Student accommodation tower combining heritage restoration with advanced prefabrication delivery

Located in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market precinct, 100 Franklin Street is a purpose-built student accommodation development for Citiplan and Journal Student Living, a joint venture between Brookfield Asset Management and Journal.

The 40-level project delivers 715 rooms providing 1,010 student beds, alongside retail space, extensive resident amenities and bicycle facilities that support student living in close proximity to Melbourne’s leading universities.

The project brings together high-rise construction and complex heritage conservation through the retention and structural upgrade of the heritage-listed Burbank House. Multiplex has applied offsite prefabrication and modular construction methodologies to improve delivery efficiency, including 983 bathroom pods, precast façade panels with integrated brickwork, prefabricated column boxes and a modular curtain wall façade. Additional prefabricated elements, including GRC planter boxes and rooftop plant assemblies, have supported streamlined installation and site logistics.

Beyond increasing student accommodation capacity within Melbourne’s CBD, the development preserves an important part of the city’s industrial heritage. Archaeological investigations uncovered significant artefacts and remnants linked to James Harrison’s pioneering refrigeration technology, ensuring the site’s historical legacy is retained while delivering contemporary accommodation infrastructure for future generations.