OMA's competition proposal for the new Southbank by Beulah Tower in Melbourne

OMA's competition design for the Beulah Tower focuses on sustainability within Melbourne's urban model. The ambitious project features a mixed-use, vertical city with extensive retail including a BMW flagship location, office space, a hotel, and residential living. The base of the building houses 24/7 retail and food and beverage programs. Large express escalators, elevator shortcuts, and laneways provide extensive movement throughout the space, while the open arcades act as a permeable shell inviting the public in from the surrounding streetscape.

This experience center is heavily shaped by the BMW flagship store and features a special façade in the iconic brand's blue shade. The BMW logo also appears in the moving lift platform that moves between the basement and mezzanine levels. The underbelly of the mezzanine is clad throughout in a light fixture designed as a giant headlight, visible from a wide range outside the building. 

Above the public experience center is the office portion sitting parallel to the core of the base, which is always on one side of the floor plates. The design layout consists of open and flexible floor plates with grand views an green break areas on either end. The interior gardens can be fully open with a foldable façade system, acting as a buffer between the workplace and the adjacent Hanover House.

Sitting just above the office block, the hotel segment is the first upper tower segment twisting around the core and consists of 6 standard residence levels and 7 suite levels. The hotel design features simple, efficient, and spacious floor plates. Two amenity levels at the top and bottom of the hotel block offer a variety of wellness, food and beverage, and recreational facilities.

The residential part of the tower is situated at the top with the best exposure to daylight and urban views. OMA's design features a gentle twist at the top to increase residential views and also provide the tower with an iconic silhouette. The residential block consists of a wide range of amenities including fine dining, fitness, gardens, and a pool. 

Status: Competition 
Client: Beulah International 
Location: Melbourne, Australia 
Program: Offices, Hotel, Residential, Retail, BMW Experience Center 
Total GFA: 255,000m2 
Total height: 345m
 
Partner in Charge: David Gianotten 
Director in Charge: Paul Jones 
Project Architect: Roza Matveeva 
Team: Samuel Biroscak, Jack Davies, Roman Kekel, Andrew Keung, Davide Masserini, Justin Ng, Xiaotang Tang, Elizabeth White 

COLLABORATORS 
Local Executive Architect: Conrad Gargett 
Engineering Consultant: ARUP
Site Photographer: TomRoss.xyz 
Model Photographer: Frans Parthesius 
Quantity Surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall 
Visualizations: MR.P 
Traffic Engineer: AECOM