Top 5 Skyscrapers in Australia
It has long been man's ambition to build taller, stronger, and bigger. Australian architects and engineers are no exception. They have been testing the limits of civil engineering since the country established, and they have produced some quite impressive results. Here are the top 10 skyscrapers in Australia.
5. Soleil Meriton
Brisbane / 243 meters
Another wonder of tall buildings is in Brisbane, very near the Infinity, called the Soleil, again constructed by Meriton. From 2011 to 2014 it was the tallest building in the city with a 797 feet top point, until the Infinity Tower overtook it. Due to the small site, the building required two iterations of designing till the city council passed it.
The Soleil has 68 floors, 10 of which are car parking levels, the construction of which led to the biggest excavation project in Brisbane's history. There are 25 floors of serviced apartments in the building mixed with 43 floors of private residential apartments. The top nine levels contain 50 service apartments owned by Meriton. Apart from these, there are three levels of retail.
4. Infinity Tower
Brisbane / 249 meters
Designed and developed by Meriton, the Infinity Tower is a beautiful modern super skyscraper located in Brisbane's North Quarter district. Completed in 2014, the building has 549 units of serviced apartments and residential units. The excellent location of the Tower gives its users great access to major facilities around the city.
Other than the 549 apartments, the building includes a spa, a lap pool, private gyms, and saunas. All of these are spread over 81 levels - all accessed by a very efficient elevator system. The site was previously a small car parking area, which was purchased by Meriton at only 25 million AUD.
3. Prima Pearl
Melbourne / 254 meters
Coming second only to the nearby Eureka Tower, Prima Pearl would have been the tallest building in Melbourne if only it was finished in time. It started on paper in 2002, but was shelved till 2010 and finished in 2014.
The majestic Prima Pearl has 72 levels, a swimming pool, a sky lounge or observation gallery at the 67th floor for residents, and 616 residential units, although the car parking spaces were reduced. The building has two lobbies - Prima and Pearl - granting access to the higher and lower levels of the building, containing different types of apartments.
2. Eureka Tower
Melbourne / 297.3 meters
Finished in 2006, this impressive supertall building comes second in the 2020 list of top 10 tallest buildings in Australia. Designed by Fender Katsalidis Architects and built by Grocon, this was the world's tallest residential tower with the most residential floors (84) till 2009.
The Eureka Tower is inspired by the 1854 gold rush of Europa Stockade, the coloring representing gold and the Europa Stockade flag's colors. The tower has 91 floors including a basement - which made it the only building in the world with 90+ storeys at the time of finishing, of which, 9 floors are parking.
1. Queensland Number One
Gold Coast / 322.5 meters
Australia has been graced with this impressive super high rise building, also abbreviated as the Q1. This residential building in Queensland held the world record of being the tallest residential apartment building in the world from 2005 to 2011.
Designed by SDG & Buchan Group, the Q1's architecture was inspired by the Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch. The concept projected a series of ribbons wrapped around the core of the tower, hovering above the entry plaza. To hold up the massive structure, 26 piles each of 2-meter dia extend 40 meters below ground, passing through 4 meters of solid rock.