97 Alma Road, St Kilda East by Neometro - 97 Alma Road, St Kilda East VIC 3182

Balfe Park Lane - 77-83 Nicholson Street, Brunswick East

221 Kerr Street, Fitzroy

Melbourne’s design-focused development group Neometro is advancing designs for its new site opposite Alma Park in St Kilda East.

Neometro are seeking to pay tribute to St Kilda's architectural heritage and cosmopolitan spirit, commissioning&nbsp;Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA) and award-winning landscape consultants Myles Baldwin Design to create 41 apartments and 21 two and three-level townhouses at 97 Alma Road, a near 5,000 sqm site they bought last year for almost $22 million.

KTA has responded to the brief by celebrating connection with the landscape at all scales, from site planning to shared spaces and interiors.

The block is divided by landscape pockets, providing garden areas, natural light and ventilation to all apartments. An enhanced sense of community is promoted through quality outdoor shared spaces including the east garden spine, linear gardens with native planting, activated laneways between the townhouses and an apartment roof top terrace with communal food production and BBQ area.

The communal courtyard acts as a protected green for the existing trees of significant cultural values and history.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/vic/neometro-secure-next-apartment-development-site">Neometro secure next apartment development site</a>

<img alt="Neometro Alma Rd" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a12d06fd-958a-41fc-aa1d-91f97ac5b6eb" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Neometro%20Alma%20Rd%202.jpg?VersionId=0kilyFMdoufDcOF19ffM6.sGiVN_k4hZ" />The proposed renders for 97 Alma Road: Image credit: Neometro with KTA

Designed with healthy living in mind – 97 Alma Road is the next generation of green building that not only includes environmentally responsible and resource-efficient building concepts, but also integrates human wellbeing, something Neometro have pioneered and evolved for over three decades.

&nbsp;“For more than 30 years we’ve been refining our approach to healthy building, establishing a set of pillars—air, light, comfort, connection, mind and body that consider all three aspects of health and wellbeing equally—mental, social and physical," Neometro Director James Tutton says.

Aligned to Victoria's Climate Change Framework, which has a target of net-zero carbon by 2050, 97 Alma Road will feature a range of energy-efficient features, including solar panels, rainwater harvesting systems, and high-efficiency appliances. All units will have passive solar design with direct access to sunlight for periods of the day, and no south-facing apartments. All apartments have cross-flow ventilation.

The building will also incorporate passive design principles to maximise natural light and ventilation and reduce the need for artificial heating and cooling.

<img alt="Saint Alma Neometro" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4efff7c5-7fcb-4229-a95e-79b8cff08c13" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202023-05-29%20at%2010.43.53%20am.png?VersionId=7sYVYy6zLsIQb6UTl5ZE2WpXeV0wisDe" />

Architect Kerstin Thompson says 97 Alma Road offers a graceful return to treasured memories, forging a connection with a valued part of Melbourne’s urban history while offering a new approach to multiple housing.

"We really considered what it means to arrive home, celebrating the ‘homecoming’ with civic scaled entries to the apartment building and activating differentiated laneways between the townhouses," Thompson says.

KTA’s vision is to provide each apartment with its own distinguishing architectural element: a bay window, an arch, a sunroom, a delightfully odd-shaped window, or a juliette balcony. A feature that forges an attachment to one’s own home because it’s like no other.

An artist will be engaged to create a public art piece, inline with the City of Port Phillip's Public Art Guidelines 2017.

Residents will have access to a 141 sqm rooftop deck which will feature a&nbsp;food production area, and the ground level will have a food and beverage tenancy, suited for a cafe with outdoor seating.

Neometro are seeking to pay tribute to St Kilda's architectural heritage and cosmopolitan spirit, commissioning Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA) and award-winning landscape consultants Myles Baldwin Design to create 41 apartments and 21 two and three-level townhouses



Joel Robinson

First look: Neometro advance plans for huge St Kilda East site

The winners of the 2022 Victorian Architecture Awards have been announced, honouring the state&rsquo;s best architecture. This year&rsquo;s winners list highlights the integral role architects play in building communities and driving the evolution of the built environment, with standout projects responding to key issues of sustainability, equity, and access.

Across 14 categories, a total of 66 projects were granted named awards, architecture awards and commendations, drawn from a pool of 125 shortlisted projects &ndash; one of the largest ever selected for the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects&rsquo; awards program.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5210 project_image_fid=151745]

Kerstin Thompson Architects&rsquo; Balfe Park Lane received the top award in the multi-residential category, setting a gold standard for designing healthy communities and embedding genuine liveability among a list of winners that highlighted the importance of housing as an essential social infrastructure.

The Melbourne local designed the project, which comprises a mix of apartment types, along with commercial and retail spaces, newly created public access linkages, and&nbsp;shared courtyard and outdoor amenities.

Victorian State Manager, Tim Leslie FRAIA said the undeniable quality of this year&rsquo;s submissions caused significant debate among the Jury.

&ldquo;This year&rsquo;s winners stand as a testament to the vitality of Melbourne&rsquo;s cultural life, providing world-class venues for sport, the arts, education, community, faith and commerce &ndash; it is hugely buoying to see these new additions to our city that that will serve their communities for generations to come,&rdquo;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5210 project_image_fid=151740]

Leslie said the winners list further revealed how architectural processes can be creatively utilised to educate clients and stakeholders in shifting perspectives on how to implement viable structures for economic and social concerns.

Recognised for their holistic approaches for modern-day structures, ANZ Breathe, Terrace House, and Shepparton Art Museum were projects awarded for their innovation and excellence in environmental sustainability.

Showcasing the potential of bespoke residential architecture, Corner House, Autumn House, and Arcadia also received top awards in the residential categories.

Emerging practice, Prior Barraclough received the newly implemented EmAGN Project Award for their work on Object 07, a multi-residential project in Fitzroy.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=5210 project_image_fid=151744]

Among other notable winners were 405 Bourke Street, Wesley Place, the Clendon Centre, Yakimono &amp; Society.

The architecture awards were revealed at an awards ceremony hosted by the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects on Friday 17 June. Projects that received an Architecture Award or a named award will now progress to compete in the National Architecture Awards program, with the shortlist to be announced by the Australian Institute of Architects in the coming months.

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Across 14 categories, a total of 66 projects were granted named awards, architecture awards and commendations, drawn from a pool of 125 shortlisted projects

Kerstin Thompson Architects

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