List of tallest buildings in Melbourne
, the second-largest city in Australia, is home to approximately 758 completed high-rise buildings. Of those completed and or topped-out, 52 buildings are defined as "skyscrapers"-buildings which reach a height of at least ; more than any other city in Australia. Of the ten tallest buildings in Australia, seven are located in Melbourne. Most of Melbourne's tallest skyscrapers are concentrated in the City Centre precinct; however, other locations of prominent skyscrapers and tall buildings in Melbourne include Carlton, Docklands, Southbank, South Melbourne, South Yarra, and St Kilda Road.
Geographically, Melbourne's central business district, defined by a grid of streets known as the Hoddle Grid, has a historically low central shopping area with high rise cluster in the western financial district, and another cluster in eastern end. Buildings are more densely packed in the west than the east, although the east has two of the city's tallest buildings to architectural feature—120 Collins Street and 101 Collins Street, respectively, whilst the Rialto Towers is tallest by roof. In the 2010s, another skyscraper cluster rose in the northern section, with Aurora Melbourne Central the tallest. As a whole, the city overtook Sydney in 2011 as having the tallest skyline in the country and the 24th–tallest in the world, when the heights of the top ten tallest buildings in the city are combined.
Historically, Melbourne has represented several "firsts" and been the holder of various records, both in Australia and internationally. The city is notable for being one of the first cities in the world to build numerous tall office buildings, alongside New York City and Chicago in the United States, though Melbourne's first skyscraper boom was very short lived, 1888-1892. Melbourne was the location for Australia's first high–rise, the APA Building, constructed during this boom in 1889. Melbourne was also the location for the first modern post-WW2 high-rise in Australia, ICI House built in 1958. From 1986 to 2005, Melbourne's held the title of tallest buildings in Australia, with the Rialto Towers, 101 Collins Street and 120 Collins Street. Since 2006, the city has been home to the second-tallest building in the country, the Eureka Tower and Australia 108 ; surpassed only by the Gold Coast's Q1, both the Eureka Tower, and later Australia 108, have maintained the title of tallest building in Australia to roof.
History and specifications
;19th centuryThe late 1880s 'land boom' saw the construction of approximately a dozen 'lofty edifices' of 8 to 10 floors, made possible by the introduction of a pressurised hydraulic power network to operate lifts, and taking load bearing brickwork to great heights. The APA Building at 12 floors plus spire, was by far the tallest, and can claim to be Australia's first 'skyscraper' and amongst the tallest building in the world when completed in 1889. Aside from the APA Building, a total of 11 'skyscrapers' were located in the Melbourne city centre during this period, including the Finks Building and 3 matching ‘Prell's Buildings’. They were all built in an elaborate High Victorian style, with facades of stucco Renaissance Revival elements, except the APA building which was in red brick Queen Anne, prompting architectural historian Miles Lewis to comment that Melbourne had become a "Queen Anne Chicago". All except two were torn down in the post war boom of the 1960s and 70s, with the APA controversially demolished in 1981.
;20th century
Melbourne was the first city in Australia to undergo a post-war high-rise boom beginning in the late 1950s, though Sydney in the following decades built more, with over 50 high-rise buildings constructed between the 1970s–90s.
In 1972, 140 William Street became Melbourne's first skyscraper to surpass the height of 150 metres. The William Street building was the city's tallest for a few years, and remains one of the few heritage registered skyscrapers in Melbourne. Slightly taller, the Optus Centre was completed in 1975; and then in 1977 Nauru House was crowned the tallest building in Melbourne, at a height of 182 metres. In 1978, what would be the first of two Collins Place towers was opened, at a height of 188 metres.
By the early 1980s, Melbourne had a total of 6 buildings above 150 metres, with the completion of the Wentworth Hotel at Collins Place in 1980. In 1986, the Rialto Towers surpassed Sydney's MLC Centre as the tallest building not only in Australia but in the Southern Hemisphere, with a height of 251 metres. At the time of its opening it was the 23rd–tallest building in the world. The 1990s brought Melbourne another 9 buildings over 150 metres; 5 of which exceed heights of 200 metres. Specifically, 1991 saw the construction of the 101 Collins Street, which was crowned the tallest building in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere; it was surpassed in height later that year with the completion of the nearby 120 Collins Street. The skyscraper, which stands at 266 metres in height, held the titles for tallest building in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere for fourteen years, until the completion of the Gold Coast's Q1 in 2005.
