Wonka-style Apple flagship proposed for Melbourne's Fun Factory redevelopment
Exclusive: A glass-crowned Apple flagship shop is part of lavish $200 million redevelopment project targeting a one-time amusement center in the Australian city of Melbourne, a design proposal shown to AppleInsider have revealed.
The plan, which got underway last year, calls for the demolition of the historic but under-utilized Fun Factory building on the corner of Toorak Road and Chapel Street in the city's South Yarra suburb. Developers want to replace the structure with a three-building, mixed-use development complex comprised of ground level retail shops, a hotel and a high-rise apartment building.
According to design documents, a cubed-shaped Apple store, reminiscent of the company's flagship location in San Francisco, would consume the largest chunk of space within the retail plaza. It would lay adjacent to both the hotel and apartment complex, interconnecting with those buildings at the podium level by a distinct and suspended translucent space frame characterized by circular, interconnecting rings.
The Melbourne site, if approved, would give way to just the second Apple-owned retail shop in Australia. Development planning for an initial location at 77 King Street in Sydney was confirmed for the first time earlier this week and said to be in the final stages. There, the iPod maker has proposed a three-story shop at the base of a sky-rise, clad by a similarly proportioned glass atrium along the frontal facade.
The Fun Factory building in South Yarra is believed to have been built in the late 1880s to house the Toorak cable tram system. However, when the system was electrified in 1926, the building fell into disrepair and turned vacant till it was taken over in 1933 by Capitol Bakeries. It reopened again to much fanfare in 1979 as the Fun Factory -- then one of Melbourne's largest amusement centers. Recently, the majority of the building has again turned dormant, a furniture retailer, burger joint, and arcade withstanding.
For Apple, its decent on Australia's retail scene will clear just one of several international targets caught within its cross-hairs. Over the next two years, the Cupertino-based firm is also expected to turn up inaugural shops in Italy, Scotland, France, and Germany. Its current fleet of 170 stores stretches the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Japan.
Apple Store design proposal for Fun Factory site in Melbourne, Australia.
The Apple Store exterior would include glass and aluminum panels.
High rises (left), circular, interconnecting rings (right).
Picnic tables line the side walks outside the Apple shop.
The suspended translucent space frame joining the structures.
The Fun Factory site from a distance.
The plan, which got underway last year, calls for the demolition of the historic but under-utilized Fun Factory building on the corner of Toorak Road and Chapel Street in the city's South Yarra suburb. Developers want to replace the structure with a three-building, mixed-use development complex comprised of ground level retail shops, a hotel and a high-rise apartment building.
According to design documents, a cubed-shaped Apple store, reminiscent of the company's flagship location in San Francisco, would consume the largest chunk of space within the retail plaza. It would lay adjacent to both the hotel and apartment complex, interconnecting with those buildings at the podium level by a distinct and suspended translucent space frame characterized by circular, interconnecting rings.
The Melbourne site, if approved, would give way to just the second Apple-owned retail shop in Australia. Development planning for an initial location at 77 King Street in Sydney was confirmed for the first time earlier this week and said to be in the final stages. There, the iPod maker has proposed a three-story shop at the base of a sky-rise, clad by a similarly proportioned glass atrium along the frontal facade.
The Fun Factory building in South Yarra is believed to have been built in the late 1880s to house the Toorak cable tram system. However, when the system was electrified in 1926, the building fell into disrepair and turned vacant till it was taken over in 1933 by Capitol Bakeries. It reopened again to much fanfare in 1979 as the Fun Factory -- then one of Melbourne's largest amusement centers. Recently, the majority of the building has again turned dormant, a furniture retailer, burger joint, and arcade withstanding.
For Apple, its decent on Australia's retail scene will clear just one of several international targets caught within its cross-hairs. Over the next two years, the Cupertino-based firm is also expected to turn up inaugural shops in Italy, Scotland, France, and Germany. Its current fleet of 170 stores stretches the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Japan.
Apple Store design proposal for Fun Factory site in Melbourne, Australia.
The Apple Store exterior would include glass and aluminum panels.
High rises (left), circular, interconnecting rings (right).
Picnic tables line the side walks outside the Apple shop.
The suspended translucent space frame joining the structures.
The Fun Factory site from a distance.
