Collins House

Melbourne, Australia

Explore how innovative solutions and careful planning made Otis the perfect fit for Collins House

As a newly designed skinnyscraper in the heart of downtown Melbourne, Collins House features a narrow design that required a rethinking of the very concept of a skyscraper. Otis rose to the challenge, working within space and time constraints to deliver advanced elevators to the landmark project.

Building Facts

Completed: October 2019
Height: 190 meters (620 feet)
Floors: 61
Use: Residential building featuring~260 luxury units
Developer: Golden Age Developments
Construction Contractor: Hickory
Architect: Bates Smart

Unique Requirements

To complete the project, the Otis team was tasked with supplying and installing a solution that accounted for the building’s small footprint, a single point of access and the logistics of scheduling and executing material deliveries on a major Melbourne thoroughfare.

Otis Innovation

Otis selected and installed a solution that included two SkyRise^® elevators, whose lighter weight and small footprint were perfectly suited for the skinny design of the Collins House project. We also carefully coordinated delivery and installation on an extremely tight schedule.

SkyRise^® elevators

Gen2^® Premier elevator

Otis Compass^®360 destination management system

Elevator World Project of the Year 2021

Solving for one of the world’s slimmest skyscrapers

Collins House: A slim, sleek tower in downtown Melbourne

Located on one of the most prestigious streets in Australia, Collins House is a sleek, contemporary residential tower incorporating roughly 260 total units including lofts, singlestory apartments and an exclusive penthouse collection. The 61-floor building is a draw for its design, high-end amenities and incredible views. And with exterior dimensions measuring just 11.5 meters (37.7 feet) wide at its base, Collins House is Australia’s slimmest tower and the fourth-slimmest skyscraper in the world.

Limited space, limited time, limitless challenges

When setting out to create a building as unique as Collins House, contractors and engineers were presented with a number of challenges. The building’s small footprint limited the available area for the elevator systems. At the same time, an elevator with a smaller footprint could not come at the expense of the ability to seamlessly and efficiently move passengers while providing a stylish aesthetic to match that of the building itself.

Outside of space constraints, the team also faced unique challenges related to the logistics of delivering, moving and installing materials. For the earlier stages of the project, a single point of access at the front of the building limited the amount of room to set up and move materials and equipment. The building is located on one of the busiest thoroughfares in Melbourne, with a public tram transportation system running past regularly, meaning delivery of materials had to be carefully planned and orchestrated.

The Collins House project is an excellent example of Otis’ ability to provide the right products for a customer’s unique needs, as well as successfully work within a demanding construction environment under tight deadlines.

- Jeremy Miles, Otis technical support team leader

Solution

As an industry leader with a strong history of meeting challenging building design, Otis was uniquely equipped to help Collins House and its developers meet their challenges. The solution included three Otis elevators – two SkyRise elevators and a Gen2 Premier elevator, which share a single triplex shaft.

The Gen2 travels between the basement and the 19th floor, while the SkyRise elevators operate from the ground level to the upper floors, changing to a duplex shaft after level 20. With a sustainable design, small footprint and lighter weight, the SkyRise elevators are perfectly suited for the skinny design of the building. They ’re also among the most energy-efficient elevators available and offer stylish design and features to complement the building itself. All elevators leverage the Otis CompassPlus destination management system to help Collins House move beyond wait times and seamlessly transport passengers throughout the space.

Beyond developing the solutions themselves, Otis also helped ensure a fast, seamless installation under a number of constraints. Otis coordinated with builders and the city of Melbourne to obtain permits, schedule deliveries and operate hoist lifts at specified times that would minimize any disruption to public traffic, and fit within a carefully orchestrated process that included the other teams and trades on the project. As the project moved forward, Otis also worked to ensure that elevator shaft rail installation kept pace with swift building progress that leveraged a pre-cast elevator shaft and prefabricated floors.

All in all, the project was a triumph not only in engineering design and innovation, but in effective communication and coordination. Opening in October 2019, the project was recognized as an Elevator World Project of the Year for 2021.