Australia 108, designed by Fender Katsalidis Architects, now stands as the tallest residential building in the Southern Hemisphere. Located on Melbourne’s southern coast near the CBD, this iconic skyscraper rises 319 meters with 100 floors. Its completion marks a significant milestone in both Australian and global residential architecture, establishing a new urban landmark for the city.
From concept to completion, this sculptural glass tower took seven years to build. The standout feature is the two-story golden structure that cantilevers 6 meters from the main building, resembling a bursting star and capturing the eye. Named “Starburst,” its design draws inspiration from the Commonwealth Star on the Australian flag, symbolizing an exclamation mark in the sky and pushing architectural boundaries. Positioned approximately two-thirds up the tower, this golden volume houses fully functional facilities, offering residents an unmatched level of comfort.
Australia 108 stands next to another Fender Katsalidis skyscraper, the Eureka Tower. Before Australia 108’s completion, Eureka Tower was Melbourne’s tallest building. The two towers share a cohesive design language, featuring glass, gold elements, and white stripes that visually link them while maintaining their distinct identities. Craig Baudin, Director of Fender Katsalidis, expressed pride in designing the city’s two tallest buildings and highlighted the architectural dialogue they create on Melbourne’s skyline.
The design challenges traditional concepts of skyscrapers. The innovative cantilever technology used in Starburst offers a fresh architectural experience, redefining how vertical living spaces can be designed.
“Beyond shaping the city skyline, we focused on enhancing street-level interaction between the building and the public,” explained Nicky Drobis. The project serves as a true landmark in Melbourne, offering residents, locals, and visitors a fresh perspective on the city. The ground floor podium preserves a traditional façade, while the top 10 floors of parking are softened with layers of canary palms and trees, adding greenery to the structure.
Fender Katsalidis also designed the interior public amenities, including a suspended swimming pool within Starburst and a ground-floor cloud hall. The interiors radiate elegance and luxury. Australia 108 offers residents an extensive range of high-quality facilities: double-decker sky gardens, dining and multi-functional spaces, theaters, gyms, spas, and spacious barbecue terraces. The total shared amenities span over 4,500 square meters. To maximize flexibility, the building was constructed and handed over in stages, allowing residents to move into lower floors while upper floors were still under construction, ensuring full functionality throughout.
Despite site constraints, the innovative cantilever design of Starburst allows for expanded public spaces on the upper floors. Baudin emphasized the importance of quality and quantity of shared spaces to foster community cohesion in high-rise living. As the tallest residential tower in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia 108 offers breathtaking panoramic views above the clouds. The Starburst public areas provide a communal space for residents from all floors to come together and enjoy the stunning scenery.
Fender Katsalidis paid special attention to the building’s nighttime appearance, an aspect often overlooked in Melbourne’s high-rises. The striking sculpture silhouette remains visible after dark, enhanced by interior lights and white light strips on the exterior facade. These programmable lights emphasize the building’s horizontal lines and highlight the cantilevered Starburst structure, transforming it into a shining star in the night sky. The successful completion of Australia 108 was made possible through close collaboration between Fender Katsalidis Architects and builder Multiplex.
Project Drawings
△ Location Diagram
△ First Floor Plan
△ 11th Floor Plan
△ 70th Floor Plan
△ 71st Floor Plan
△ 76th Floor Plan
△ 92nd Floor Plan
△ Elevation Drawing
△ Elevation Drawing
△ Section Diagram
△ Section Diagram
Project Information
Status: Completed in 2020
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Design Period: 2012–2020
Client: World Class Land
Building Area: 138,300 square meters
Type: Residential Apartments, Residential Building, Residential Complex, Skyscraper
Key Features: Apartments, Suspended Swimming Pool, Double-layered Sky Garden, Dining and Functional Spaces, Theater, Gym, Spa, Barbecue Terrace
Design Director: Nicky Drobis
Project Manager: Craig Baudin
Lead Designers: Karl Fender, Kathie Hall
Design Team: Shem Kelder, Jim Stewart, Wayne King, Kianson Tay, Sophie Zasempa, Nidhya Sakathevan, Cheryn Cheam, Wuff Keeble, Jessica Lee, Sarah Hurst, Andrew Samuel, Sally Jacob, Poonam Randev, Stephanie Fourniotis, Sprina Singh, Pinar Kolay, Delu Pok, Yasmin Dall, Sophie Addison, Zac Yiu, Bryan Dinh, Claudia Reinhardt, Domenic Bono, Sheila Fung, Jet Leong, Shin Kil, Georgie Tiernan, Edgar Lopez, Ping Tan, Ashleigh Briggs, Ben Sann, Cliff Chang, Sheila Fung, Tina Gelberidis
Construction: Brookfield Multiplex Australasia
Materials: Metal, Concrete, Steel, Glass
Photography: Fender Katsalidis, Peter Bennett, Willem Dirk du Toit
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