Comments
"Honey, remember when I bought you that beautiful (expensive) ring? I've been thinking of a way you could get me something LIKE an engagement ring... only more computerish. Oh LOOK! An Apple Store!"
I'm a little surprised Apple's first store here would be in the suburbs not the city centre, but Chapel Street is the premier shopping strip in Australia so it makes sense to be there. Good for me too - I can walk there or catch a tram.
I couldn't help but notice Ireland wasn't on that list.
i know how australia is when it comes to heritage listings or even old historic sites for that matter, if a property is near 100 years old it is automatically classed as a heritage site. AND there are many thousands of independent and very corrupt (think old convict colony days) local councils,
and i know that these councils just pray for a wealthy company to lodge a proposal, they have done it with BP and many other petroleum outlets ( i know BP because i had a 2 franchise's for several years) and many private builders for that matter, i know I'm in the trade and i have currently an uncle in front of the anti corruption tribunal regarding a certain council's demands for cash ( YES COUNCILS OVER HERE ARE QUITE OPEN ABOUT GETTING MONEY OUT OF DEVELOPERS)
good-luck apple, your going to need it when you deal with these jealous knockers we have here in this old convict colony
I'm not racist, just being very serious, many many australians just hate big money and can't wait to give it to the man.
we are a nations of critics and knockers,
oh and don't forget the locale residents, they can easily hold up multi million dollars projects, they have done it before and only quite when they get their way or are paid to leave you alone, they are like rates that smell a chance for money, it has happened to me !!
http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/pl...Number=0592/01
IMO the location is a mistake. Because of the fact that the City of Stonnington has extremely high standards for what it considers "gateway sites", final approval, demolition and construction of that site could take two years or more.
btw the time for protests, appeals etc is past. The permit is already approved.
Melbourne and Australia is lucky to have such an architect, and even luckier when they have that Apple Store
APN Property Group and Freedom Furniture chain co-founder Peter Palan are planning a $200 million joint redevelopment of South Yarra's landmark Fun Factory site.
Mr Palan obtained a permit in 2001 for a 27-storey building with 213 dwellings, up to 12,000sqm of retail space and 666 basement car spaces.
The permit allowed the demolition of existing buildings - including the Fun Factory building, now largely occupied by Freedom Furniture - to build 78 serviced apartments.
It also allowed the sale and consumption of liquor.
Stonnington City opposed the permit, but lost an appeal in 2002.
However, the council is still likely to play a role in the final outcome, with the joint developers expected to seek big changes to the original plans.
They have approval to demolish existing buildings and must commence construction by September 2008. The development forms part of a wider redevelopment plan for the "Forrest Hill Precinct". From Stonnington Council's Forrest Hill Precinct Strategic Plan:
Fun Factory site, 241-257 Toorak Road and 625 Chapel Street, South Yarra
The Fun Factory site, on the north-west corner of Toorak Road and Chapel Street, is a strategic site that forms a primary gateway into the Prahran South Yarra Principal Activity Centre. The site has the capacity to accommodate an iconic podium-tower development due to its established gateway status, prominent corner location, and large overall lot size of approximately 6,000 m2.
The built form for this site should reinforce the primary gateway entry into the Prahran South Yarra Principal Activity Centre with a tower development that acts as an architectural landmark, achieves skyline prominence and that is well setback from the main street frontages, so as not to overwhelm these streetscapes. The podium levels should complement the existing streetscape of the Toorak Road/Chapel Street intersection, largely defined by the podium of the Como Centre and the height of the ‘Country Road’ building on the south-west corner. The site has the potential to make a significant contribution to urban consolidation and, at the ground and lower levels, to enhance the role of the wider Prahran South Yarra Principal Activity Centre
by providing retail uses and active frontages that revitalise this important main street intersection.
This site has current planning permit approval (permit 0592/01 that requires development works to have commenced by 6 September 2008), that allows for demolition of the existing buildings and development of the site comprising 4 and 6 storey podiums, a 12 storey building at 241 Toorak Road and a 27 storey building setback from the Toorak Road/Chapel Street corner of the site, to be used for dwellings, serviced apartments, shops, food and drink premises and a multi level basement car park.
Here's a good overview picture showing the development's location relative to the city etc. It's going to be quite a significant development...a good place for Apple to choose.
