OSK Property's $800m Aura tower rises at Melbourne Square, Southbank

Construction is underway on Aura, OSK Property’s $800 million residential tower within the Melbourne Square precinct in Southbank, ArchitectureAU reported on 23 September. ArchitectureAU reported that the tower will reach 67 storeys.

Why it matters

Aura is the third phase of the Melbourne Square precinct in Southbank, ArchitectureAU reported, and construction has now commenced at 7 Hoff Boulevard. At 67 storeys and more than 670 apartments, it adds a large block of new residential supply to a precinct ArchitectureAU valued at $3.5 billion. For Southbank developers and agents, that is a sizeable competing pipeline of studio to three-bedroom stock due to land around early 2030.

The numbers

ArchitectureAU reported more than 670 apartments in the tower, with an image caption on the same report putting the figure at 673. ArchitectureAU reported that the tower is part of the $3.5 billion Melbourne Square precinct. ArchitectureAU reported that Aura adds 1,800 square metres of retail to the precinct’s existing 4,300 square metres. ArchitectureAU reported a 3,745 square metre landscaped park within the precinct, Kennedy Park, designed by Taylor Cullity Lethlean. ArchitectureAU reported a targeted completion for Aura in early 2030. The apartments are organised in a range of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts, ArchitectureAU reported.

ArchitectureAU reported that various levels of the tower will hold clubs and amenities for residents across social, recreational, wellness and working uses. A landscaped garden by Oculus includes a Japanese-inspired teahouse and outdoor barbecue facilities, the report said. The tower overlooks the Royal Botanic Gardens, Port Phillip Bay and Albert Park Lake to the east, and Kennedy Park and Hoff Boulevard to the west. ArchitectureAU reported that Deputy Lord Mayor Roshena Campbell described the project as a “huge vote of confidence” in Melbourne.

What’s next

ArchitectureAU reported that Cox Architecture designed the tower, with DKO responsible for the interiors, and that construction is already underway toward that targeted early-2030 completion. ArchitectureAU’s report quotes Multiplex regional managing director Ross Snowball on the use of AI-enabled construction technology on the project, without the report naming Multiplex outright as Aura’s builder. ArchitectureAU quoted OSK Property Australia chief executive Chong Boon Woon describing the tower’s finishes as aiming for “calm, clarity and simplicity of Japanese design.” With Aura now past design and into construction, the stage to watch is whether that pace holds against the early-2030 target, and what OSK Property confirms next for the remaining stages of Melbourne Square, tracked separately on OSK Property’s developer page.