Two Tasmanian architecture firms have been engaged by Singaporean developer Fragrance to deliver what will be the tallest buildings in Hobart.
A 120-metre hotel skyscraper designed by Hobart’s X-Squared and a second 20-storey hotel designed by S Group are expected to hit planning this week and, if approved, to surpass the Wrest Point Casino building as the two tallest buildings in the Tasmanian capital.
The taller of the buildings will be located at 28-30 Davey Street and is being prepped to achieve a 6 Star Green Star rating. Tasmanian timbers feature heavily throughout, particularly on the underside of the podium’s awning and internal ceilings, as do Tasmanian plants which will dot the building’s façade in urban-scale sky gardens.
Above: The building’s surface is punctuated by urban-scale sky gardens visible from all directions, and by more detailed, room-scale outdent balconies that fragment the facade and make the overall form of the building more fluid
Below: The scale of the ‘podium’ establishes a relationship with adjoining smaller scale multi-story buildings such as the Hobart City Council building
While X-Squared’s Davey Street tower will out stretch S Group’s tower at 2-6 Collins Street by some 50 metres, it will provide fewer hotel rooms. Nearly 500 rooms have been proposed for the Collins Street tower compared to the Davey tower’s 425, and its biggest drawcard, says the architects, will be its 1,000 seat conference facility which “will put the state on the map for national and international conferences.”
The Collins Street building is designed in two components; the podium and the tower, which the architects say helps minimise the visual scale of the building and its impact on the location
Combined, the buildings are expected to provide nearly 1,500 new jobs for the state, from initial building development to ongoing operations. S-Group Director, Samuel Haberle told the ABC that a shortage of skilled labour available in Hobart could pose as problem for the developer.
X-Squared have also provided architectural services for Fragrance’s 296-room Macquarie Street Hotel, also in Hobart.
Images: x-Sqaured and S-Group
