Milsons Point’s Bridgehill apartment complex wins major award for its conversion from dowdy office block

AN office tower turned into 126 luxury apartments has won a major national award, described by judges as a “textbook ugly duckling to beautiful swan story”. The penthouses are priced between $7m and $12m.

The Bridgehill has won a major design award for its conversion.

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HAVING swapped office desks for beds, a building conversion at Milsons Point has won a major award.

The Bridgehill development, which turned an office tower into 126 apartments, has won the Urban Taskforce Award for the finest adaptive re-use development in Australia.

The Bridgehill is one of the few projects completed by a Chinese developer to have won a building award.

Bridgehill was once a nondescript office block for insurance assessors.

“We are mindful that there are many more rules and regulations in Australia than in China so it is imperative that overseas developers gain local knowledge and go about things in a correct way,’’ said Bridgehill managing director Yibin Xu.

The former clunky, precast concrete Tower Life building, which housed insurance assessors, is now described as an elegant apartment building.

Bridgehill has been converted into elegant apartments.

Bridgehill is now a luxury apartment complex.

Judges described the project as a “textbook ugly duckling to beautiful swan story”.

Mr Xu said the project took three years of careful planning and the building needed a complete design overhaul to take advantage of the harbour views from the Opera House to Lavender Bay.

“We stripped the structure back to its bones, extended floors eastwards to create balconies and added two levels, including a communal rooftop entertaining area,” he said.

Mr Xu said a new apartment with good views can be worth many times more than an office.

Bridgehill Residences boasts four penthouse apartments.

One of the Bridgehill penthouses.

He said there was advantage in adapting an office building, including environmental benefits, existing infrastructure and avoiding potential planning objects associated with overdevelopment or blocking views.

The apartments at The Bridgehill were all sold off the plan in 2013. The four penthouse apartments at the top of the complex were valued between $7 million and $12 million.

The Bridgehill Group also won an MBA Housing Award for its Monaco development in Rhodes.

The bathrooms are luxurious.

And the views are stunning.