World news – AU – Houses in the clouds in almost finished Australia 108

Singaporean developer World Class Global has started sales of the last of the apartments in Melbourne’s 108 mega-skyscraper, Australia, including some of the tallest penthouses and residences in the country.

Construction of the 319-meter-tall tower on 70 Southbank Boulevard on the outskirts of Melbourne was completed during the pandemic – about a year behind schedule – and just the finishing touches for the $ 1 billion project at 100 stories tallest Residential tower of the southern hemisphere.

Construction began in early 2015 when a China-based international businessman paid $ 25 million for the 797-square-foot penthouse at the top of Australia 108.

Directly below the penthouse are four sub-penthouses starting at 4 US dollars. $ 7 to $ 5. 6 million are on offer, as are the remaining larger apartments known as cloud residences (priced from around $ 1). 9 million).

These make up 161 of the 1105 apartments in the huge building, starting at level 72, 210 meters above ground, and offer spectacular views over a sprawling metropolis in Melbourne towards the distant hills and ocean.

A spokesman for World Class Global – a subsidiary of the Aspial Corporation owned by Singaporean magnate Koh Wee Seng – declined to provide updated apartment sales.

The developer stopped posting sales updates after The Australian Financial Review found they were backwards.

In June last year, WCG announced it had sold 88 percent of the apartments in the tower, compared to the near-sold-out figure of 98 percent reported in September 2017 as falling valuations increased default rates.

WCG chief David Ng said the project raised the bar for luxury real estate in Australia, and the remaining cloud residences and sub-penthouses had generated interest worldwide.

« Residences of this size are unlikely to be replicated in Australia anytime soon, which makes Australia 108 a truly unique proposition in the market, » he said.

Below these residences is the « Starburst, » a dramatic two-story gold structure protruding from the blue-tinted glass tower at levels 70 and 71 and housing many of Australia’s 108 amenities, including pools, gyms and private movie theaters.

Under the Starburst there are 944 smaller apartments, many of which have already been sold and long lived in on a project that began construction in 2015.

Designed by Fender Katsalidis, the Supertower is a neighbor of what was previously the tallest building in the city, the 301-meter-high Eureka Tower, designed by the same renowned architects and completed almost 20 years ago.

For the building’s chief designer, Karl Fender, the Star Club in the Starburst is a personal highlight of the project.

« We imagined the Star Club to be almost like a town hall, where residents come together and create community and indulge in the style of facilities you would expect from one of the largest hotels in the world, » he said.

« Nothing on this scale has been created in a residential setting in Australia before, which reflects how Australia 108 has gone where there was no tower, » he said.

Australia 108 is likely to remain the tallest residential building in Australia for only a short time.

Asian developer Beulah International has received approval for a $ 2 billion Southbank tower that will be 354 meters tall when completed.

Arise Australia 108