Student Accommodation Planned for CBD Office Tower

Plans have been lodged for a student accommodation development on Melbourne’s 225 King Street.

The project would offer 409 studio rooms plus 11 two-bedroom student residences. 

If approved, there will be a total of 1359sq m of communal area, including ground-floor study areas, concierge, lounges and meeting rooms, as well as 377sq m of retail tenancies.

At level 12, there will be a lounge, study, games room and gym.

“While a residential building typically consists of dwellings sandwiched between shared spaces on ground floor, podium terrace and rooftop, this design introduces communal breakout spaces scattered down the entire northern corner to activate the eroded interface physically as well as visually,” designers Plus Architecture said.

SLB Developments acquired the site in 2022 for $35.5 million. 

A Singapore-based developer, SLB bought it from Victoria University in a deal brokered by JLL. 

▲ With an existing 6286sq m of lettable area, the 225 King Street site is situated in Melbourne’s CBD.

Victoria University had recently completed a move to its 370 Little Lonsdale Street campus and offloaded the currently vacant office site to the offshore investor. 

The 225 King Street project is the second of SLB’s in Melbourne, the other being the consolidation of office and retail podiums at 235 Bourke Street with joint venture partners Futuro and Baring Private Equity Asia.