City of Melbourne field three high quality development applications
A trio of apartment projects are before City of Melbourne, all seeking the right to add to the inner north's apartment stock. Lodged during September, the trio are also looking to bring a heightened design perspective to their surrounds.
First up and Piccolo Developments are seeking another statement project, with 341-347 Queensberry Street subject to a 13 storey application encompassing 59 apartments. On the back of their award-winning Upper House project, Jackson Clements Burrows Architects have been utilised once more with a similar design outcome.
The composition of the building mass was conceived through a series of urban design gestures. The first conceptual gesture was based on the acknowledgement of the prominent corner position of the site.
Punching through the facade are a series of projecting balconies that graduate in depth and width as they travel up the building.
Town Planning Report: Jackson Clements Burrows Architects
On the corner of Queensberry and Peel Streets in North Melbourne, the design has taken inspiration from a handful of existing forms such as Milan's Bosco Verticale and The Bauhaus Building; a 1925 design-based building in the German city of Dessau.
Piccolo Developments intends to split the dwelling numbers between 36 single bedroom and 23 dual bedroom apartments.
Plus Architecture are on the radar once more with an angular design effort for 419-421 Spencer Street, West Melbourne. Located within an emerging high-rise precinct, the proposal is of a larger nature and seeks approval for 181 apartments, with internals ranging from 48sqm to 111sqm.
On the corner of Spencer Street and Batman Street, and created for Yarrabank Developments Pty Ltd, the 22 level tower's design is described as follows:
The building is split into three to create building separation from the heritage component thus distinguishing it from the tower beside and above. The towers peel away from the heritage building increasing separation, and celebrates the bakery chimneys that line the lobby entrance. This also gives the apartments above the heritage a better view beyond the parapets.
The two parts of the tower are differentiated in size, form and material. One side facing west, is smaller, angular and brick, which reflects the smaller scale of west Melbourne and its industrial lineage. The other, larger smooth and glazed faces towards the city. This site is therefore a culmination of contradictory relationships between fast and slow, active and inactive, big and small, old and new.
The design response seeks to make best use of and contribute to these context features and fit respectfully within the urban fabric.
Plus Architecture : Design Response
Finally an existing approved development scheme has gone back to planning as Fridcorp seeks to increase the yield of its development site at 3-15 Shiel Street, North Melbourne.
Total apartments within the scheme have essentially doubled to 124, with a mix of one and two bedroom options planned. Consequently, the overall size of the project has increased, with Elenberg Fraser conceiving a 12 storey building which is similar is size to a number of surrounding projects which have been approved.
The building has also been designed with reference to ‘Artemis’ - the goddess of the hunt and wilderness. Artemis’ character and fables form the basis of a holistic design narrative which is carried through the architecture, lighting installations and landscape architecture.
The bronze colouring and earthy tones contained in the depictions of Artemis in the design concept inspire the materiality of the architectural expression, and also references the red brick and industrial elements commonly found in the area.
Meinhardt: Town Planning Submission
