Profiling OpenCorp's Eastside Village development
On the occasion of OpenCorp's launch of their Eastside Village apartment development, Urban.com.au recently spoke with the group's Director Allister Lewison regarding the design merits of the Hawthorn East project.
Teaming with architects Rothelowman and interior designer Fiona Lynch, Eastside Village has been put forward as an apartment development designed to cater for the particular market in which it finds itself in. According to Allister Lewison, the target demographic/buyer played a part in forming both the size and layout of the apartments on offer.
Dwellings within the six storey development have been positioned to soak up a certain type of buyer, given Hawthorn East's hefty median home price. With that in mind, prospective downsizers and young professionals and couples are at the forefront of the project's sales campaign.
Prior to Eastside Village's sales launch, a registrations of interest campaign was highly reflective of this particular aspect of the buyer market.
To that end Eastside Village includes 73 one, two and three bedroom apartments, with internals ranging between 50sqm and 96sqm, whilst certain apartments hold outdoor areas of up to 116sqm. Lewison describes the project's layout as highly flexible, with upgrades and alternative floor plans possible, depending upon the buyer's preferences.
These flexible layouts are backed by incumbent Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) designer of the year Fiona Lynch. Her presence across the project's internals has given OpenCorp confidence in Eastside Village's sales prospects, with Lewison describing Fiona Lynch as a key to luring prospective buyers.
Add Ben Scott Garden Design as landscape architect and Eastside Village's design team has worked together to produce a project reflective of the premier location.
With amenity at the forefront of the design process, Eastside Village's apartments enjoy aspects over dual sculpted courtyards, which also serves to maximise natural light penetration into each dwelling.
Externally Eastside Village's exterior will be draped in a distinctive green edifice.
Toorak Road's façade opens and closes to create an organic architecture that oscillates between private and public landscaped spaces, whilst firmly anchoring down to the ground plane with a curvaceous gesture which frames the entry and holds the street.
Punctuated by large subtractions, the development's form creates landscaped courtyards to the east and west, which provide increased light and internal amenity. The rectilinear vertical façade elements serve to provide a delicate veil of privacy, enclosure and a cohesive architectural expression. The contrasting solid curved forms both frame and soften the edges of the building.
A thoughtfully designed ground floor street interface with landscaping meets the building flowing vertically upwards through a series of balcony planters above. Warm hues and natural finishes offer a warmth to residents both in apartments and shared spaces.
Rothelowman
As for OpenCorp's development fund subscription which underpins Eastside Village, Lewison noted that the standalone fund for the Hawthorn East project was oversubscribed by 30%, pointing toward investors recognition of the project's blue chip location.
Construction is expected to begin during mid 2017, with a completion time frame approximately one year later.