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/7359/cdb7fifj9.jpg
btw the time for protests, appeals etc is past. The permit is already approved.
it ain't over till the fat lady sings,
don't get me wrong, i'm all for it, but when i read "historic" I GOT SHIVERS DOWN MY SPINE
don't be surprised when locales come out to stop demolition, they can do it, and no one knows if or when it will happen,
hope this gets built though, it's a nice looking complex in a nice area
which application.
thanks
I'm a little surprised Apple's first store here would be in the suburbs not the city centre, but Chapel Street is the premier shopping strip in Australia so it makes sense to be there. Good for me too - I can walk there or catch a tram.
Yeah.... Frack me. It's great. Chapel St is really boutique-y, and a short tram ride out of the CBD. Good location, at least not crammed into some shopping mall like Doncaster or Chadstone.
Melbourne has a ton of heritage sites but in the past 10 years there have been major modern developments - Federation Square, major big buildings at Melbourne Uni, The Westin CBD, Eureka Tower, Doncaster and Chadstone massive shopping mall overhauls (Doncaster Westfield now starting), and Austin Hospital major overhaul big-ass complex. Also the place where there used to be a skate park in the CBD next to the State Library that's now a big ass building, and the BHP-Billiton building which AFAIK just came up in the past 5 years.
And well done AppleInsider, keep us informed on Europe and Australia expansion. Also, any news on Apple cracking their Japanese market issues.
Mm.... Chapel St. I remember getting drunk there a few times in 1999 - they had a bar (what was it called?) that served mainly ice-cocktails.
Looks pretty nice, but small in comparison to the other buildings next to it.
The buildings next to it will be massive compared to just the one-or-two-storey shops along the road.
it ain't over till the fat lady sings,
don't get me wrong, i'm all for it, but when i read "historic" I GOT SHIVERS DOWN MY SPINE
don't be surprised when locales come out to stop demolition, they can do it, and no one knows if or when it will happen,
Sounds like iSteve's California home troubles.
Mm.... Chapel St. I remember getting drunk there a few times in 1999 - they had a bar (what was it called?) that served mainly ice-cocktails.
It's called Frost Bites. (shudder).
it ain't over till the fat lady sings,
don't get me wrong, i'm all for it, but when i read "historic" I GOT SHIVERS DOWN MY SPINE
don't be surprised when locales come out to stop demolition, they can do it, and no one knows if or when it will happen,
Things are a bit different in Victoria: What VCAT says, goes. Public protests and annoyed neighbours can't really do much at all. A few years ago, the government effectively took responsibility for urban planning away from individual councils and gave it to VCAT, who have the final say on what can and can't be built.
It's a rare event when VCAT denies a development application: that hideous extension to the Espy in St Kilda was approved; but they denied any development for the area to the north of Luna Park. Like it or not, that development is going ahead. The property is too valuable to sit vacant for long: top end of a high-end shopping strip, on two tram routes, near a well-served train station - not to mention it's in South Yarra!
Things are a bit different in Victoria: What VCAT says, goes. Public protests and annoyed neighbors can't really do much at all. A few years ago, the government effectively took responsibility for urban planning away from individual councils and gave it to VCAT, who have the final say on what can and can't be built.
It's a rare event when VCAT denies a development application: that hideous extension to the Espy in St Kilda was approved; but they denied any development for the area to the north of Luna Park. Like it or not, that development is going ahead. The property is too valuable to sit vacant for long: top end of a high-end shopping strip, on two tram routes, near a well-served train station - not to mention it's in South Yarra!
i stand corrected, i didn't know things where that good in victoria, i have never built there, it's good that the government has taken control over development consents,
here in n.s.w. it is common for property developers to book a date with the land and environment courts at the same time they lodge building plans with council.
the reason for this is that they know the varied councils will reject the plans or put in place so many conditions and bribes (section 94 contributions fees
It's called Frost Bites. (shudder).
Awww yeah... I remember now. Thanks mate 8)
Is it bad that we remember it from the late-90's [?]
F*k I'm getting old, man...! And I'm only 28. Is it still around?
Probably not... Mmmm... some good daquiris besides their boutique ice-cream(?)-ice cocktail stuff.