A five-storey office building designed to celebrate Tasmania’s union heritage has been proposed for a corner site in Hobart’s CBD, with a distinctive facade inspired by workers marching with banners.
The $10 million project at 240–244 Murray Street would see an existing locksmith’s building demolished to make way for what developers are calling “The Marching Building”.
Planning documents lodged with the Hobart City Council say the design is “intended to celebrate the craft and skill of the local labour force, fairness and workers’ rights and union-led industrial action including securing the 8-hour day”.
The facade will feature “a red oxide waveform with a sandblasted finish and exposed concrete columns, symbolising people marching with banners”, the application states.
Developed by TasBuild and Goldsworthy Pty Ltd, the proposal includes three floors of office space, a 186-square-metre ground-floor cafe and a rooftop terrace with a meeting room.
At its highest point, the building will reach 20 metres, but the design incorporates “a gradual increase in height at a slanted angle of approximately 27 degrees” to transition between Murray Street’s commercial character and the residential-scaled Patrick Street.
The application notes the site “is not located within a heritage precinct but has heritage buildings nearby, particularly along Patrick Street”.
No on-site parking is proposed, with a traffic assessment arguing that “no provision for on-site parking is suitable” and that existing public and private parking in the area is “sufficient”.
The site was previously a service station, with three underground fuel tanks removed during remediation works in 2023–24.
The proposal is now open for public comment before being considered by the council’s planning committee in the coming months.
