A rendition of the Premier Tower, under development in Melbourne, courtesy Elenberg Fraser.
Who knew there would be a steel and glass ode to Beyoncé in the works? A skyscraper going up in Melbourne, Australia, takes its cues from a video by the pop singer, say architects Zahava Elenberg and Callum Fraser.
“Art and science? You betcha,” says studio Elenberg Fraser’s press release. “For those more on the art than science side, we will reveal that the form does pay homage to something more aesthetic—we’re going to trust you’ve seen the music video for Beyoncé’s Ghost.”
A rendition of the Premier Tower, under development in Melbourne, courtesy Elenberg Fraser.
The 78-story, $350-million Premier Tower, which will rise more than 740 feet above Spencer Street, will face the Southern Cross railway station; it is to include residences, retail and hotel rooms. Its undulating shape refers to the women writhing in skintight sheaths in the video, which is included in Beyoncé’s 2013 album Beyoncé.
Beyonce and Jay-Z at the Costume Institute Benefit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015.
Photo: Patrick McMullan
Nicholas Hunt
Singaporean real estate company the Fragrance Group, owned by Koh Wee Meng, is financing the project. Forbes indicates his current net worth at $1.15 billion.
It’s far from the first time the singer has inspired artistic expressions. Art student Chris Minafo painted a hyperrealistic portrait of the singer earlier this year, and “food artist” Michelle Wibowo created a portrait of her in Oreo cookies. She’s also an avid art collector, and has used her website to boost artist Hank Willis Thomas.
The Guardian reports that the Savoy Tower, operating since 1973, will be demolished to make way for the new construction.
A rendition of the Premier Tower, under development in Melbourne, courtesy Elenberg Fraser.
Elenberg Fraser has taken home numerous awards, from the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year distinction, which went to Zahava Elenberg in 2005, to spots on the shortlist for several 2015 Australian Institute of Architects’ Awards.
The city of Melbourne is well known for its 19th-century architecture, featuring many “boom style” sandstone buildings supported by wealth made from a gold rush, including the World Heritage Site the Royal Exhibition Building, from 1880. The city does, however, have a tradition of experimental architectural design, supported by RMIT University, the royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
No word on whether another architect will up the ante with a Jay Z-inspired skyscraper neighboring Premier Tower so that the pop stars can live together forever Down Under.
A rendition of the Premier Tower, under development in Melbourne, courtesy Elenberg Fraser.
A rendition of the Premier Tower, under development in Melbourne, courtesy Elenberg Fraser.