- DevelopmentWA has approved plans for a 21-storey commercial tower
- It is one of five sites owned by Far East Consortium at the western end of Perth City Link
- The Perth City Link redevelopment project involved sinking a rail line to create a 13.5 hectares of space
DevelopmentWA has granted approval to developers, Far East Consortium, for a 21-storey commercial tower project at Lot 9 in the Perth City Link urban regeneration precinct.
The Perth City Link redevelopment project involved sinking the rail line and the Wellington Street Bus Station creating a 13.5 hectare space. The project links the city’s CBD with Northbridge.
This latest project at Lot 9 is a part of the Roe Street Enhancement project works. It is one of five sites owned by Far East Consortium at the western end of Perth City Link. It sits between another planned commercial building at Lot 10 and a residential tower located on Lot 4.
Site complexity
The newly approved Lot 9 tower along with the projects at Lot 10 and 4 were all designed by the architecture studio Woods Bagot for Far East Consortium.
Woods Bagot principal Kukame McPierzie explained that the design of the three towers – located above the dive tunnel for the Fremantle railway line – was not without its challenges.
He said all three buildings straddle the dive structure, presenting an engineering challenge the design team embraced and treated as an opportunity to innovate.
“With the tower at Lot 9, we’ve used our environmental toolkits to optimise its shape – a performance-based approach with multiple benefits, including maximizing light into the nearby public realm, the creation of flexible and desirable floorplates and a building with a dynamic form and scale,” he said.
“Site history and local context are also integral to the design, ensuring a workplace solution authentic to its place.”
Far East Consortium Senior Development Manager Laura Ainsworth said the “significant challenges” of the site have been elegantly met through a combination of design and engineering techniques.
“It’s been quite an experience for the architectural team to work with our structural engineer and, for them to deliver the outcomes they have, is a great achievement.”
Laura Ainsworth, Far East Consortium Senior Development Manager
Bringing 29,000 sqm office space to the market
The Lot 9 building will offer a 29,000 sqm net lettable area along with three outdoor terraces, a double-height lobby, three different floor plate sizes, and a rooftop garden with views of both Northbridge and the Perth CBD.
Ainsworth says that the five sites at the western end of Perth City Link owned by Far East Consortium are to become a “precinct within a precinct”.
“We have really been careful to curate the mix of what’s in those lots to bring together the ultimate in connected living,” said Ms Ainsworth.
“Our goal is to ensure you’ve got that 24/7 activation and that people can live, work and play within the area,” she said.
On Lot 2 works have begun on a 32-storey residential tower. The neighbouring Lot 3a has construction scheduled to begin on a 263-room hotel.
Designs for a 23-storey residential tower at Lot 4 have been submitted for Development Approval.
The 14-storey office building to be constructed at Lot 10 received Development Approval in 2021.
