which has been evaluated as of very high heritage significance.

Detailed conditions have been attached. The previous proposal featured cantilevered floors above the roof of Macquarie House. The new proposal is for a 10-storey building, mainly offices, with eight storeys above ground level.

Under the new proposal, the former service station workshop and ancillary buildings would be demolished.

A heritage cottage would be partially retained in the new building's foyer.

A mainly glass facade would allow the cottage to be viewed from Victoria St, especially at night, when specialised lighting would enhance its presence within the building.

Acting Heritage Council chairman Roger Howlett said: "This is quite a novel solution to balancing a development proposal and protecting heritage values."

Macquarie House defender David Halse Rogers said if the Hobart City Council was consistent it would refuse the "odious" development on the same grounds as the previous proposal.

"Nothing has changed really, all they have done is removed the cantilevered section," he said.

"It's a poor bit of architecture designed to maximise profits for the developer at a cost to Hobartians."

He said the "so-called cottage" was, in fact, the dining room of Macquarie House.

Mr Halse Rogers said the development, if approved by Hobart City Council, would entomb the outbuildings of Macquarie House, making restoration of this important colonial building impossible.

OptomistOne · June 2nd, 2009, 02:46 AM

This one, not suprisingly, got a knock back at the intital Committee stage last night.

It will go to the Full Council soon - but I reckon it will get knocked back too.

The principal issue seems to be that, get this, it is too tall for the site! Hobart City Council.....what can you say.

I pity the poor site owner who now appears to have a practically undevelopable site on his hands. I'd be off to the Appeals Tribunal if I was him!

Ordex · June 2nd, 2009, 05:08 AM

so the hcc is looking at incentives for attracting developers and then they will knock back whatever gets proposed. got to wonder just where the smarts are!

ROVER · June 10th, 2009, 11:50 AM

Today's Mercury reports that this has been rejected by the full Council, height being the main reason. I can't recall the full article, but I also feel for the owner OptomistOne who has to work out what the heck to do with the site now...

OptomistOne · June 11th, 2009, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROVER

Today's Mercury reports that this has been rejected by the full Council, height being the main reason. I can't recall the full article, but I also feel for the owner OptomistOne who has to work out what the heck to do with the site now...

Surely, at 31 metres the height cannot be the real reason. Some of the Councillors keep banging on about "heritage " in the paper but the Tas Heritage Council, which was established at great expense by the State Government specifically to assess heritage (code for any old crap with no commerical value) buildings, approved the design!

Go figure

***crawf*** · June 12th, 2009, 08:02 AM

Thats pathetic, especially when there is a 41m building nearby.

The Tasmanian Government should follow SA's lead by taking control of projects in the Hobart CBD. This happened in Adelaide last year after the State Government got sick of the crap from the Adelaide City Council (similar to Hobart), so now all projects over $10m are assessed by the Government.

OptomistOne · June 12th, 2009, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crawf

Thats pathetic, especially when there is a 41m building nearby.

The Tasmanian Government should follow SA's lead by taking control of projects in the Hobart CBD. This happened in Adelaide last year after the State Government got sick of the crap from the Adelaide City Council (similar to Hobart), so now all projects over $10m are assessed by the Government.

Cheers Crawf. The problem is Tasmania is so anti-development that when this very same approach was tried with Sullivan's Cove in Hobart, the historic waterfront area, the Sullivan's Cove Waterfront Authority got so tied up with analysis and trying to please all the hippy groups that virtually nothing happened for the past 4 years! (other Hobart members can vouch for this) Then the Government realised it was not going to work so has now sacked it and given back control to the HCC!

So, us Hobart members have "evolved" to have very low expectations re developments and expect them to all to be knocked back all the time - so when one gets approved it's a great day!

OptomistOne · June 30th, 2009, 04:43 AM

A bit of news.

The developer/owner of the site has now lodged an appeal against the Hobart City Council refusal with the Resource Managment and Planning Appeals Tribunal. It is scheduled for a directions hearing sometime in the next few weeks. Perhaps he read my earlier post!

A glimmer of hope that RMPAT might overturn the Councils refusal and something might get built on that site. It will be an interesting hearing because the Heritage Council initially approved the plan so the only reason the Council cann justify its decision is on height grounds and at 31 metres it complies with the overall limit.

So there is a very slim chance that we still might end up with a building but significantly lower than 31 metres. Need to keep an eye on this one.

