'We wanted to push the envelope': Behind Melbourne Square, the $2 billion enclave slated for Southbank

In Melbourne, on any given night, you can enjoy the many ways humans express their creativity. Whether it be a new dramatic work at the Malthouse Theatre, contemporary visual art at ACCA or masters from the past at the National Gallery of Victoria, Southbank’s arts precinct has something for everyone.

Nearby, another work of art is taking form.

A “dream team” of design experts have collaborated on the creation of Melbourne Square, a $2.8 billion project being built in five stages, which combines residential, hotel and commercial towers.

Centre stage is the penthouse and premium sub-penthouses, known as the Couture Series. Developed by OSK Property, who have a 50-year track record of delivering award-winning, large-scale developments across Malaysia, these luxury apartments will be “unrivalled”, says OSK Property spokesperson Scott Jessop.

“We really wanted to push the envelope for quality penthouse apartments,” Jessop says.

Inspired by the internationally renowned arts enclave, the 316-square-metre penthouse has been imagined as a “live-in gallery”, complete with artistic furniture pieces from Abbotsford store Hub Furniture.

Cox Architecture is responsible for the architecture while Carr Design Group has designed the interiors.

Jessop says part of the design brief was to make sure residents within the space experienced something “quite different” to just the “large area” of traditional penthouses.

To that end, Carr have created generous zones for entertaining, dining, relaxing and wellness. The penthouse features three bedrooms and four bathrooms, along with a wine cellar, library and infra-red sauna, plus soaring glass walls for cinematic views of the city and the bay.

With both the penthouse and the Couture Series, buyers will have the opportunity to have a design consultation with Carr. “It very much involves sitting down and tailoring a product that suits this particular buyer,” says CBRE’s managing director of residential projects Victoria, Andrew Leoncelli.

According to Leoncelli, the Couture Series will range from 160 to 600 square metres in size and cost from around $1.8 million to $12 million. He adds there is also potential for those particular apartments to be even bigger if a buyer wishes.

In addition to the tailor-made luxury homes at the top of the towers, the development will also include a range of one, two and three-bedroom apartments plus retail, childcare and a double-level Woolworths supermarket all set in a series of vast, public green spaces designed by multi-award-winning landscape architecture and urban design firm Taylor Cullity Lethlean.