UNStudio and Cox Architecture’s “Green Spine” has been announced as the winning design proposal for Beulah International’s latest project — Southbank by Beulah. Located in the heart of Melbourne, the $2 billion mixed-use tower would be the tallest in Australia, as claimed by the Dutch architectural firm. UNStudio’s entry was chosen from the shortlist that included BIG, Coop Himmelb(l)au, MAD, MVRDV, and OMA.UNStudio’s design for Southbank by Beulah proposes a mixed-use building that would be a city in itself, envisioned to emerge as a new landmark for the Southbank area and Melbourne. “The proposal is integrally organized by one Big Detail: a ‘Green Spine’ of vertically networked platforms, terraces, and verandas. This multifaceted spine is created by the splitting open of the potential single mass at its core, thereby forming two separate high-rise structures and causing them to reveal the almost geological strata of their core layers as they rise above a light-filled canyon,” states UNStudio. “As a result of this design intervention, the towers that emerge on either side can enjoy porous city views and vastly improved contextual links, while the residences, offices, and the hotel benefit from increased daylight and access to outdoor spaces.”Ben van Berkel, UNStudio’s founder and principal architect, said: “In addition to providing the towers with a twisting, sculptural silhouette, the Green Spine is an architectural element that incorporates a multitude of functions in one fluid gesture.”The taller of the two towers, with a height of 356.2 meters, will be entirely residential and house a publicly accessible garden at its top. The lower tower, topping out at 252.2 metres, will be home to a hotel and commercial space. The indoor-outdoor spatial frames embedding nature, public space, and culture will form a vertically stepped public infrastructure integrating recreation, retail, offices, residential, hotel, and exhibition spaces. The podium will house a marketplace, retail and entertainment spaces, and a @BMW experience center.“Our design proposal for Southbank by Beulah was motivated by the concepts of togetherness, joint ownership and open access for local residents and the wider community. We therefore created the space not only to be accessible and tailored to the users of the building, but also for the people of — and visitors to — Melbourne. To this end, the podium and its public rooftop park are reserved for public use,” adds UNStudio.Click on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the project.http://www.blouinartinfo.com/                       Founder: Louise Blouin   Read more