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, the brand’s comeback 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. It 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 most synonymous with delivering Q1, Australia’s tallest residential tower, 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 marks the first step 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 was finalised. Crucially, at least for Abedian, at this point the 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 had bought out shareholders and taken 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.” For now, Abedian said, the revived 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 the 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 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. As well, three basement levels and four podium levels would accommodate 189 car parking spaces. It is not the first time Contreras Earl has worked on the design for a development under the Sunland brand—previously it collaborated on the 44-storey 272 Hedges Avenue tower, one of the last projects delivered before it was delisted. ▲ Sunland shaped the Gold Coast’s skyline for four decades, including the 78-storey Q1, Australia’s tallest tower. According to the application, the design team actively shunned standard highrise paradigms to create a highly articulated, undulating facade for Sunland’s re-emergence on the Gold Coast skyline. “The site presents an opportunity to reconsider the typical relationship between tower, podium and landscape that characterises much of the surrounding development,” an architectural statement said. “From early stages, the project addressed a fundamental challenge: how to accommodate the required residential yield while avoiding the conventional model of a tower sitting on a rigid, fully resolved parking podium. “The most direct response would have been to consolidate parking into a singular, flat podium and extrude a repetitive tower above. While efficient, this approach would result in a consolidated built form with limited engagement with the surrounding landscape and public realm. “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.”

Exclusive
Phil Bartsch
Tue 26 May 26

Sunland Rises Again, Files Glitter Strip Skyscraper Plans

Get the full story.