Lendlease completes latest Docklands housing project at Melbourne Quarter

Lendlease has officially completed its latest major residential project on the edge of Docklands, with the opening of West Tower at Melbourne Quarter marking the final piece of the broader Melbourne Quarter precinct opposite Southern Cross Station.

Announced on April 22, the 45-storey tower is being described as Australia’s largest build-to-rent tower and adds 797 new rental homes to the western edge of the CBD. Delivered in partnership with Daiwa House Australia, the project includes a mix of furnished and unfurnished studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments aimed at providing longer-term rental security in a well-connected inner-city location.

For Docklands and the CBD fringe, the project is notable not only for its scale but also because it marks the completion of Melbourne Quarter, a 2.5-hectare urban renewal precinct more than 13 years in the making. According to Lendlease, the precinct is already home to more than 1800 residents and supports a daily workforce of more than 12,000 people across four office buildings, two residential towers, retail, dining, laneways and public space.

The completion of West Tower was marked in April by a ceremony attended by Japanese ambassador Kazuhiro Suzuki, Victorian Housing and Building Minister Nick Staikos, federal Melbourne MP Sarah Witty and Lord Mayor Nick Reece.

Designed by Melbourne firm Fender Katsalidis, the tower includes a range of resident amenities, including a rooftop lounge and terrace, private dining spaces, a bowling alley, home theatre, golf simulator, co-working areas, music and podcast studios, and access to health and wellness facilities in the neighbouring East Tower, including a pool, spa, sauna and steam room.

Lendlease executive director development Adam Williams said the project responded to continued demand for housing close to transport, jobs and education.

“The completion of West Tower is a significant milestone, adding a welcome new supply of homes to Melbourne and meeting continued demand for well-located housing close to public transport, jobs and education,” he said.

Daiwa House Australia chief executive Koji Morishige said the tower was already beginning to fill, with hundreds of residents now living in the building.

The project also reflects the growing role of build-to-rent in Melbourne’s inner-city housing mix, with West Tower the latest in a broader pipeline of Lendlease residential developments across Melbourne. The company says it currently has more than 2300 homes under construction or in delivery across the city. 

Housing Minister Nick Staikos said Melbourne Quarter demonstrated what could be achieved when government and industry worked together to deliver homes near jobs, transport and open space.

For Docklands, the completion of West Tower adds another substantial residential presence to the precinct’s eastern edge, further strengthening the growing link between the CBD, Docklands and the Southern Cross station gateway. •