Multiplex has commenced construction on Atlas Melbourne, a $525 million, 72-storey residential high-rise for MYX-listed developer SP Setia, marking one of the first major residential towers to break ground in Melbourne’s CBD in several years.
The 2,851sqm site at 383 La Trobe Street will house a tower designed by Cox Architecture and Fender Katsalidis, delivering more than 850 apartments alongside a suite of resident amenities.
The development will be anchored by new pedestrian laneways connecting La Trobe and Little Lonsdale Streets, extending the city’s laneway culture into the precinct.
Atlas marks the second collaboration between Multiplex and SP Setia, following the 2022 completion of 308 Exhibition Street.
That twin tower project comprised the 59-storey Sapphire by the Gardens residential tower and the 61-storey Shangri-La Hotel, connected by a sky bridge that won the 2022 ASI National Award for Engineering Projects.
Multiplex Regional Managing Director Ross Snowball said the project reflected the confidence both companies have in the city’s residential market.
“It is a powerful vote of confidence in city living and Melbourne’s future,” said Snowball.
Early works are already underway, with demolition proceeding on the site’s existing 1985 building, formerly the Australian Federal Police headquarters.
Completion of Atlas Melbourne is expected in 2030.
Hunt Soon See, Country Director of Setia Australia, said the timing of construction reflected strong sales momentum, with more than 60 per cent of apartments already sold.
He added that the project represented the next stage of SP Setia’s growth in Australia as the company continues delivering projects from its pipeline.
Atlas Melbourne will offer a range of apartment types, from studios through to penthouses, with premium finishes and views across the city.
At ground level, a Gallery Arcade will extend Melbourne’s laneway network, activated by boutique retail, dining and public art.
Residents will have access to a Sky Club featuring a bar, cellar and private entertaining spaces, a Horizon Club with co-working facilities, and a Wellness Club including a gym, pool, spa, sauna, outdoor barbecue area and treatment room.
The project is expected to be a significant generator of construction employment, with an estimated 450 workers on site at peak.
Construction will require 39,000 cubic metres of concrete, equivalent to more than 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools, and 4,500 tonnes of steel reinforcement, comparable in weight to 129 Melbourne trams.
Multiplex has identified the construction of a four-level basement as a key technical challenge, given the site’s constrained CBD location.
The tower’s proximity to the City Loop train tunnel, which connects Flagstaff and Melbourne Central stations, will require careful engineering and construction sequencing throughout the build.
The project adds to Multiplex’s portfolio of major Melbourne residential developments, which includes the $2 billion West Side Place precinct, the Premier Tower, the more than 1,000-apartment Melbourne Square development and the 100-storey Australia 108 tower, currently among the tallest residential buildings in the southern hemisphere.
With construction now underway, Atlas Melbourne is set to become a new addition to the city’s skyline over the coming years, adding hundreds of new homes to the CBD as demand for inner-city living continues to grow across Melbourne.
