Sharif Abraham's super sleek Northcote design on show
Northcote will sport a uniquely designed and essentially daring new mixed-use building should Darebin City Council provide approval for a current application on dsiplay.
A distinct step away from most Melbourne buildings of a similar scale, Sharif Abraham Architects have gone above and beyond in terms of designing a striking visual marker. The long thin structure addressed 38 Arthurton Road is tucked up against the South Morang rail line and Herbert Street, making for an elongated site.
The design is noted as taking three to four years to refine within the planning documents, with the result a predominantly mesh facade capped by an almost whimsical double roof level which accommodates a 152 space childcare centre.
Alongside Sharif Abraham Architects, LR & EC Enterprises Pty Ltd is the entity behind the development. Jointly they have dubbed 38 Athurton Road 'The Parent' due to its robust form and holistic and considered design response to its surrounds.
"It is practical, flexible and fun and will provide an exceptionally high quality environment for its future users, whilst integrating with its surrounds, particularly having regard to the emerging character along Arthurton Road toward High Street."
Included in the design are 28 one and two bedroom apartments, with 5 offices and a retail pod at ground level. Three basement levels accommodate parking for the project whilst a mid building double height void/terrace is present at the northern end.
The void is expected to provide visual relief to the design whilst also enhancing the architectural integrity of the development.
Materials prevalent across the design include differing modes of metal screens, cladding and shutters alongside timber and concrete elements. The 'bling' factor comes by way of a pod atop the building finished with tinted rainbow glass in a orange hue.
The orange-hued glass feature is also replicated across an oversized sphere which forms part of the childcare facility.
Referenced above is the changing urban dynamic of the Arthurton Road and High Street precinct. A swag of new mid-sized apartment developments have taken their place along High Street, although Arthurton Road has been comparatively sluggish.
Waiting in the wings and opposite the Sharif Abraham Architects design is Meydan Group's Arthurton Gardens project which is expected to yield hundreds of new apartments in the years to come.
