This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
PROLIFIC developer Tim Gurner and Liberman family-backed joint venture partner City Harbour have received planning approval for the first stage of their $1.7 billion “futuristic wellness and anti-ageing utopia” in Melbourne’s Docklands.
Victorian Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny has given the green light for the first three towers of the project, named Elysium Fields, which was unveiled by the joint venture earlier this year.
To be delivered on a sprawling 27,000sqm site at 208-226 Harbour Esplanade, next to Marvel Stadium, Elysium Fields will ultimately deliver more than 1,100 build-to-sell and build-to-rent apartments, a retail and hospitality precinct, 4-star short-stay hotel of circa 100 keys and another 5-star hotel in the main tower of over 250 keys, with conference facilities, a business club and hospitality offerings.
The three approved towers will house circa 700 dwellings and Hamilton Marino has been appointed to build the first tower, a luxury build-to-sell offering with around 250 residences. Early construction works are expected to commence in the next four weeks and a public launch of sales is earmarked for early next year.
But it’s the wellness and anti-ageing component that is attracting particular attention. Residents at Elysium Fields can expect to have access to on-site anti-ageing facilities and equipment such as cryotherapy, IV infusions, dry and infrared sauna, red light therapy, grounding and PEMF beds, alongside exclusive access to the Elysian Reverse Ageing Medical Clinic that will provide medical- grade treatments including MRIs, DEXA scans, brain scans, blood testing and personalised health plans.
“This will be Australia’s first next-generation wellness precinct where our homes can make us healthier and have a marked impact on our mental and physical wellbeing,” Gurner said.
“Through the proliferation of plastics, chemicals and synthetic materials, our modern homes are no longer the safe-haven they once were. Elysium Fields will re-imagine this narrative and incorporate cutting edge health and wellness technologies, natural anti-microbial materials and other holistic design practices into both the public spaces and private residences, to set the bar for the future of home-based-wellness in Australia.”
Residents will also gain access to the planned on-site Saint Haven gym and wellness club that at 3,000 sqm will be the largest in the group’s portfolio, and an “indulgent” Haven Ancient Baths bathhouse concept, also by Gurner, that will offer “15 different types of enriched water for optimum health” and which according to Gurner will one of the world’s largest bathhouses.
Designed by Fraser & Partners, the precinct will also include a walkable “path of life” that runs the entirety of the north-south ground floor/podium plane and will be designed for running, yoga, meditation, training, exercise and recovery, alongside a rooftop sports court, a pool club and 5,000 sqm of retail, dining and public realm amenity.
“The precinct will also feature its very own botanical gardens, be geared for a 24/7, interactive retail, dining and entertainment experience, and include a stunning, futuristic glass dome, modelled on the concept of Elysium being the utopian afterlife,” the joint venture partners said.
Docklands, on the western edge of Melbourne’s CBD, is witnessing a burst of major development activity.
“This project is a once-in-a-lifetime transformation precinct and one of the last remaining major developable land parcels in Docklands,” Gurner said.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to re-shape the future of the Docklands and create a world-class, 24-hour destination this city deserves.”
Elsewhere in Docklands, property giant Lendlease has just partnered with Japan’s Nippon Steel Kowa Real Estate for a $500 million build-to-rent apartment project at 899 Collins Street, while Victoria’s Allan government has approved AsheMorgan’s 925-apartment project plans at 24 Little Docklands Drive, also near Marvel Stadium and the Esplanade, and developer Samma Property Group has the green light for a $250 million tower with build-to-rent on the Yarra River, next to the Bolte Bridge.
Meanwhile, Marvel Stadium itself this year completed a $225 redevelopment of its amenity, access and gathering spaces, while the Melbourne Star Observation wheel, which has sat dormant on the skyline for three years, is reportedly close to running again. Talks are advanced between liquidators and a prospective purchaser for the $100 million, 120-metre high structure.
