Sydney’s highest residential building has reached its full habitable height - 240 metres above sea level.
Metro Grand at Chatswood claims the crown by exceeding World Tower in the CBD by 10 metres. Although it only has 46 levels compared to World Tower’s 75 storeys, Metro Grand has a head start because Chatswood is 100 metres above sea level.
When the eye-catching architectural ‘blade’ at the top of the building is included, Metro Grand soars to 264 metres.
Metro Grand is one of a ‘triple treat’ of buildings jointly developed by the Galileo Group and ISPT that fully integrate resort-style living in the heart of Chatswood’s vibrant shopping, dining, working and entertainment precinct.
Metro View (31-storeys) and Metro Spire (42-storeys) were completed in June and are occupied, while Metro Grand (46-storeys) is expected to complete before year’s end.
The three ‘shimmering’ apartment towers, delivered by Cox Richardson, become increasingly transparent as they soar above the Chatswood Transport Interchange. Finely-detailed metallic grids and glass curtain walls give the façades a crystalline sheen, with feature blades folding at the top of each building creating distinct crowns.
In all, there are 553 apartments in the three Metro buildings. Demand has proven overwhelming and the prices achieved set records for Chatswood, including four skyhomes for between $4-Million and $4.5-Million.
Joint-venture partners Galileo Group and ISPT achieved a gross realisation of around $500-Million for the project. Paul Marshall from the Galileo Group said the 10,000 square metres of retail would include 70 to 80 specialty shops, a Woolworth Supermarket and a dedicated food and beverage precinct with around 15 restaurants.
“An exciting aspect of Metro is that it shows the potential of transport-orientated developments in Sydney,” said David Milton, the head of CBRE Residential. “Residents need never use their car to get to work, do the shopping or meet friends for a drink, reducing the stress of urban life and on the environment. It can become a blueprint for planners.”