April 22nd, 2009, 05:55 AM	#1
OptomistOne Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Hobart Posts: 1,171 Likes (Received): 4	TAS/ HOBART - #APPROVED: 3 Victoria Street - 8L / 31m / office Hobart's "flood" of new proposals shows no sign of abating it seems. This is a replacement proposal for a previous 10 level building which got knocked back last year. Here is the text of the Council's Planning Description; No.3 Victoria Street is the site of a former service station. The proposal is for a 10 level primarily office building with 8 above ground levels, as follows. The ex-service station workshop and ancillary buildings would demolished with the main building – the ‘cottage’ – partially retained. The site (excluding the retained building) would be excavated to provide for two basement storage levels. The ground floor would be redeveloped as a restaurant with lift lobby and office building entry. At first floor level (level 1) would be a void above the restaurant and some office space. Beginning at second floor level (level 2) would be six levels of offices. The building elevations would mainly comprise a glazed facade facing the street frontage, with curved vertical metal sunshade fins. Also facing Victoria Street would be a ‘precast concrete panel’ section with ‘folded metal fins’. A lower section of the façade would also feature decorative ‘coloured light boxes’. The side and rear walls of the building would not have windows, and would comprise a combination of ‘precast concrete panels’ set in an angled pattern, and ‘precast concrete panels with folded metal fins’. A portion of the side wall facing Macquarie Street would be glazed, comprising ‘comfort plus or equivalent insulated glazing, protected by wall-wetting sprinklers to required code’. The applicant submission states the ‘ground level and level 1 are dedicated to the containment of the existing cottage, which will be presented as a feature in the foyer. A largely glass façade will permit the cottage to be easily viewed from the street, especially at night when specialised lighting will enhance its presence within the building. The decontamination, conservation and interpretative treatment that shall be bestowed upon the cottage are an essential element of this project. A café will also be contained within the foyer to create a contemporary, vibrant feel to this space.’ There would be a likely total of 260 building occupants. Seems to be about 30 metres overall. I think this has a better chance of being approved. I suspect though once it is the owner might try and sell it off. There are a number of renders on the the Council website accompanying the application. Here is the link. http://www.hobartcity.com.au/HCC/STA...LICATIONS.html Still, another new building for Hobart's CBD is back in the game. __________________ London, the World's Greatest City.......................................after Hobart.

April 22nd, 2009, 07:52 AM	#3
OptomistOne Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Hobart Posts: 1,171 Likes (Received): 4	Cheers Chuq - great PDF render link. To my eyes it looks a little lop-sided with the "fins" but overall it will add to Hobart's density so hope it actually gets built. I reckon this one might get up approval wise. __________________ London, the World's Greatest City.......................................after Hobart.

April 22nd, 2009, 08:00 AM	#4
Burden What to do with my life.. Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 4,484	Very impressive, Although it may not be tall it certainly make's up for it in design: [IMG]http://i43.**********/2qbi104.jpg[/IMG] __________________ Townsville** is unlike any other city in Australia. No city of comparable size has quite the connection into the future prosperity of the Australian nation as does Townsville. Townsville's next phase of growth is likely to accrue the critical mass in population to transform from regional centre to a metropolitan centre. 'Bernard Salt' Australia's leading demographer Townsville is a picture of exactly the kind of diverse, dynamic regional economy that will power Australia's passage through the years ahead. Treasurer Wayne Swan

April 22nd, 2009, 11:56 AM	#5
Tassieboy Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Launceston Posts: 118 Likes (Received): 0	Really don't like this! Doesn't mix in at all well with the surroundings. The first image is a real turn off. The second goes alright. __________________ TASSIE BOY

April 23rd, 2009, 10:02 AM	#8
Tassieboy Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Launceston Posts: 118 Likes (Received): 0	Why does it have to be brick? __________________ TASSIE BOY

April 23rd, 2009, 01:53 AM	#7
Ordex Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Canberra Posts: 446 Likes (Received): 1	I agree tassie boy, but any stories is better than no stories which is what is there at the moment!

April 24th, 2009, 01:02 AM	#9
OptomistOne Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Hobart Posts: 1,171 Likes (Received): 4	Tassie Boy I know it looks a bit like brick from the renders but the accompanying plans etc to the proposal actually dictates the use of textured concrete panels for most of it with coloured glass for the window treatments. I hope it gets approved but I reckon there will still be opposition from the heritage lobby - this is Tasmania after all! __________________ London, the World's Greatest City.......................................after Hobart.

April 24th, 2009, 03:23 AM	#10
Ordex Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Canberra Posts: 446 Likes (Received): 1	yes, that vacant space has heritage value!

April 25th, 2009, 03:12 AM	#11
castrovalva Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Tasmania Posts: 260 Likes (Received): 70	If you look at the plans on the HCC website, you can see that they're trying to preserve an old building within the foyer, "Melbourne Central" style... In terms of the design, it's a bit all over the place: The curved fins of the tower create a visual "argument" rather than a visual dialogue with the fins on the podium. The angled panels on the sides, while interesting, don't seem to mesh with any other part of the building. For me, the podium is the most successfull part of the design. It seems to me like they could have given each element to a different architect do design, then stuck them all together. Build away, I say. My 2c worth.............

