500 Collins Street, Melbourne
Client: Kamirice Pty Ltd
Project type: Commercial (office, refurbishment)
Stakeholders: City of Melbourne, local community
Image courtesy of kamirice.com.au
The project
Built in the 1970s, 500 Collins Street is a 28-storey office building in a premier CBD location. While built with craftsmanship and quality materials, the building had begun to show its age – and when it was put up for sale in 2002, it was ready for renovation. A leading Australian real estate investor, Kamirice, acquired the tower with the intention of refurbishing all 28 levels – and UPco was engaged to help with the planning.
Built in the 1970s, 500 Collins Street is a 28-storey office building in a premier CBD location. While built with craftsmanship and quality materials, the building had begun to show its age – and when it was put up for sale in 2002, it was ready for renovation. A leading Australian real estate investor, Kamirice, acquired the tower with the intention of refurbishing all 28 levels – and UPco was engaged to help with the planning.
The challenge
The planning approvals needed to include much-needed physical upgrades, such as updates to the façades and internal amenities. Office refurbishment was a must, and we also needed to activate the ground plane – capitalising on the lunchtime pedestrianism and general retail of Church Lane.
One added challenge: all the renovations had to be done while the spaces were still tenanted (with occupancy never falling below 70%), meaning timelines and stakeholder management were crucial.
One added challenge: all the renovations had to be done while the spaces were still tenanted (with occupancy never falling below 70%), meaning timelines and stakeholder management were crucial.
The outcome
UPco helped secure the approvals, working within deadlines and communicating tirelessly with a large project team. The result was a renewed office building with 26,000 sqm of leasable area, including ground and first floor retail. Thanks to its forward-thinking sustainability credentials, 500 Collins Street also became the first refurbished commercial building in Melbourne’s CBD to be awarded a 5-Star Green Star (Office Design v1) rating by the Green Building Council of Australia.
These days, 500 Collins helps to enhance the CBD’s west-end business hub, with Church Lane’s shops and bluestone paving creating a vibrancy not often encountered in this area. Since the refurbishment, close monitoring has proven that occupant productivity has increased.
Our client is rightfully proud of this landmark city development – and UPco is pleased to have had extensive involvement in the building that Kamirice nominated as the flagship property in its portfolio.
These days, 500 Collins helps to enhance the CBD’s west-end business hub, with Church Lane’s shops and bluestone paving creating a vibrancy not often encountered in this area. Since the refurbishment, close monitoring has proven that occupant productivity has increased.
Our client is rightfully proud of this landmark city development – and UPco is pleased to have had extensive involvement in the building that Kamirice nominated as the flagship property in its portfolio.