Rialto Towers

Last updated

Rialto
Rialto Towers in May 2017, edit.png
Rialto as viewed from the base of the towers, in May 2017
Rialto Towers
Record height
Tallest in Melbourne from 1986 to 1991 [I]
Preceded by Sofitel Hotel at Collins Place
Surpassed by 101 Collins Street
General information
TypeOffice
Location Melbourne, Australia
Coordinates 37°49′08″S144°57′30″E / 37.81889°S 144.95833°E / -37.81889; 144.95833
Construction started1982
Completed1986
Height
Architectural251 m (823 ft) [1]
Roof247 m (810 ft) [1]
Observatory234 m (768 ft) [1]
Technical details
Floor count55 (plus 3 underground)
Floor area84,000 m2 (904,200 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Gerard de Preu and Partners
Perrott Lyon Mathieson
Main contractor Grollo Australia

Rialto (often The Rialto, or Rialto Towers) is a skyscraper located at 525 Collins Street, in the western side of the Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. It was the tallest office building in the Southern Hemisphere when it was constructed.

Contents

The Rialto featured Melbourne's first skyscraper public observation deck, which operated between 1994 and 31 December 2009. [2] It was also the location of Melbourne's first Tower running event.

Background

Robbs Building, demolished in 1982 to make way for an open forecourt on the corner Robbs building melbourne.jpg
Robbs Building, demolished in 1982 to make way for an open forecourt on the corner
Original Rialto Building, retained as part of the development Rialto old.....jpg
Original Rialto Building, retained as part of the development

The site of the whole Rialto development ran between Flinders Lane and Collins Street, and was occupied by several buildings including numerous small warehouses on Flinders Lane, with lanes between including and Winfield Square and Robbs Lane. On the corner of Collins and King Street stood Robb's Buildings, named for the owner, railway builder John Robb, a grand classical styled 5-storey Victorian office building designed by Thomas Watts and Sons [3] in 1885, and one of the largest in the city at the time. [4] Next to that along Collins Street stood two interwar buildings, then the Rialto Building (1891) designed by William Pitt and the Winfield Building (1890) designed by Charles Debro & Richard Speight, both part of the five building Rialto building group, an historic streetscape along Collins Street running up to the 1880s Olderfleet Building to the east.

Through the late 1960s and early 1970s, National Mutual Life Association of Australasia purchased the various historic buildings on the site, but had to rethink plans when the Rialto and Winfield buildings were listed by the new Historic Buildings Preservation Council in 1974, and the National Trust of Victoria opposed the demolition of other buildings on the site.

Little progress was made until 1980 when the site was acquired by Grollo Australia in a joint venture with St Martin's Properties. [5] Grocon successfully argued that Robb's Building stood in the way of its major three-tower proposal, which they modified to a two-tower proposal, but still demolished the Robbs building. A hotel was created utilising the whole of the long rear wing of the Rialto Building, the replacement of the rear wing of the Winfield Building, and the creation of an atrium between.

Construction

Rialto at night. Rialto Towers at night.jpg
Rialto at night.

Designed by architects Gerard de Preu and Partners in association with Perrott Lyon Mathieson, the building was built between 1982 and 1986, opening in October 1986, and takes its name from the much older Rialto Building next door. The massive glass curtain wall façade of reinforced blue tinted mirrored glass is its central feature and changes colour during the day, ranging from a trademark dark blue to a brilliant gold during sunset.

It is 251 m (823 ft) high, with 55 floors [6] and 3 basement floors. It comprises two conjoined towers, the shorter North Tower being 185 m (607 ft) high with 43 floors. In total, there are 84,000 m2 (900,000 sq ft) of office space.

Early tenants moved into the lower floors while the upper floors were still under construction in 1984.

Rialto Run-up

Inspired by the popular Empire State Building Run-Up, a stair race up the 242 m (794 ft), 1222–1254 step race to the 53rd floor of the Rialto building was first run in the late 1980s and became an annual event with both men's and women's divisions known as the Rialto Run-up. Previous winners include Robin Rishworth (1989, 1990); Geoff Case (1991). The winner was awarded with a trip to New York City to compete in the Empire State Building race. The event was run until 2005 and competitors had to go up 1254 steps. [7]

Observation Deck

The Melbourne Observation Deck opened to the public on 19 July 1994 and was located on the 55th floor of the South Tower, at 234 m (768 ft). Views of up to 60 km (37 mi) can be had on a clear day. The floor is serviced by two passenger lifts. On 31 December 2009, the observation deck closed. In 2010, the fine dining restaurant, Vue de Monde, and associated cocktail bar, Lui Bar, opened for trade on Level 55. [8]

