The Melrose will include 184 apartments once complete, with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

The 16-storey building will also feature outdoor communal areas such as a heated pool on the ground level and a rooftop dining space.

It's one of four buildings planned for the former carpark site on the corner of Melrose Drive and Corinna Street in Phillip.

Doma purchased the 11,212-square-metre block from the ACT government for $12.5 million in July 2020.

Construction will also begin soon on The Bowen, which will comprise 89 dwellings, while The Charlotte, with 207 apartments, is awaiting development approval.

The fourth building is currently in design phase and has potential for 175 dwellings.

Doma general manager of development Gavin Edgar said there will be a "hive of activity" as construction commences.

"Certainly by the first quarter of next year there could be three buildings under construction there, possibly four," he said.

Doma were behind the redevelopment of the Alexander and Albemarle buildings, former public servant offices across the road from The Melrose.

The residential complex also includes ground-floor dining outlets such as The Alby, which recently sold to investors for $8.3 million.

"The conversion of those two former commonwealth buildings, I think, has been very much a local catalyst for further investment in Woden," Mr Edgar said.

"Woden, it's always been geographically well-located, but I think it's seen as a real desirable option now for people in the market that are looking to be well-connected to amenity nearby."

Commercial real estate agency Colliers is marketing the Melrose and Charlotte buildings. Colliers director of residential Shane Radnell said there is a handful of apartments remaining at The Melrose and about 30 per cent left in The Charlotte.

"Following an overwhelming response to the VIP launch of The Charlotte, nearly 70 per cent of apartments have already been snapped up by repeat customers of Doma and those that expressed their early interest in the development," he said.

The construction industry has been plagued with delays and rising costs in recent months, which industry figures say is due to global supply chain issues and skills shortages.

Mr Edgar said Doma uses a process known as early contractor involvement to mitigate these risks.

"The idea is that you bring the builder in during the conceptual design development phase and at the same time, they're testing elements of the construction with the market so that at the point in time where we reach agreement on the contract price, they've been able to talk to the subcontract market and supplier market about resources and pricing and the like to suit the particular project," he said.

"So it's probably a more heavily scrutinised process than it has been in the past in terms of just identifying where all the supplied elements of the job are coming from."

Construction on The Melrose is expected to be completed in early 2024.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.