Melbourne may be getting not just one Zaha Hadid-designed tower, but now two. The late starchitect's firm has unveiled a plush new residential high-rise for the city that's expected to cost AUD$330 million (roughly US$260 million), and features an eye-catching sculpted facade.
Assuming it goes ahead, the Mayfair Residential Tower will rise to a height of 64.4 m (211 ft) and comprise 19 floors. A total of 158 luxury residences are planned, each including between one and five bedrooms and measuring between 70 sq m (753 sq ft) to 556 sq m (5,984 sq ft). Each apartment will also boast its own balcony with choice views of the city available from upper floors.
The tower will be topped by two rooftop swimming pools and a communal terrace. A large restaurant is planned to open onto the street too.
The project is the result of an architecture competition and Hadid herself is named as co-designer, along with long-time collaborator (and current head of firm) Patrik Schumacher.
According to Zaha Hadid Architects, the facade's distinctive curvilinear facade is inspired by Australia's landscapes and seascapes. Computer software was used to adapt a system of simple wave formations to the multiple different apartment layouts and the irregular site.
"Building on ZHA's expertise in delivering complex architectural geometries, computational parametric design allowed an optimizing algorithm to identify shape similarities within the facade to a tolerable degree, minimizing the number of different facade panels required," says the firm in a press release. "This process enabled the creation of the building's sculpted facade that would have otherwise been cost prohibitive."
As of writing, we're still awaiting confirmation from Zaha Hadid Architects that planning permission has been secured, though The Architect's Journal reports this is indeed the case.
Source: Zaha Hadid Architects