Gold Coast development: Plans for 20-storey Budds Beach tower by Sculpt Developments near Ralan Group’s Ruby integrated resort
GET your first look at the Gold Coast’s next tourist attraction - a high-rise piece of art you can actually live in. This tower has everything, including an incredible ‘skygarden’. SEE THE PLANS
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A MAN behind famed Gold Coast’s attractions and The Hobbit movie trilogy wants to build what could be the city’s biggest artwork - a zany 20-storey tower.
A Hobbit-esque ‘skygarden’ with huge art pieces, a giant pair of hands set in concrete, a feature pool and views of the Coast’s beaches and hinterland are the centrepieces of the asymmetric high-rise put forward by Sculpt Developments.
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It’s earmarked for a site on the corner of Oak and Birt Aves in Budds Beach, neighbouring the Ralan Group’s $1.4 billion Ruby and $1.2 billion Sapphire developments.
The project is the brainchild of Liam Hardy of Sculpt Studios whose projects have included attractions at Tokyo Disney, director Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit film trilogy, rides at Village Roadshow’s Gold Coast theme parks and Suncorp Stadium tribute statues of rugby league legends Mal Meninga and Arthur Beetson.
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Mr Hardy said he wanted to create an iconic building unlike any other tower.
“I thought about our family and the sort of habitat we would like and in the future we are hoping to live there,” he said.
“I want people to be able to look at it from any angle and be able to point out which apartment they live in - this is not a square box or a giant filing cabinet, it’s something very personal and contemporary.
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“We want to bring that focus back to the northern end of the Surfers Paradise precinct.”
A development application was filed late last week with the Gold Coast City Council and the project is set to go before the planning committee for approval in the first half of 2019.
The building, designed by Darren Greenaway of Mermaid Beach firm BDA, has been on the drawing board for nearly a year.
It will have 57 units including 16 two-bedroom, 39 three-bedroom and two four-bedroom apartments.
The “skygarden” will be on the 10th floor and have giant doors opening into the garden which can become an outdoor cinema, gym, giant dining room, barbecues and a pool.
Further smaller gardens are planned for other parts of the building including level 17.
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It will have a giant sculptured feature wall which could appear as flowing drapery or scrunched up and unfolded paper. A pair of giant hands inset in concrete are planned for the entrance.
The tower will be directly across the street from the Ruby towers, which will have a sizeable restaurant and dining precinct once completed in 2022.
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City council planning boss councillor Cameron Caldwell praised the project for its ‘unique’ design and said it would continue the regeneration of the Gold Coast Highway through northern Surfers Paradise.
“This is an exciting and innovative approach to boutique apartment living,” he said.
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This site is near light rail and the Ruby precinct and he said it was a bold undertaking which would be a unique addition to the Surfers Paradise skyline.
“This portion of Surfer Paradise has been crying out for renewal for many years.
“Council will of course undertake a full and thorough assessment of this development before any decision is reached.”
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