La Trobe Street Student Accommodation

Student Accommodation tower fosters sense of community and pioneers innovative delivery model

  • Location:

    42 - 50 La Trobe Street, Melbourne

  • Construction duration:

    22 months

  • Completion date:

    November 2018

  • Client:

    Blue Sky Funds

  • Architect:

    Hayball

  • Structural engineer:

    Rincovitch

  • Delivery method:

    Hickory Building Systems

  • Project bathrooms:

    Sync Bathroom Pods

  • No. levels:

    44 (incl. plant room)

  • No. student beds:

    783

At nearly 150 metres high, 50 La Trobe Street will be one of the world’s tallest student accommodation projects to use prefabricated construction methods.

The 783-bed project includes a 43 level tower, a 7 level building at the rear of the site and a ground floor café and public access laneway. Terraces, lounges and other communal spaces for studying and socialising are dispersed throughout the project, designed to foster a sense of community amongst the student population.

By utilising Hickory Building Systems, the high-rise project will reduce both build time and construction impact for neighbouring properties, creating a safer public environment during construction and limiting disruption by taking key activities off-site.

This includes prefabricating floor slabs, facades and Sync bathroom pods in Hickory’s factory and transporting these to site for fast and efficient installation.

Features

783 beds across studio apartment, twin share and cluster room formats

2 separate buildings of 43 and 7 levels, encompassing almost 25,000 square metres of GFA

Tallest prefabricated student accommodation project in Australia and one of world’s tallest prefab buildings

Bronze curtain wall façade featuring open air terraces at various levels of the tower

Reduced construction program / 30% saving over conventional building methods

Successful Hickory after hours installation method established on 323 La Trobe Street employed on the 50 La Trobe Site. Construction method involves utilising a quiet electric crane to deliver and install oversize prefabricated elements out of hours in order to minimise traffic and site congestion during the day

619 Sync bathroom pods feature across the project pre-fitted and finished with all plumbing, lighting, joinery, wall and floor coverings

Hickory worked closely with the client and architect to deliver a last-minute design that preserved the original façade; an effort welcomed by Melbourne City Council and heritage groups