evo - The Creation of a New Identity

As well as creating an iconic building, Marchese Partners through sister company Addition Creative was charged with creating a distinctive identify for the project.
In order to feed off the excitement created in the M+P/Addition office by the landmark project Additions creative director Dion Allan, devised an in-house competition for all M+P and Addition staff to come up with a name for the project. Over 300 ideas were put forward. The wining name 'evo' was put forward by Gabrielle Suhr. Dion Allan said that 'the M+P & Addition teams were really excited by the project, this translated to an excellent response through many distinctive ideas and concepts being put forward. The winning name was selected due to its strength, simplicity, its link with evolution and environmental concepts and its strong graphical possibilities. The bid logo blends crisp type over a foliage of green a metaphor for the project itself. The name and brand offer strong potential to be developed when the project proceeds'.

How they Measure Up

The e1 101 storey tower is 17 metres taller than Q1, currently the tallest building on the Gold Coast and officially the world's tallest high-rise residential use building. The official listing shows the Eureka Tower in Melbourne (297m) as second, followed by the Millenium Tower in Dubai (285m). Within the context of all high rise buildings e1 is currently number 18 in the world, with the Taipei 101 in Taiwan at 509m at the top of the list - interestingly Tapei also has 101 storeys.

evo - the 'High Life'

Marchese + Partners design for 'evo' has been formally submitted as an Expression of Interest to the Gold Coast City Council. The $850 million proposal was prepared for Portberg Properties and includes two residential towers (101-storeys and 70-storeys) set amongst a 7000m2 public park. When constructed the e1 tower will eclipse Q1, currently the tallest building on the Gold Coast.

The development is made up of two towers that have an organic form - e1 and e2. e1 is a 101 storey residential tower, it penetrates the ground to allow a cascade of water to stream into the new transit centre and retail level below. At its peak a revolving restaurant is planned to give unobstructed views of the Gold Coast. e2 is a 70 storey tower twisting and curving out of the landscape. Both towers feature sky gardens that grow within the sculptured form of the buildings. The towers sprout from the substantial urban parkland proposed for the ground level of the site which will become the new 'green heart' of Surfers Paradise.

M+P's innovative approach to the design of the towers involves the fusing of the parkland and the towers facades, enveloping the facades in a landscaped skin while connecting the sculptural built form to the new urban park setting. The park at ground level is veiled in a tapestry of textured canopies and acts as a public green forecourt to the development.

A new park side low rise structure incorporating a cafe precinct, with galleries and exhibition spaces as well as boutique hotel edges the park. A resort style pool, health club, day spa, and tennis courts are located on the roof of this low rise structure. A landscaped roof area enjoys views over the park and provides pedestrian connection with the towers.

Below the parkland, a new retail centre is proposed, with large format convenience retail and specialty shops complementing the re-constructed Gold Coast Bus Transit centre on site.

With numerous tall residential buildings currently being planned and constructed worldwide, including 90, 100 and even 140 storey buildings it is clear that the future of high rise residential living is becoming a more recognized concept as space in our cities becomes more highly sought after. Evo belongs to this new generation of residential buildings.