Modern Homes

The two 24-level towers of Evermore, one champagne coloured and the other bronze, are set to make a shiny new addition to Melbourne’s skyline.

The first of the apartments have been released this month, 199 in all. Whether they know it or not, the buyers will be purchasing a slice of Melbourne history. Evermore is on the site of the former Channel 7 studios, which were built in 1956 just in time to broadcast the Melbourne Olympics.

Today Dorcas Street is undergoing a period of revival with apartment projects taking advantage of its proximity to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Sarah Buckeridge, director at architect firm Hayball, says change was a motivating factor in Evermore’s design.

 “In thinking about this project we were really looking at the opportunities of the location,” she says.

“The towers were going to be able to take advantage of those elevated views both of the Botanical Gardens area, but also towards Albert Park and the bay in the south-west direction.

“We were equally interested in what’s emerging in the area, in terms of it’s undergoing a bit of change and there’s increasingly numbers of local cafes, restaurants and small supermarkets and amenities popping up which is really about the increasing residential population of the area.”

The dual towers are linked on level three with a common space that includes a central garden, pool, sauna, gym, lounge with open fireplace, cinema and a meeting room that can double as a study.

Hayball interior designer Bianca Hung says including a lot of shared spaces was a key element of the building.

“The common spaces are something that really sets this development aside,” she says.

“The central garden provides a central space for all the residents to look down on to and it includes a barbecue area flanked by private dining rooms.”

As an extra incentive, buyers have a one in 20 chance of winning a BMW i3.

New residential developments throughout Southbank and South Melbourne are driving more people through the doors of local cafes and shops. It’s a boon for small businesses such as coffee house St Ali.

“We’ve been really lucky that we’ve always had year-on-year growth, but we’re definitely seeing a lot of new faces in the area,” says general manager Lachlan Ward.

“In the last 12 months you’d definitely need two hands to count the amount of residential blocks that are going either above old industrial spaces or just completely demolishing them.

“It’s a bit of a time of transition – city real estate’s getting harder to come by and those old spaces can get a new lease for life.”

At a glance

• The Evermore, 58-66 Dorcas Street, Southbank
• Architect: Hayball
• Developer: Landence Group
• Number of apartments: 199: 80 one-bedroom, 109 two-bedroom, 10 three-bedroom
• Internal sizes (square metres): One-bedroom 45-60, two-bedroom 60-82, three-bedroom 108-154.
• External areas (square metres): 6-65.
• Prices: One-bedroom $400,000-$530, two-bedroom $630,000 – $895,000, three-bedroom from $1.28 million.
• Car parking: One-bedroom optional carpark at $60,000 each, two-bedroom one each, three-bedroom one or two each.
• Completion: Mid to late 2019
• Agent: Melbourne Est8 Agency, Nic Cuni, 1300 383 766
• Open for inspection: On site display suite open every day 12-4pm.