;21st century
During the 2000s, over 20 high-rise structures were completed, including the Eureka Tower, which overtook 120 Collins Street as the tallest building in Melbourne, and further became the second-tallest in Australia. Eureka Tower was also the tallest residential building in the world, until surpassed by Ocean Heights and the HHHR Tower in Dubai. It is currently the 15th-tallest apartment building in the world.
Such trend has continued throughout the 2010s, with Prima Pearl, Victoria One, Aurora Melbourne Central, and Swanston Central being constructed, all of which stand above in height. This feat has been described as the "Manhattanization of Melbourne". Throughout the decade, the city experienced an "unprecedented" high-rise construction boom; of buildings expected to reach 150 metres in height, 4 have topped-out, 15 are under-construction, 30 have received approval, and another few have been proposed—more than any other city in Australia. In 2019, the topping-out of Australia 108 saw it surpass the Eureka Tower as the tallest building in Melbourne and the tallest building in Australia to roof; it also became Australia's first skyscraper to comprise at least 100 floors, and Melbourne's first building to be defined as a "supertall" skyscraper. Of those buildings currently under construction and expected to be completed in the 2020s, one project will surpass in height; West Side Place Tower 1.
The proliferation of skyscrapers in Australia over the past decades has also contributed to the city rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne. Whilst the first skyscraper in Australia was constructed in Sydney in 1967, Melbourne has had the most skyscrapers above 150 metres in the country and indeed within Oceania, for almost 33 years in total; from 1972 to 1989, from 1991 to 1999, in 2006, and again since 2015.
Height limits
Following much discussion, a height limit was introduced to Melbourne in 1916, along with regulations concerning fire-proof construction. This height is often said to have been the limit of fire ladders at the time, but this was an idea that the then fire chief allowed to be widely circulated even though the tallest ladder rose to only 25-metres, in order to ensure that fire safety was paramount. The main reasons for the limit, as well as fire proofing, were the preservation of light and air to the streets, avoiding congestion, and the influence of the City Beautiful movement, preferring evenly scaled streetscapes over those with buildings of varying heights. The height limit remained in force for nearly 40 years, allowing only uninhabited 'architectural features' to project beyond the 40 metre limit. The Manchester Unity Building, for instance, achieved a total height of 64-metres to the top of its corner tower.A variation was first granted in 1955 that enabled the construction of ICI House to a height of 81-metres, and so Melbourne therefore became the first city in Australia to allow a modern high–rise. The variation was on the basis that the design included an open garden space at ground level, introducing the concept of floor area ratio, where a total allowable floor area is used instead of a specific height limit. This was formalised by 'plot ratios' of 1:8 to 1:12 for different areas of the CBD in the "Borrie Report" in 1964, which was modified into a series of 'plot ratio benefit' scheme in the early 1980s, where the upper level of floor area could only be achieved in return for certain public benefits, such as a public arcade. Plot ratios remained in force for every site until 1999, when the 'New Format' Planning Scheme included plot ratios for entire city blocks rather than individual sites, a control that was mostly ignored. By the early 2010s, new towers in the CBD had average plot ratios of 37:1.
In September 2015, the Minister for Planning, Richard Wynne, introduced a 12-month height limit of approximately 229-metres for all buildings proposed in the Melbourne City Centre and segments of Southbank, along with interim planning laws that re-introduced a floor area ratio of 18:1, which could be exceeded up to a maximum of 24:1 only with the provision of certain public benefits. Should projects exceed the plot ratio, developers will need to make a special case to the Minister, outlining the proposal's state significance. These controls were made permanent in September 2016. Buildings proposed prior to September 2015, such as Australia 108, which has a plot ratio of 46.6:1, were exempt from the new law.
Precincts
The central business district skyline is broken down into two distinct sections: the east and west, divided by the Swanston Street. The tallest buildings on the eastern side of the skyline are 120 Collins Street and 101 Collins Street, while the tallest on the western side are the Rialto Towers, 568 Collins Street and Bourke Place.regions like Southbank.
Significant new skylines have emerged outside of the Melbourne City Centre, especially within the inner-city suburb of Southbank. This precinct, located adjacent to the City Centre, includes some of the tallest buildings in Melbourne, such as Australia 108, Eureka Tower, and Prima Pearl.
