85 SPRING STREET

In contributing a significant piece of Bates Smart architecture to the most prestigious part of Melbourne city, the new 85 Spring St residential development is set to be a legacy project for Golden Age Group. The campaign positions 85 Spring St as a ‘total work of art’, inspired by the German philosophy Gesamtkunstwerk, reflecting the design integrity of the project. The concept was personified through a series of portraits; Spring, Time, Melbourne and Building. Each portrait layered to create a unique part of the story and developed through curation, collaborations and commissions. Iconic Melbourne artist Bill Henson was commissioned to represent Spring, centred around the Treasury Gardens adjacent to the site. The new works greeted visitors in an intimate gallery setting within the display suite. A curation of Melbourne centric portraits from the NGV collection represented the face of the city, spanning time and medium. Arts Editor and life member of the gallery, Michael Shmith, contributed an essay that drew upon his own experience of the city with father Athol Shmith. The significance of the site was recognised through history, with a focus on the legacy of ‘Marvellous Melbourne’. Archival material reflected on the provenance, prestige and powerful position, home to heritage architecture and historic moments of time. A detailed documentation of the architecture formed the Building portrait. The inspiration, process, materiality and origins alongside an interview with Kristen Whittle of Bates Smart gave an intimate account of the uncompromising architecture. The building’s design philosophy was mirrored in its marketing materials, with every touchpoint crafted and considered to create the same cohesive ‘total work of art’ sensibility. Distinct from conventional collateral, the resultant volumes are enduring artefacts with lives beyond the development’s sales campaign. Through deeper storytelling, told in a uniquely Melbourne way, we connected the project to the cultural fabric of the city in a manner not previously seen. It positioned Golden Age within a unique sphere, that of civic-minded corporate citizen committed to the city’s development.