Westfield owners lodge plans for 17-storey office tower in Woden

An artist’s impression of Scentre Group’s proposed office development in Woden. Photos: Cox Architecture.

A 17-storey office tower is set to replace the dilapidated and vacant Bonner House East building (Block 21 Section 19 Phillip) in the Woden Town Centre and allow pedestrian and shoppers to walk through to the Westfield shopping centre.

Westfield owners Scentre Group say the project will create a smooth transition from Callam Street to the shopping centre in Bradley Street and contribute to the revitalisation of the town centre.

“Movement to and from the mall currently requires pedestrians to skirt around the outside of the Bonner House East building whereas the new building will welcome and encourage pedestrians to move through the space on the ground level,” the development application says.

The 60-metre tall A-grade office tower will inject 21,620 square metres of lettable space into the town centre, while on the ground floor retail spaces will be open to the public.

The DA says the main entrance on Neptune Street will provide a casual atmosphere that encourages people on the street to pass through on their way to other destinations.

A secondary entrance accessible from the Westfield side of the site will allow pedestrians to make their way from the shopping centre to transport links and other destinations.

The tower will have a glass facade with an angular pattern to reflect the light, while at ground level spaces are designed to draw pedestrians in, with pillars placed at the outside edges.

A ground-level view of the proposed development.

The lower-level offices incorporate a terraced garden and form a podium on which the upper section rests.

The building will aim for energy efficiency with rooftop solar, the facade to reduce heat gain, big data controlled heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, and LED lighting.

It will encourage active travel with end of trip facilities on the ground floor including showers, storage lockers and bike racks.

Parking will be provided in three basement levels containing 102 parking spaces, less than the 265 required but the DA says the balance can be found within 600 metres of the site in already established multi-level carparks.

Vehicles will access the site from Neptune Street and Callam Street, the latter being from a modified and extended slip lane for commercial vehicles only.

The DA’s traffic report says that the development will add 251 trips a day to Neptune Street, for a total of 2780 trips a day, or 93 per cent of capacity, and should be able to be supported by the surrounding traffic network.

A lease variation is also being sought to consolidate Blocks 21 and 10 Section 19.

The proposal will add to the town centre’s growing skyline, and is not far from where the new CIT and public transport interchange will be built.

It will also offer in-demand quality office space to the town centre, and could attract a high-level tenant such as a Commonwealth agency, boosting employment opportunities.

But the concerns remain about building heights in the town centre, the scale of developments, potential overshadowing and a lack of green space.

The DA is open for comments until 27 February.