South Yarra, St Kilda Road, and the inner-city suburb Carlton, each comprise a skyscraper above 150 metres in height. Other inner-city suburbs, such as Docklands and South Melbourne each have skyscrapers in proposed or approved stages of development.
Functions
Most of Melbourne's skyscrapers constructed by the 1990s were built for commercial purposes—specifically, used as offices. Exceptions to this, include the mixed-use building Sofitel Hotel on Collins Place, and the all-hotel Crown Towers in Southbank. 2005 ushered in the first residential skyscrapers in Melbourne, with two built that year. By 2010, 72% of skyscrapers built in Melbourne were of commercial use, 12% residential, 12% mixed-use, and 4% hotel. The trend towards residential skyscrapers has continued significantly; in 2015, 58% of skyscrapers present within the city were of commercial use, 26% residential, 13% mixed-use and 3% hotel. These figures are set to change dramatically by 2020; when factoring those buildings still under-construction, 40% of the city's skyscrapers will be of residential use, 33% commercial, 23% mixed-use, 2% hotel, and 2% government.Completed
Overall
Melbourne comprises 52 skyscrapers completed or topped out within the city, which stand at least tall, based on standard height measurement. Such measurement includes spires and architectural details, but does not include antenna masts. An equal sign following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. An asterisk indicates that the building is still under construction, but has topped out. The "built" column indicates the year in which a building was completed.Height: S = Spire, R = Roof. Height is measured to the nearest metre.
Tallest buildings by precinct
This lists the tallest building in each precinct of Melbourne based on standard height measurement.Tallest buildings by function
This lists the tallest buildings in Melbourne by their respective functions—office, hotel, residential and mixed-use—based on standard height measurement.Skyscrapers at least 200 metres in height
Melbourne comprises 17 skyscrapers which reach a height of at least —more than any other city within Australia and Oceania. Of those, twelve skyscrapers are located within the City Centre, four are located within Southbank, and one in Carlton. Another eight skyscrapers are currently under construction, seven of which are to be built in the City Centre and one in Southbank.Historical tallest buildings
This section lists the ten tallest buildings in Melbourne for every decade since 1990. By 1980, all buildings within the top-10 listing reached a height of ; in 1995, the threshold increased to ; and again in 2015, to.Timeline of tallest buildings
This lists buildings that once held the title of "tallest building in Melbourne".| Name | Image | Years as tallest | Height | Floors | Notes |
| Kew Asylum | 1871–76 | 5 | |||
| Yorkshire Brewery Tower | 1876–88 | 8 | |||
| Fink's Building | 1888–89 | 10 | Demolished in 1897 | ||
| The Australian Building | 1889–1932 | 12 | Tallest building in Australia. Demolished in 1980 | ||
| Manchester Unity Building | 1932–58 | 13 | |||
| Orica House | 1958–62 | 20 | Tallest building in Australia | ||
| CRA Building | 1962–69 | 26 | Demolished in c.1980 | ||
| AMP Square | 1969–71 | 28 | |||
| Marland House | 1971–72 | 32 | |||
| 140 William Street | 1972–75 | 41 | |||
| Optus Centre | 1975–77 | 34 | |||
| Nauru House | 1977–78 | 52 | |||
| ANZ Tower at Collins Place | 1978–86 | 56 | Equal–tallest building in Melbourne with Sofitel Hotel at Collins Place from 1980 to 1986 | ||
| Sofitel Hotel at Collins Place | 1980–86 | 50 | Equal–tallest building in Melbourne with ANZ Tower at Collins Place | ||
| Rialto Towers | 1986–91 | 63 | Tallest building in Australia, tallest building in Australia to roof | ||
| 101 Collins Street | 1991 | 50 | Tallest building in Australia | ||
| 120 Collins Street | 1991–2006 | 52 | Tallest building in Australia | ||
| Eureka Tower | 2006–2019 | 91 | Tallest building in Australia to roof | ||
| Australia 108 | 2019–present | 100 | Tallest building in Australia to roof |
Major future projects
This is a list of currently Topped Out, Under Construction, Approved and Proposed highrise / skyscrapers set for Melbourne.under construction in April 2018. The project is expected to be completed in 2020.
Towers 1 and 2 under construction in July 2019. Both towers are expected to be completed in 2022.
| Topped Out | Under Construction | Approved | Proposed |
Major cancelled, revised, or vision projects
This is a list of cancelled, revised or vision skyscraper proposals that were previously set for Melbourne.| Revised | Cancelled | Vision |