Golden Age Group has officially commenced construction on its $190 million

state-of-the-art boutique commercial office building on Little Collins Street, signifying one of the largest strata office builds to commence construction since the pandemic started in 2020.

The Melbourne CBD strata office market has proven resilient throughout the pandemic and has outperformed other major CBDs within the country and 130 Little Collins is a testament to this, with 50 per cent of the project sold since its launch late last year.

During the whole development cycle the project will have created 343 jobs, with Golden Age appointing Probuild as the builder following the successful completion of its Sky Garden project in Glen Waverley.

Once complete, the project will also provide retail tenancy activation to Coromandel Place, assisting with the revitalisation and in alignment with the City of Melbourne laneway activation and greening strategies.

The construction commencement celebration was attended by Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp who said every crane in the sky is a sign of confidence in Melbourne’s future.

“Melbourne’s CBD strata office market has remained resilient despite the challenges of COVID-19 and is outperforming other major CBDs across the country,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Every dollar invested now, every worker that comes back into a CBD office, every extra job created through the construction sector has flow on benefits for all the small and medium sized businesses in our city.”

According to a report from Colliers, the average square-metre rate for east end CBD strata office transactions in 2021 is $16,637; 20 per cent higher than it was in 2020 and 10 per cent higher than that of 2019.

Golden Age Group Founder and Managing Director, Jeff Xu said there is currently limited opportunity for quality office space of all sizes in the east-end of the Melbourne CBD.

“Many tenants within Melbourne’s eastern core have historically had to renew within the precinct given the lack of supply and availability but 130 Little Collins has catered to the pent up demand.

“The typical commercial building has been turned on its head; we’re witnessing a preference towards more boutique floorplans as a result of businesses scaling down their requirements for an office, coupled with something that greater emphasises lifestyle and wellbeing,” said Jeff.

Following the successful construction projects at Victoria One and Sky Garden, the partnership between Golden Age Group and Probuild is built on collaboration and high-quality delivery according to Probuild Managing Director, Luke Stambolis.

“We look forward to delivering this boutique office development with repeat client Golden Age Group. As one of the most experienced office builders in the country, we’ll use our expertise to deliver this project to the highest level of quality, something we are renowned for at Probuild” said Luke.

Reaching 28-levels high, the project is a collaboration between an all-star design team including Cox Architecture, Hecker Guthrie and Jack Merlo that will set a new global benchmark for strata office architecture, design, amenity and sustainability.

Levels 2 to Level 27 consist of column-free floorplates offering sun-drenched office spaces with maximised floor-to-ceiling heights of 2.7m to create an environment that promotes productivity, with an additional wrap-around garden terrace on Level 8.

A communal garden rooftop terrace offers a beautiful outdoor space for casual meetings and lunches and at night, transforms into a space to entertain co-workers and clients alike, complete with a kitchenette.

The subterranean end-of-trip facilities are more akin to a first-class lounge, with visitors having access to private change rooms with showers and towel service, individual storage lockers and a waiting lounge complete with magazines, newspaper and refreshments, as well as bicycle parking facilities in line with the project’s sustainability initiatives.

130 Little Collins Street will be a building of high environmentally sustainable design with certification targets of 5-Star NABERS design potential, 5-Star Green Star Design and As-Built, in addition to WELL Certification as a means of improving the health and wellbeing of its occupants.

A selection of flexible strata floorplates are on offer across 26 levels, ranging in size from 82sqm to 556sqm. For more information please visit https://130littlecollins.com.au/