Bath-based landscape design practice Grant Associates is to work on another major project in Australia – a groundbreaking development that will include the world’s tallest vertical garden.
The Southbank by Beulah scheme will feature a dual skyscraper in Melbourne’s fastest- growing and most densely populated suburb.
It will be the first project in the city for Grant Associates, which is recognised globally for designing major eye-catching architectural schemes across the globe.
It is currently working on the Watermans Cove scheme in Sydney, which is transforming a former industrial wasteland on the waterfront of Australia’s largest city into a world-class, vibrant area.
For its latest project it has teamed up with Melbourne-based international design practice ASPECT Studios to deliver the green spaces proposed in the winning concept from the 2018 Southbank by Beulah architecture competition.
The landscape design will be centred on the planted vertical facades and outdoor spaces that will stretch from street level to the top of both towers, paying homage to Victoria – known as the Garden State – and symbolically bridging Melbourne’s iconic Royal Botanic Gardens with its Arts Precinct.
According to Grant Associates, the proposal will challenge landscape pre-conceptions and will include a Future Sky Garden – an expansive, transformative and usable conservatory space at the top of the tallest tower – while extended planted terraces will characterise the facing facades of the two towers as they twist towards each other, connecting people to nature and encouraging healthy city living.
The towering vertical garden will push the boundaries of flora-infused buildings, attract local birdlife, sequester CO2, produce oxygen and filter dust and pollutants from the air.
Grant Associates director Keith French, pictured, said: “Southbank by Beulah is a pioneering project and delivering such a complex piece of integrated greening and place making in Melbourne is only possible through a collaborative approach and the collective efforts of many disciplines and specialists.
“We are really pleased to be working in close partnership with ASPECT Studios on this incredible project that brings nature and biophilic design to the forefront.
“As a practice, we believe in combining the latest design technology and thinking with a rich knowledge of human behaviour, nature and ecological science and we are delighted to have the opportunity to bring our experience to Melbourne as we set out to create a truly inspirational place for the city, its residents and its visitors."
Beulah executive director Adelene Teh said Grant Associates’ global reputation was second to none.
“Making considerations for the team on this project is a monumental task as this will be a world-class precinct for the city,” she said.
“Grant Associates were selected, not only because they are leaders in sustainable urban landscapes, but because they truly understood our vision of connecting people through nature.
“Through dynamic biophilic design, our vision is to redefine notions of retail co-creation, cultural possibilities, workplace innovation, the learning economy, sustainable living and urban belonging.”
Grant Associates previously worked on Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay scheme which, since completion in 2012, has become a global phenomenon attracting more than 12m visitors a year to experience its unique indoor and outdoor horticultural attractions.
The firm is also involved in the Friendship Park project in China’s innovative Tianjin Eco-City.
Closer to home it is leading the design work for a new public open space that will be the centrepiece of the groundbreaking Brabazon development in North Bristol and has been selected to work on Bristol Zoological Society’s new vision for a world-leading zoo in the city.
