PBD Architects design new $16 million Kensington project

A local developer has lodged plans for a $16 million residential development in the heart of Kensington.

The proposal outlines plans for a nine-storey building at 6-10 Bowral Street, with a contemporary style that uses solid concrete forms and curvature, to create an identifiable and unique architecture.

Comprising 44 apartments in total, the building will be made up of a selection of eight studio, seven one-bedroom, 15 two-bedroom, and 14 three-bedroom apartments, with two floors of basement car parking.

Designed by PBD Architects, the residences maximise natural light and cross flow ventilation where possible, with recessed balconies providing shade in the summer, as well as promoting thermal heat gain during the winter months.

Artist impression of the view from the north-west on Bowral St. With potential massing of future developments at 4 Bowral St to the west and 12-16 to the east. Image credit PBD. 

A majority of the residences benefit from a northern aspect, while every residence features open-plan layouts, with bedrooms and bathrooms separate from the living areas and the kitchen.

Terraces and balconies stretch across the width of the apartments, giving all of the living areas and many of the rooms direct access to the outdoor open space.

The plans also outline a communal open space on level six, set to include a swimming pool, barbecue facilities and seating areas, surrounded by lush architectural landscaping.

The general architectural expression is relatively simple, presenting a series of three bays that are defined by indentations in the facade, with an upper and lower portion, distinguished by a three-metre setback and slight changes in form and materiality.

The lower levels are expressed with thick solid concrete walls, that make up the balustrade of the balconies behind, but curve around to form the soffit of the units below.

With planting growing over them these balcony forms create a solid podium presentation, providing not only privacy to those units from the public domain, but presenting a strong identifiable presence that tries to find balance between the brown masonry language of the architecture to the east and the contemporary commercial architecture dominating the new developments along Anzac Parade.

The landscaped entry. Image credit PBD. 

Horizontal score lines help give detail to these forms, and emphasise the horizontality of the design, grounding it to the street and giving it a more human scale. These bands continue to the side elevations and to the rear, providing a distinct language to the development.

The upper levels are characterised with thinner walls, with columns and a more modern grey colour, that use more slender elements to help reduce the bulk and also maximise views and sunlight, where privacy from the public domain is less of a concern.

Metal rod balustrades help maintain the curved detail, whilst providing a slender touch that creates a contrasting balance with horizontal lines of the lower balconies. The soffit is lined with a light timber finish, and with penetrations in the walls and vertical louvres, these units will have a greater feeling of lightness and openness.

“The green wall that spans the eastern side, and the trellis on west create a recognisable feature that would be synonymous with the development,” PBD noted in their design verification statement.

“With the addition of public art features, like dynamic ceiling lights, sculptural art works and other potential lighting and planting, creates a unique thoroughfare that would provide an intriguing and pleasant passage through what could be a simple driveway. “

“The use of cobblestone flooring, not only helps slow traffic through the area, but provides an aesthetically pleasing finish that further grounds the building with a human scale, and enhances the experience,” the architects added.

Artist impression of the view from the north-east on Bowral St. With potential massing of future developments at 4 Bowral St to the west and 12-16 to the east. Image credit PBD. 

Located adjacent to the main commercial strip of Kensington, and less than 100-metres to to Kensington Light Rail Station, the site itself is an amalgamation of three separate lots, each containing a single storey brick house.

Sitting within the Local Centre area of Kensington, the Royal Randwick Racecourse is only a short distance to the west, while the University of NSW is to the south. Centennial and Moore Parks sit to the north of the site, with the Sydney CBD not too far beyond.

The primary arterial road of Anzac Parade is a short distance away, and houses various commercial, retail and mixed use buildings.

The Kensington area has seen ongoing growth and transition, with larger six to nine-storey mixed use developments being constructed along the commercial strip, replacing many of the two-storey shop-top housing that dominated the streetscape.

Much of this growth has spawned from Randwick City Council's urban strategy and the newest DCP dealing with the Kensington and Kingsford Town Centres, which is encouraging growth and more development in the area

“Our proposal seeks to continue this trend and develop and building that will contribute to growth, aesthetic and identity of the future character of the area, whilst still being respectful of the existing and past structures,” Dugandzic noted in the documents.