Rialto Towers

Rialto Towers is a pair of skyscrapers at 525 Collins Street on the western side of the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. The taller south tower is about 250 metres high and the north tower is about 185 metres. When it opened in October 1986, the main tower was the tallest office building in the Southern Hemisphere.

Its dark blue glass walls change colour through the day, from deep blue to a bright gold at sunset. At its base stand older cream-coloured buildings from the 1890s, which were saved and turned into a hotel, so a tall modern tower and a Victorian street sit side by side.

How was it built?

The site once held warehouses and grand Victorian offices. Some of the old buildings were protected in the 1970s, which forced the developers to rethink their plans. In the end the Rialto and Winfield buildings were restored as a hotel, while other buildings were pulled down. The towers were designed by Gerard de Preu and Partners with Perrott Lyon Mathieson and built between 1982 and 1986. Their huge glass wall is made of blue-tinted mirrored glass.

Could you visit the top?

Yes, for a while. From 1994 to 31 December 2009 Rialto had the first public observation deck on a Melbourne skyscraper. Korean Wikipedia says the deck was at a height of about 234 metres and could show views more than 60 kilometres away on a clear day. Today the deck is closed and the space is used as a restaurant. The building was also the first place in Melbourne to host a tower running race, where people race up the stairs.

On the globe

The model shows the two dark glass towers on Collins Street with the cream-coloured old building at their base. Look for the taller south tower.