April 29th, 2009, 03:43 AM	#12
CULWULLA Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 46,860 Likes (Received): 54	looks cool, pity it isnt 4m higher. i could add to emporis. suppose add as lowrise __________________ Sydney Harbour Bridge -1932, Sydney Opera House- 1973, Sydney Tower- 1981, Crown Hotel- 2015..

May 8th, 2009, 03:12 AM	#13
OptomistOne Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Hobart Posts: 1,171 Likes (Received): 4	up-Date Report in Today's (7/5) Mercury - seems like this little baby has passed the first hurdle....encouraging sign. Usual whingers still having a go though. This one might just get up! CHARLES WATERHOUSE May 08, 2009 04:00am A NEW version of a controversial CBD office tower proposal has won the Tasmanian Heritage Council's approval. The council has approved an application for the Hobart office tower to be built on the site of a former service station in Victoria St, behind historic Macquarie House, which has been evaluated as of very high heritage significance. Detailed conditions have been attached. The previous proposal featured cantilevered floors above the roof of Macquarie House. The new proposal is for a 10-storey building, mainly offices, with eight storeys above ground level. Under the new proposal, the former service station workshop and ancillary buildings would be demolished. A heritage cottage would be partially retained in the new building's foyer. A mainly glass facade would allow the cottage to be viewed from Victoria St, especially at night, when specialised lighting would enhance its presence within the building. Acting Heritage Council chairman Roger Howlett said: "This is quite a novel solution to balancing a development proposal and protecting heritage values." Macquarie House defender David Halse Rogers said if the Hobart City Council was consistent it would refuse the "odious" development on the same grounds as the previous proposal. "Nothing has changed really, all they have done is removed the cantilevered section," he said. "It's a poor bit of architecture designed to maximise profits for the developer at a cost to Hobartians." He said the "so-called cottage" was, in fact, the dining room of Macquarie House. Mr Halse Rogers said the development, if approved by Hobart City Council, would entomb the outbuildings of Macquarie House, making restoration of this important colonial building impossible. __________________ London, the World's Greatest City.......................................after Hobart.

June 2nd, 2009, 02:46 AM	#14
OptomistOne Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Hobart Posts: 1,171 Likes (Received): 4	This one, not suprisingly, got a knock back at the intital Committee stage last night. It will go to the Full Council soon - but I reckon it will get knocked back too. The principal issue seems to be that, get this, it is too tall for the site! Hobart City Council.....what can you say. I pity the poor site owner who now appears to have a practically undevelopable site on his hands. I'd be off to the Appeals Tribunal if I was him! __________________ London, the World's Greatest City.......................................after Hobart.

June 2nd, 2009, 05:08 AM	#15
Ordex Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Canberra Posts: 446 Likes (Received): 1	so the hcc is looking at incentives for attracting developers and then they will knock back whatever gets proposed. got to wonder just where the smarts are!

June 10th, 2009, 11:50 AM	#16
ROVER Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Hobart Posts: 178 Likes (Received): 0	Rejected Today's Mercury reports that this has been rejected by the full Council, height being the main reason. I can't recall the full article, but I also feel for the owner OptomistOne who has to work out what the heck to do with the site now...

June 12th, 2009, 08:02 AM	#18
*crawf* © Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Adelaide Posts: 5,137 Likes (Received): 22	Thats pathetic, especially when there is a 41m building nearby. The Tasmanian Government should follow SA's lead by taking control of projects in the Hobart CBD. This happened in Adelaide last year after the State Government got sick of the crap from the Adelaide City Council (similar to Hobart), so now all projects over $10m are assessed by the Government. __________________ The Australia Guide

June 30th, 2009, 04:43 AM	#20
OptomistOne Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Hobart Posts: 1,171 Likes (Received): 4	A bit of news. The developer/owner of the site has now lodged an appeal against the Hobart City Council refusal with the Resource Managment and Planning Appeals Tribunal. It is scheduled for a directions hearing sometime in the next few weeks. Perhaps he read my earlier post! A glimmer of hope that RMPAT might overturn the Councils refusal and something might get built on that site. It will be an interesting hearing because the Heritage Council initially approved the plan so the only reason the Council cann justify its decision is on height grounds and at 31 metres it complies with the overall limit. So there is a very slim chance that we still might end up with a building but significantly lower than 31 metres. Need to keep an eye on this one. __________________ London, the World's Greatest City.......................................after Hobart.

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