Panoramic view from the Rialto at night showing the Melbourne city centre and Southbank illuminated Rialto view night.jpg
Panoramic view from the Rialto at night showing the Melbourne city centre and Southbank illuminated
A ~180-degree panoramic image of Melbourne's Hoddle Grid (CBD) and Southbank on the right side, as viewed from the Rialto Observation Deck Melbourne Skyline from Rialto Crop - Nov 2008.jpg
A ~180-degree panoramic image of Melbourne's Hoddle Grid (CBD) and Southbank on the right side, as viewed from the Rialto Observation Deck

New podium

In 2015–17, the partly roofed, partly open forecourt-podium was replaced with a 5 level perimeter building containing offices, with retail at ground level, and an internal glass-roofed area between it, the towers, and the side wall of the original Victorian era Rialto building. This addition was designed by Woods Bagot architects. [9] [10]

Statistics

Rialto dominating Melbourne's western skyline Melbourne at night, 2014.jpg
Rialto dominating Melbourne's western skyline

Rialto consists of two interconnected towers, North and South, with rooftop floors at Level 41 and Level 58 respectively. There are 36 passenger lifts, 95 km (59 mi) of lift cables, 706 lift door openings and 1,450 staircase steps. The outer surface of the building has 13,000 windows. There are five basement levels of car park available for occupiers and casual users. When completed in 1986, The Rialto surpassed Sydney's MLC Centre to become Australia's tallest building at 251 m (823 ft). It was the tallest for five years until being surpassed by 101 Collins Street in 1991. It is currently the tenth tallest building in Australia.

List of tallest buildings in Australia
Next Shortest
Infinity Tower
249 metres (817 ft)
Next Tallest
Bourke Place
254 metres (833 ft)
Heights are to highest architectural element.
List of tallest buildings in Melbourne
Next Shortest
Melbourne Central
246 metres (807 ft)
Next Tallest
Bourke Place
254 metres (833 ft)
Heights are to highest architectural element.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eureka Tower</span> Skyscraper located in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Eureka Tower is a 297.3 m (975 ft) skyscraper located in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction began in August 2002 and the exterior was completed on 1 June 2006. The plaza was finished in June 2006 and the building was officially opened on 11 October 2006. The project was designed by Melbourne architectural firm Fender Katsalidis Architects and was built by Grocon. The developer of the tower was Eureka Tower Pty Ltd, a joint venture consisting of Daniel Grollo (Grocon), investor Tab Fried and one of the Tower's architects Nonda Katsalidis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Tower</span> Tall architectural structure in Sydney, Australia

Sydney Tower, also known as Centrepoint Tower, is the tallest structure in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, as well as the second-tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere. Sydney Tower has also previously been known as AMP Tower and Centrepoint Tower, and colloquially as Flower Tower, Glower Tower, and Big Poke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Q1 (building)</span> Tallest building in Australia

Q1 Tower is a 322.5-metre (1,058 ft) supertall skyscraper in Queensland, Australia. The residential tower on the Gold Coast was the world's tallest residential building from 2005 to 2011. As of 2023, it is the tallest building in Australia, the second tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, and the third-tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere, behind the Autograph Tower in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand. The Q1 officially opened in November 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burj Khalifa</span> Skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the world's tallest structure. With a total height of 829.8 m and a roof height of 828 m (2,717 ft), the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure and building in the world since its topping out in 2009, surpassing Taipei 101, the previous holder of that status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">120 Collins Street</span> Skyscraper in Collins Street, Melbourne central business district, Victoria

120 Collins Street is a 265 m (869 ft) skyscraper in Collins Street, Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. It was built from 1989 to 1991 and it comprises 50 levels of office accommodation and four levels of plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Radio & TV Tower</span> Telecommunications and observation tower in Beijing, China

The Central Radio & TV Tower is a 405-metre-tall (1,329 ft) telecommunications- and observation tower in Beijing, China. It was the tallest structure in the city until 2018, when it was surpassed by China Zun. It is the ninth-tallest tower in the world, and has its observation deck at 238 m (781 ft). The tower provides panoramic views over the city from its revolving restaurant and observation deck. It is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collins Street, Melbourne</span> Street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Collins Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was laid out in the first survey of Melbourne, the original 1837 Hoddle Grid, and soon became the most desired address in the city. Collins Street was named after Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania David Collins who led a group of settlers in establishing a short-lived settlement at Sorrento in 1803.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nakheel Tower</span> Planned skyscraper

Nakheel Tower was a planned skyscraper on hold in Dubai, United Arab Emirates by developer Nakheel. The project was previously called Al Burj. While the proposal changed over time, the tower was intended to be the tallest building in the world, surpassing the 828-metre (2,717 ft) Burj Khalifa which was completed in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia Square</span> Office, retail in Sydney

Australia Square Tower is an office and retail complex in the Sydney central business district, Australia. Its main address is 264 George Street, and the square is bounded on the northern side by Bond Street, eastern side by Pitt Street and southern side by Curtin Place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">101 Collins Street</span> 260m skyscraper in Collins Street, Melbourne central business district, Australia.

