Key experts responsible for conceiving some of the tallest, most innovative skyscrapers in Australia and overseas will soon touch down in Melbourne for the third edition of the Australian Smart Skyscrapers Summit.
From Vietnam’s tallest building and the green-terraced skyscraper set to grace Melbourne’s skyline, to passive-house high-rises and the application of smart technology within high-rise design, speakers will share their timely insights on a variety of topics centred around developing better-quality sustainable high-rises.
Transforming the Broader Urban Fabric, the overarching theme of this year’s summit, will zero in on the growing need to design tall buildings that connect to and benefit their broader city precincts.
The opening presentations of the summit are set to focus on UNStudio and COX Architecture’s winning design for the Southbank by Beulah competition, which exemplifies connected yet sustainable supertall building design.
Entitled Green Spine after its ‘split’ core which forms into two separate high-rises, UNStudio Associate Director Jan Schellhoff will outline at the event how the winning design will be realised. With vertically networked garden terraces, verandas and platforms, the 322-metre tower will directly engage with Melbourne’s Southbank Boulevard with a podium and public rooftop park accessible to building tenants and Melburnians alike – thereby extending the public realm at street level and far beyond.
Adelene Teh, Executive Director of Beulah International will follow Schellhoff’s speech with a presentation on what developers look for when selecting designs that contribute to surrounding communities. Teh will ultimately discuss what stood out about Green Spine, and how architects can design skyscrapers that stand out among a sea of innovative and supertall concepts.
Ho Chi Minh’s Vincom Landmark 81, the tallest tower in Southeast Asia, will be discussed in depth at the summit. A Hong Kong representative from Atkins will explore the complexities of the award-winning 81-storey mixed-use tower. Its Vietnam-inspired, eco-friendly facade, connecting transportation to the nearby Saigon river and variety of residential and social spaces within make the tower a prime international example of a skyscraper that serves a variety of social, environmental and cultural needs within and beyond the structure.
The jam-packed agenda will also feature JPW Director Matthew Morel examining the refurbishment of Sydney’s 33 Alfred Street, the oldest skyscraper in Australia; UK Partner of RSHP John McElgunn discussing the large-scale completion of Manhattan’s 3 World Trade Center; Hera Engineering Founder Matteo Tirapelle utilising Brisbane’s 300 George Street as a case study on smart and innovative high-rise engineering; and Head of Sustainability at AMP Capital Chris Nunn on translating the passive house model into high-rise design. Technological advancements are abounding, our cities are steadily growing, and our skyscrapers are shooting up, seemingly by the day. This year’s Summit will equip delegates with the knowledge needed to create skyscrapers that stand the test of time against these rapid changes, for tenants and surrounding cities – and to network with industry leaders while doing so.
The 3rd Annual Australian Smart Skyscrapers Summit will be held on the 25th and 26th of June at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.
