A corner view of Capital Property Group’s landmark development proposal in the city. Images: JPW.
A significant milestone has been reached for the first stage of Capital Property Group’s grand reshaping of the courts carpark in the city.
The Snow family company submitted a Works Approval application to the National Capital Authority last month, and consultation has now concluded.
The proposal will command the key corner of Northbourne Avenue and London Circuit and comprise three connected office buildings on a two-level podium.
Two of the buildings will rise 10 levels above the podium on the corner, taking the height to the maximum allowed of 25 metres, while a smaller one further along London Circuit will only offer five levels.
The ground floor on Northbourne Avenue and London Circuit will be home to cafes, restaurants and shops. A feature of the public foyer will be a light-filled atrium.
The development will deliver 62,700 square metres of office space and 2300 sqm for hospitality and retail.
The proposal for 60 London Circuit sits between two other developments planned for the courts carpark – 2 Knowles Place and 40 London Circuit, which could include housing, a hotel, and boutique commercial tenancies.
The architects behind the National Portrait Gallery, Johnson Pilton Walker, designed the building, while Red Box Design Group, landscape architects who worked with CPG on its Constitution Place development, are responsible for the public realm works and landscaping.
A key part of this public realm will be a pedestrian plaza between this building and the future 40 London Circuit, which will provide a throughway to Knowles Place.
The landscaping will include blue stone paving, street trees, shrubs and groundcover across the development, both at street frontages, through the pedestrian plaza and in other areas.
The proposed building will be set back on London Circuit 6.69 to 8.79 metres from the boundary, while the levels above will overhang to provide shelter. To Northbourne Avenue, the ground floor and level 1 are set back 2.45 metres from the boundary, and the level above overhangs.
On Knowles Place, the ground floor and level 1 are set back 12.51 metres from the future proposed southern building fronting Northbourne Avenue and Vernon Circle and set back 13.11 metres from the ACT Magistrates Court building.
The whole structure will sit on three basement levels, which will offer 280 public parking spaces to replace those lost in the development, but only 240 for private tenants to meet Green Star building standards, prioritising active travel, public transport, and electric vehicles. Access will be from Knowles Place.
There will also be secure bicycle parking, showers and lockers on the first level of the basement.
Sustainability will be a feature of the development, which is aiming for a 6-star NABERS energy rating, will be fully electric and be a Net Zero carbon operation.
It will also boast rooftop solar, EV chargers, rainwater harvesting, an integrated vertical and horizontal façade for efficient solar and shading and large vision panels to provide natural light.
The Commonwealth, which CPG hopes will be its main tenant, has a Net Zero requirement for new offices.
The application says shadow diagrams show that the proposed building won’t block sunlight to its neighbours or cast adverse shadows on the surrounding public domain or City Hill Park.
A wind study recommends incorporating trees and raised planter beds into landscaping to mitigate wind impacts.
The traffic study says 647 vehicles per hour will be generated in the AM peak period and 720 in the PM peak period. The current traffic generation for the existing 280-space public carpark is expected to continue, resulting in an overall increase of 101 vph in the AM peak and 142 vph in the PM peak.
As a result, the performance of the intersections along Knowles Place is expected to worsen, but the study concludes that delays and queues are expected to be limited to a local road and not cause significant impacts to any of the major roads surrounding the site.
Early works preparing for the start of construction proper are already underway.
CPG acquired the 11,381 square metre court carpark site (Block 40 Section 100) from the ACT Government in November 2023 for $53 million.
CPG is putting its stamp on the CBD. This development will follow its award-winning Constitution Place development and a new office block being built next to it.
It also has plans for another mixed-use precinct at the southern end of London Circuit, the old clover leaf land which it bought from the ACT Government in January for $66 million.
These projects, combined with light rail, will transform the western side of the city.
