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Twisting twin towers known as the Green Spine will grace the Melbourne skyline, as UNStudio and Cox Architecture were named winners of the $1.4 billion Southbank by Beulah competition. Beating out five other shortlisted entries by top firms around the world, including MAD, BIG, OMA, and MVRDV, the Dutch-Australian team is on track to create Australia's tallest building.



Green Spine is a series of stacked vertical platforms with verandas and terraces to house greenery throughout. Each tower is topped by a public garden and a lower podium is aimed at engaging the public. The podium, which is composed of stacked platforms, connects the two towers and includes retail spaces, a school, a daycare center, a library, a cinema, and a rooftop public park.




The integration of civic spaces and elegant design helped push the design to the top. “The concept offers landscape relief (green) within an area generally lacking in nature, place making, civic art, and cultural experiences,” shared government architect and juror Jill Garner. “The vertical village idea has a series of relationships and a grain that is beyond its architectural response—it taps into important social issues including ideas associated with the future of home/work/play.”



The taller, 1168-foot (356-meter) tower will be entirely residential. By contrast, the smaller tower, which stands at 827 feet (252 meters), will house a hotel, restaurant, bar, and offices. In spreading more than 66,000 square feet (6,100 square meters) of usable space over two towers, UNStudio and Cox break up the impact on the skyline. And from a practical perspective, it allows the construction of each tower to function independently and in stages.