Sekisui House complete Japanese-inspired golf-side apartment building in The Orchards masterplan
Sekisui House has completed its Japanese inspired golf-side building, Aire, which sits at the highest elevation point within the groups $1 billion masterplanned community in Sydney’s Norwest, The Orchards.
Designed by award-winning architects, Rothelowman, Aire, which is stage two of the development, acts as a prominent urban marker at the gateway to The Orchards, comprising 57 nature-inspired residences.
George Gesouras, Project Director at Sekisui House Australia, said the arrival of Aire sets a new benchmark for luxury living in the Hills District.
Render of the latest apartment building to land in the masterplanned community, The Orchards. Image supplied
“It showcases what is possible when extraordinary architecture, detailed construction, considered design and environmental philosophies combine to create an aspirational building,” he said.
Aire’s generous oversized apartments fit the changing needs of the new community allowing flexible living and work from home arrangements.
“The building responds to its environment and the community at a time where the home is becoming even more important as a place where people retreat to and create a personal sanctuary,” Gesouras said.
Aire will also be home to an extensive array of communal amenities, providing social gathering places for residents to mix and mingle.
“Sekisui House’s design principles developed over 60 years start with embracing and respecting nature and people to work towards a sustainable future.”
The project demonstrates its commitment to ESG via rooftop panels and a water sensitive urban design, along with high efficiency energy systems and electric vehicle charging stations.
Render of the shared rooftop space in the latest apartment building in the masterplanned community, The Orchards. Image supplied.
Conceived as two separate but interlinked objects, principal architect Ben Pomroy from Rothelowman, said the building has been tuned to its context.
“Aire, known as The Pebble, or Koishi building, plays an essential role in establishing the northern entry to the precinct and acts an urban marker that responds to its prominent location within the Norwest district.”
The north-eastern wing presents highly sculpted end forms, with curved precast and glazing that create urban markers on arrival to the precinct.
“The breadth of the northern elevation requires a singular gesture of balconies that extend across the full façade length. At key moments in the façade, the pattern on the balustrade bends and folds to create visual interest,” he added.
The balustrades address the northern views across Castle Hill Golf Course, creating the lines of a Japanese pebble garden, while the edge of the building is accentuated with a unique 180-degree panoramic curved glass window.
The curved structure integrates with the existing Imperial development (Stage One), providing shared communal spaces between the two buildings.
A private landscaped courtyard with orchards, generous lawn spaces and a water feature link the buildings at the ground plane, with shared access to a residents’ lounge within Aire.
The communal roof terrace has been scaled to accommodate residents of both developments.
Aire was constructed by Growthbuilt who translated the architectural concepts and Sekisui House’s design philosophies into a bespoke building, with joint CEO and Director, Colin Rahim saying the collaborative approach maintained a focus on sustainability throughout the build.
Render of the shared rooftop space in the latest apartment building in the masterplanned community, The Orchards. Image supplied.
Collective design workshops were held with key consultants in the early stages to formulate a united plan for the precast façade panels and window systems to achieve a dynamic structure that maximised views for all apartments.
“A custom re-usable precast formliner system was used to manufacture the various façade elements. A variety of panels were able to be manufactured from each mould, ensuring a cohesive structure. The high-quality built form that was delivered is testament to our pursuit for building excellence which adds value to our client’s property portfolios,” Rahim said.
Many of the apartments overlook the picturesque fairways of the Castle Hill Country Club, with residents enjoying uninterrupted views, designer finishes and access to private rooftop amenity including an infinity pool, landscaped sun deck, cabanas and rooftop dining facilities.
The Orchards masterplan, designed by Turner is spread across 8.1 hectares and is made up of five stages.
Underpinning all aspects of the design is the Japanese concept of ‘satoyama’, with the term meaning to connect people through ‘ribbons of green’, demonstrated in a lush green spine throughout the estate.
Set on a nature site with a creek and cycle/walkways, The Orchards will feature recreational amenities including a 1.4 hectare public park, playgrounds, break-out green spaces, outdoor lagoon pool, large indoor fitness centre and indoor heated swimming pool.
When completed the community will comprise 1300 apartments.
The Orchards is located around 31 kilometres north-west of Sydney’s CBD and is nestled in Norwest, located positioned 800 metres from Norwest Metro Train Station and 600 metres from Norwest Marketown as well as Norwest Business Park.
