MVRDV and woods bagot stack neighborhoods in 'new kind of skyscraper' proposal

MVRDV and woods bagot reveal stack, melbourne’s next generation high-rise, as part of the southbank by beulah competition. the two practices have joined forces to propose a ‘new kind of skyscraper’, which sees various neighborhoods stacked on top of each other, and connected by lifts, stairs and escalators, to create ‘a true vertical city.’

all images courtesy of MVRDV and woods bagot
header image © stab studio

located at the starting point of the southbank boulevard, which will be transformed into a new urban promenade, the stack features a public interface on all sides. a key presence in what will be a wide pedestrian area with greenery, cafes, and terraces, the skyscraper will be developed as a lifestyle district, with apartments, offices, a hotel, entertainment center, technological display centers, retail, cultural precinct and public green spaces expanding all the way from the street to the seventy-sixth floor. ‘it’s diverse, mixed, green, sustainable, human and open – the stack is a manifesto showing that urban density is great and can contribute to our planet’s survival,’ winy maas, one of MVRDV‘s founders, mentions. ‘the single mono typology towers that have plagued southbank in recent years don’t offer the richness that melbourne is known for,’ the dutch architect continues, ‘we’ve endeavored to unlock that, infusing public offering as an extension of the city, to dramatically enhance and future-proof high rise living.’

next to all the ‘noble ambitions’, a key parameter in MVRDV and wood bagot’s proposal is beauty, with the various patterns and textures of the facade composing a ‘mind-blowing and elegant’ structure. describing the competition as a shakeup for development in cities under increasing demand for higher density and good living, will hosikian, woods bagot principal, mentions, ‘what makes our proposal different is how we’ve created a melbourne-centric vertical urbanity.’ ‘all of melbourne’s great qualities and amenities are integrated through a sequence of interconnected public spaces, from the ground level all the way to its 359-meter peak,’ hosikian continues.

image © stab studio