This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
CONSTRUCTION of Golden Age Group’s 130 Little Collins Street boutique office building in the Melbourne CBD will begin shortly, after Roberts Co took over the project from collapsed construction giant ProBuild.
Sydney-based Roberts Co had taken over five Victorian projects worth over $1.6 billion from ProBuild earlier this month, including SP Setia’s 65-level Uno residential tower, CSL’s new headquarters and research lab in North Melbourne, ISPT’s 500 Bourke Street office building, and Woodlink’s 15-storey hotel at 502 Albert Street.
Demolition works are complete at 130 Little Collins Street, and works will soon kick off for the 28-level high tower designed by Cox Architecture, Hecker Guthrie and Jack Merlo. Golden Age had secured a $132 million first mortgage construction facility from MaxCap late last year for the project.
Levels two to level 27 will comprise column-free floorplates offering office spaces with floor-to-ceiling heights of 2.7 metres, ample sunlight, and an additional wrap-around garden terrace on level eight.
The project is 70% sold, with the bulk of purchasers being owner occupiers.
Construction will be completed in the first quarter of 2024.
Golden Age managing director Jeff Xu said it was welcome news to all involved in the project, with handover of the site expected to occur next week.
“We have every confidence that Roberts Co will deliver a superior product due to the experience and calibre of its history, past projects, as well as the retained former ProBuild project team,” he said.
Roberts Co CEO, Alison Mirams said, “We launched Roberts Co five years ago with a mission to build a better way and we are excited to carry this through into Victoria, including works on 130 Little Collins, as part of the Probuild acquisition.
“We look forward to completing this project with our Victorian team, consultants and subcontractors.”
ProBuild collapsed in February after its South African parent company Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon withdrew financial backing, putting $5 billion of major projects and hundreds of jobs across the country in jeopardy.
As part of the agreement earlier this month, Roberts also took on 152 ProBuild staff as employees.
Roberts Co was established in 2017 by the Roberts family, who founded Multiplex, and Italian company Impresa Pizzarotti.
The development of 130 Little Collins Street will create 343 jobs. The project will include a communal garden rooftop terrace, subterranean end-of-trip facilities and deliver retail tenancy activation to Coromandel Place. It is targeting 5-Star NABERS design potential, 5-Star Green Star Design and As-Built, in addition to WELL Certification.