101 Collins Street is a 260 m (850 ft) skyscraper located in Collins Street, Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. The 57-storey building designed by Denton Corker Marshall was completed in March 1991. Towards the end of project, with a change of developer, the foyer space was designed by John Burgee, noted as a pioneer of postmodern architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanghai Tower</span> Megatall skyscraper in Shanghai, China

Shanghai Tower is a 128-story, 632-meter-tall (2,073 ft) megatall skyscraper located in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai. It is the tallest building in China and the world's third-tallest building by height to architectural top. It is the tallest and largest LEED Platinum certified building in the world since 2015. It had the world's fastest elevators at a top speed of 20.5 meters per second until 2017, when it was surpassed by the Guangzhou CTF Finance Center, with its top speed of 21 meters per second. Designed by the international design firm Gensler and owned by the Shanghai Municipal Government, it is the tallest of the world's first triple-adjacent supertall buildings in Pudong, the other two being the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center. Its tiered construction, designed for high energy efficiency, provides nine separate zones divided between office, retail and leisure use. The US-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat cites it as "one of the most sustainably advanced tall buildings in the world."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookfield Place (Perth)</span> Office tower in Perth, Western Australia

Brookfield Place is a skyscraper within the Brookfield Place office complex in Perth, Western Australia. It is currently the second tallest building in Western Australia. Located at 125 St Georges Terrace, the major tenant is BHP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia 108</span> Residential skyscraper in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Australia 108 is a residential supertall skyscraper in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Having officially topped out in June 2020, it became the tallest building in Australia by roof height, surpassing the Eureka Tower, and the second-tallest building in Australia by full height, surpassed by Q1 Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6 & 8 Parramatta Square</span> Skyscraper in New South Wales, Australia

6 & 8 Parramatta Square is a skyscraper in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, a centrepiece of the Parramatta Square development. The building consists entirely of commercial office space, making up 120,000 square metres (1,300,000 sq ft) of floorspace, at a height of 225.45 metres (739.7 ft), making it the tallest building in Parramatta and outside the Sydney central business district. It was built in the Parramatta Square Development on plot 8 called PSQ8.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">APA Building, Melbourne</span> Office in Victoria, Australia

The APA Building was a skyscraper in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; at 12 storeys and 53m to the tip of its corner spire, it became the Australia's tallest commercial building at the time of its completion in mid 1890 exceeding the previous height record set by of the Federal Coffee Palace. It was later reputed (erroneously) to have been the world's tallest at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Collins Lane</span> Shopping mall in Melbourne, Australia

St. Collins Lane is a shopping centre completed in 2016, designed by ARM Architecture, which stretches between Collins and Little Collins streets in Melbourne, Australia. The centre runs under a budget hotel occupying the upper nine floors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STH BNK by Beulah</span> Skyscraper under development in Melbourne, Australia

STH BNK by Beulah, previously and still commonly referred to as Green Spine, is a dual skyscraper development proposed for Melbourne’s Southbank precinct by Beulah International, and designed by architectural firms UNStudio and Cox Architecture. The site currently hosts a BMW dealership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rialto building group, Melbourne</span> Group of historic buildings in Australia

The Rialto, Winfield and Olderfleet building group, in Collins Street, Melbourne, is a group of five historic buildings all built within a few years of each other in 1888-1891. They are all a similar height, width and level of detail, making up one of the most notable historic streetscapes in Melbourne, and a particularly notable Victorian streetscape in the international context. All the buildings were subject to preservation battles in the 1970s and early 1980s, ultimately saving the front portions of four of them, and the whole of one of them, the Rialto.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Emporis – Rialto Towers [usurped]
  2. "Rialto Observation Deck to close". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Archived from the original on 2 December 2009.
  3. Robb's buildings, corner of Collins and King Streets Melbourne [picture] by
  4. John Lack (1976). "Robb, John (1834–1896)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Vol. 6. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN   978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN   1833-7538. OCLC   70677943.
  5. "Building Construction". pp. (Building Profile → Features → Construction). Retrieved 17 January 2007.
  6. "Leasing".
  7. "Rialto Run-Up 2005 Run 1254 stairs to the top!", coolrunning.com.au. Retrieved 8 April 2015
  8. Dobbin, Marika (8 October 2009). "End in view for Rialto's top deck". The Age . Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  9. "Retail & Office Architecture". Architecture & Design. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  10. "Rialto Regeneration". Woods Bagot . Retrieved 16 March 2021.
Preceded by Tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere
1986–1991
Succeeded by