Sunland Rises Again, Files Glitter Strip Skyscraper Plans

The Gold Coast’s Abedian development dynasty has quietly set about rejuvenating the Sunland brand that for four decades took Australia’s skyline and design ambitions to new heights. Seemingly out of the blue and without fanfare, its return has surfaced in plans filed this week for a 42-storey tower at Broadbeach. The proposal has been lodged under an entity that lists Sunland Group (Queensland) Pty Ltd—led by veteran developer Soheil Abedian’s stepson, Tom Jamieson, and son-in-law, Riaz Razvanipour—as its holding company. Its scheme designed by Contreras Earl Architecture comprises 81 two, three and four-bedroom apartments. And true to the spirit of its former ASX-listed incarnation, the documents describe the proposed tower as “a deliberate progression away from the most conventional approach to high-density residential development”. The Sunland name is synonymous with delivering the Q1 supertower, Australia’s tallest residential building, and Palazzo Versace, the world’s first fashion-branded hotel. Speaking to The Urban Developer , Abedian—who built the property giant from a single rendered-brick house in the early 1980s—confirmed the Broadbeach tower proposal marks the first play in the family’s resurrection of the Sunland brand. “The Abedian family has moved now to rejuvenate the name of Sunland that has a heritage over four decades,” he said. ▲ A rendering of the highrise proposed by the reborn Sunland brand for a 1283sqm amalgamated corner site at Broadbeach. It comes just over two-and-a-half years after the strategic delisting of Sunland Group Limited. Crucially, at least for Abedian, the brand’s reboot seems to be less about scale and more about legacy—and the emotional equity tied to it. “It is having respect for what Sunland stood for over a very long period of time… to keep the heritage of Sunland alive,” he said. Brand handed back to the family Abedian said the brand effectively had been handed back to the family by fellow high-profile Gold Coast developer, Homecorp’s Ron Bakir, who bought out shareholders and took over the company after its delisting. “Originally he wanted to use it…[but then] because his own brand was becoming stronger and stronger, he didn’t have any use for the name of Sunland. “So I asked would he mind if he gave it back and he was very gracious and agreed to pass it back to us, to the family, because of the heritage that we have over 44 years.” Abedian said for now the reclaimed Sunland brand would operate as a separate vehicle alongside Abedian &amp; Co , the family’s private development company—led by Abedian and his son, Sahba—that has a pipeline of projects nudging $3 billion. But unlike Abedian &amp; Co’s broader shareholder base, the new Sunland structure is being kept strictly in-house as a family-only affair. ▲ A rendering of the proposal designed by Contreras Earl Architecture that comprises 81 homes at Broadbeach. “What will happen in the future? We don’t know,” Abedian said. “Is it going to be as big as Abedian &amp; Co? We don’t know. Is it going to be part of one entity in the future? I don’t know. “But for the time being we thought that Sunland had been a big player in international development, not just Australia but in Dubai as well, and we thought it deserved to continue, as small as it might be.” Return to form at Broadbeach Not that its 146.5m-high tower proposal at Broadbeach is such a small platform from which to start flying the Sunland banner again. It is earmarked for a 1283sqm amalgamated corner site at 99-101 Old Burleigh Road, which property records indicate changed hands in October last year for $9.5 million. Under the plans, a mix of 17 two-bedroom, 55 three-bedroom, and nine four-bedroom apartments targeting strong owner-occupier demand would be spread across 35 residential levels. Communal recreation space spanning a combined 806sq m on levels six and seven would feature a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, hot and cold plunge pools, a cinema, yoga room and private dining areas. Three basement levels and four podium levels would provide 189 car parking spaces. On the design side, Contreras Earl is no stranger to the Sunland brand, having previously collaborated on the 44-storey 272 Hedges Avenue tower—one of the last projects delivered before the group was delisted. ▲ Sunland shaped the Gold Coast’s skyline for four decades, including the 78-storey Q1, Australia’s tallest tower. Its latest work—a reunion of sorts—for Sunland’s re-emergence on the Gold Coast skyline follows the Sunland design-led approach, shunning standard high-rise paradigms. “The site presents an opportunity to reconsider the typical relationship between tower, podium and landscape that characterises much of the surrounding development,” a submitted design statement said. “The built form of the proposal is the result of a deliberate progression away from the most conventional approach to high-density residential development. “The tower does not present as a continuous flat plane, but rather as a dynamic architectural form that responds to light, shadow and viewing angles. “Variation is expressed through both the podium and the upper levels of the tower. “At the base, the fragmented podium condition breaks down the scale of the building and establishes a more permeable and landscape-integrated relationship with the ground plane. At the top, the transition to reduced apartment numbers generates an alternating slab condition, producing a differentiated upper profile that avoids repetition and reinforces the identity of the tower within the skyline. “By moving away from the conventional model of repetitive extrusion, the proposal establishes a more considered approach to density, contributing to the evolving character of Broadbeach while enhancing the experience of residents, the community and the public realm.” The site on the corner of Old Burleigh Road and Armrick Avenue is a block away from the beach and opposite the heritage-listed Broadbeach Bowls Club. It sits within a designated unrestricted HX building height zone and in 2022 was approved for a 46-storey, 59 unit tower. Subsequently, it was sold to an entity controlled by Growth Point Capital chief executive David Schuh, who lost control of the asset after defaulting on multiple loans and it was put on the block again last year. If approved, the latest proposal would replace a three-storey walk-up block of units and a single-level commercial building with multiple retail and food and drink tenancies.

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Phil Bartsch
Tue 26 May 26

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