CHICAGO, IL (15 November 2022) — Collins Arch, by Woods Bagot with SHoP Architects and Cbus, a mixed-use project located in the heart of Melbourne’s urban core adds two more honors to its growing list of distinctions following the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s (CTBUH) 2022 award ceremony. Known for its expressive form–a pair of tapered 164-meter towers connected by an elevated sky bridge–CTBUH recognized Collins Arch as the Best Tall Building, 100-199 Meters and the Best Tall Mixed-Use Building. The structure features 184 apartments, a new five-star hotel, nearly 50,000 square meters of WELL-rated offices and 950 square meters of ground-floor retail and is a testament to how an under-utilized part of the city can be transformed into a vibrant urban community through thoughtful design.  

Woods Bagot’s CEO, Nik Karalis, joined ShoP Architects’ Founding Principal, William Sharples, and Cbus Property’s Executive General Manager of Development, Victor Istanto, at the three-day conference in Chicago to present on Collins Arch and consider the conference’s theme, Tall Excellence: Seeking the Ideal in Vertical Urbanism. At the conclusion of the conference, the 2022 winners were announced at a ceremony attended by architects, engineers, and peers from around the globe.

Collins Arch is the first true mixed-use development in Australia. In addition to commercial space, residences, retail, and hotel, the project’s unique island site provides a significant contribution to the public realm at the ground plane with an amphitheater, integrated water wall, public seating, and parkland.  

Of the recent wins, Woods Bagot CEO, Nik Karalis, says, “From the start, we knew that Collins Arch was destined to make a significant contribution to Melbourne’s central business district by being the catalyst for urban revitalization. Working with our design partners, SHoP Architects, and the Client, Cbus Property, Woods Bagot realized our aspiration of transformative architecture. We are grateful to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat for recognizing our vision by awarding the project two of its coveted Awards of Excellence. While the height and scale of Collins Arch are significant, the ways the project serves its community are also sources of great pride.” 

Considered one of the world’s leading non-profits invested in the future of cities, CTBUH explores how increased urban density and vertical growth can support more sustainable and healthy cities, especially in the face of mass urbanization and the increasing effects of climate change worldwide. With its own strong focus on these issues, Woods Bagot is actively engaged in addressing these urgent topics through its practice and advocacy within the global AEC community.