A new innovative building $79 million, 28 level building at 198 A’Beckett Street in the heart of Melbourne promises to re-design student living in Victoria. Called The Switch, the building is due to open in February 2023.
Switch co-founder Craig Oliver said Melbourne has a very strong student market and there is a huge demand for good quality accommodation with the return of international students after borders re-opened.
“We have created spaces that will enable students to flourish in the domains they are passionate about: environmentalism, regeneration, inclusivity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
The building – one of the first of its kind in Australia – houses 641 beds in a mixture of furnished private studios through to four bed shared apartments. The all-inclusive rent structure includes use of WiFi, utilities, laundry, common spaces and much more.
Some of the highlights of the new building include:
- a sophisticated design, with Gen Z at the core of everything. For instance, there is a social lounge with a fireplace on Level 11 as well as a private dining room where residents can entertain;
- activation of common spaces by bringing the outside world in – there will be a café on the ground floor that opens into the building and the external laneway;
- a performance theatre designed to facilitate pop up retailers and be activated by Melbourne’s young up and coming artists, performers and comedians;
- meeting rooms, honesty kitchen, cinema, games area, external terraces;
- a sheltered rooftop with a DJ booth, ambient lighting and offering panoramic views of the Melbourne skyline;
- staffed gym to host group fitness classes;
- a podcast studio, mobile phone activated keys, access to the Sonder safety app, electronic parcel lockers, tech enabled bedheads, access to the Technogym wellness app and a paperless onboarding experience.
“We are offering a new type of residential experience for international students in Melbourne, which has already proved hugely popular our other properties in Adelaide and Perth and a concept that has really taken off across Europe,” Mr Oliver said.