VIC: Tallest building may fall short of mark

AAP General News (Australia)
12-09-1998
VIC: Tallest building may fall short of mark

By Lisa Walker, State Political Correspondent

MELBOURNE, Dec 9 AAP - Plans for the world's biggest building in Melbourne could be scaled
down if it was not viable but the Grollo family was confident it would succeed, a company
spokesman said today.

"There is a possibility it might be scaled down if it can't be proved to be financially
viable," Grollo Tower Pty Ltd spokesman Vince Basile said.

"But the Grollos are very confident there will be plenty of takers and that the tower will
go ahead as planned."

The 560-metre structure will house 450 apartments, 320-room luxury hotel, 12,000 square
metres of shops and 60,000 square metres of offices.

A total of 48O people, mainly Melburnians, have put down $5,000 deposits for the
apartments, estimated to cost between $350,000 and $2 million, from the 48th to 91st floors.

Tyre boss Bob Jane is first in line for an apartment and others also interested are
believed to include federal Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith, trucking magnate Lindsay
Fox, footballer Stephen Silvagni, and Crown Casino chief Lloyd Williams.

Mr Basile said two hotel chains were competing for the rights for the hotel.

David Bowden, of Jones Lang Wootton, said he has held "good discussions" with major
corporations about leasing the office space.

The tower's office space would only add two per cent to the current stock of offices in
Melbourne's CBD, and by the time it was built it would be about 12 years since a major
building was constructed in the city, he said.

But Melbourne University associate professor of architecture and urban design, Kim Dovey,
hit out at the tower, saying it was an "enclave for the rich" and an embarrassment to
Melbourne.

He said buildings became less efficient as they got taller because of the amount of space
needed for services such as lifts.

"This is an expensive building for the amount of floor space it's yielding," he said.

"This is a tired old idea. It gets to this boys' game of: 'Mine's bigger than yours'."

The tower, to include 113 storeys plus a 10-storey high "grand plaza" directly beneath,
will be built at the Docklands on the western fringe of the city.

Grollo Tower Pty Ltd has four months to prove it can finance the ambitious scheme.

AAP lmw/ra/bjm/br

KEYWORD: TOWER

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