First Light

First Light brings the Nu by YOO brand to Australia for the first time, a $180 million hotel and branded-residence building at 28 Albert Road in South Melbourne, facing the Domain parklands and the Royal Botanic Gardens and steps from the new Anzac Station. Developed by DCF Property Group with interiors from YOO Studio, the design house founded by Philippe Starck and John Hitchcox, the project pairs 97 hotel rooms with 30 privately owned residences in two, three and four-bedroom configurations. Residence owners draw on the hotel's concierge, housekeeping and facilities, blurring the line between apartment and suite. Shared amenities include a restaurant and bar, a gymnasium and a pool, with YOO's signature layered, characterful interiors setting the building apart from the restrained glass towers typical of the precinct. The parkland outlook and immediate tram and rail links place it between the Melbourne CBD and the bayside suburbs.