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Count 'em: Zaha Hadid is planning to build a whopping five sinuous skyscrapers in Brisbane, Australia

Count 'em: Zaha Hadid is planning to build a whopping five sinuous skyscrapers in Brisbane, Australia

Pritzker Prize laureate Zaha Hadid recently unveiled plans for twin towers fronting Mariner’s Cove along the Gold Coast of Brisbane, Australia. The two 44-story mixed-use towers will combine 370 highrise living units and a 69-suite boutique hotel with what developer Sunland Group bills as the region’s “first privately-owned cultural precinct.”

An art gallery, museum, and outdoor sculptural gardens overlooking the broadwater are just a few of the arts-supporting facilities on the docket. For her second skyscraper in Australia, the Iraqi-British architect envisioned two tapered towers with sculptural curved glass recalling muscle sinew, which will be raised up pedestal-like by a curved podium to reduce the building’s footprint.

“Each residential tower is designed as if it were an organic, living form, with sinuous lines interlacing upwards from a tapered base, creating a sense of flow and movement,” said Dr. Sahba Abedian, Managing Director of Sunland Group, which commissioned Hadid for the designs. “This vibrancy is further brought to life by the reflection and interaction of the glass facade with its stunning setting.”

The podiums will house ground floor retail and dining as well as a waterfront promenade and underground aquarium. “At the ground plane, the towers merge seamlessly with the public spaces dedicated to culture and the arts via an art gallery and museum, outdoor sculptural art precinct, and conference center. The underground aquarium, organically integrated in the landscape and plaza layout, completes the master plan,” Abedian continued.

Sunland Group has lodged a planning application with the Gold Coast City Council, which is also looking over proposals for another Hadid-designed and Sunland-backed mixed-use complex: a proposed three-tower $420 million Grace on Coronation in Toowong, Brisbane, occupying the former site of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The Mariner’s Cove towers, meanwhile, are adjacent to Marina Mirage on Sea World Drive, and form part of redevelopment plans for Mariner’s Cove, home of the Sea World Resort.

“This proposal has the capacity to enable the Gold Cost to further define cultural identity not only through defining architecture but also through the cultural aspects it will provide to the city,” said Sunland Executive Chairman, Dr. Soheil Abedian.

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