Geelong’s waterfront is set for a major transformation after GURNER™ Group and joint venture partner Costa Group unveiled The Pier by GURNER™ Group, a $1.75 billion luxury hotel, residential, office, retail and hospitality precinct planned for the site of the historic Cunningham Pier.
Global architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has been named winner of a nine-month international design competition for the project.
SOM was chosen from a field of leading practices that included 3XN and Buchan, Zaha Hadid Architects and Fraser and Partners, Bjarke Ingels Group and DKO, and UNStudio.
Described as the largest luxury project ever imagined for Geelong, The Pier will be built on the existing pier, which is more than 300 metres long and 30 metres wide.
The development will include 280 luxury residences, a 200-key five-star hotel, and 5,050 square metres of commercial office space spread across multiple buildings.
It will also deliver more than 10,500 square metres of public realm connected to luxury retail and hospitality.
The residential offering centres on SOM’s landmark 34-storey tower.
The Super Yacht Collection will occupy levels 10 to 30, with most homes enjoying sweeping northern views across Corio Bay and a design intended to make residents feel as though they are out at sea.
At the very end of the pier, 300m from shore, will sit The Water Villas, a set of 12 private luxury homes that the developers say offer something never before available in Australia.
Each villa will have its own private super yacht berth at its door and a glass-bottom living room revealing the marine life below.
Together with the tower, the villas are intended to create a new silhouette for Geelong that is visible from across the bay.
SOM Partner Scott Duncan said the architecture draws directly on its waterfront setting.
“The architectural design takes inspiration from marine forms and the water itself, culminating in the undulating landmark tower that will shimmer across the open bay,” said Duncan.
The design teams at SOM and GURNER™ have placed particular focus on the ground plane for local residents and international visitors.
The precinct draws inspiration from celebrated waterfronts including Navy Pier in Chicago, Dubai Marina, The Wave in Vejle, Denmark, and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
Plans include a waterfront promenade lined with retail and hospitality, and floating recreational pontoons on the water, among them a floating pickleball court.
Visitors will be welcomed on the foreshore by the Aqua Plaza, a family-friendly aquatic play area complemented by amphitheatre-style seating, a kiosk and public open space.
The project will also include state-of-the-art aquatic inclusions designed to protect marine habitats, embed sustainable systems and foster marine life.
GURNER™ Group Founder and Executive Chair Tim Gurner said the company has been working with council on the project and is not afraid of ambitious undertakings.
“We love creating what others say is impossible, and then showing the world it can be done.”
The announcement has been welcomed by the City of Greater Geelong. Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM said the project could build on recent momentum for the city’s waterfront.
“This vision for Cunningham Pier has the potential to build on the momentum created by the opening of Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre earlier this year, further elevating our waterfront as a destination for tourism, events and investment.”
Further updates on The Pier by GURNER™ Group are expected as the project progresses.
