The Richmond Malt site heads to planning
A planning application has been lodged with Yarra City Council for one of Melbourne's most recognisable development sites. Following a Colliers campaign to sell the Richmond Malt site during 2014, Caydon was revealed as the purchaser and has recently lodged plans for the first phase of the expansive site which includes the famed Nylex Clock.
With a land area in excess of 11,000sqm, the Richmond Malt site joins Caydon's existing adjoining development plot at 17-21 Harcourt Parade. The combined and expansive tract of land fronting Cremorne Street, Gough Street and Harcourt Parade has seen the development team indicate that a new residential-based precinct will be rolled out over stages.
The current planning application designated 2 Gough Street is relevant to a portion of the Richmond Malt site, with the balance of that site which includes the concrete silos and Nylex Clock, and the Harcourt Parade development site subject to future planning applications.
2 Gough Street (Stage 1A) application summary
- Total site area: 11,337sqm with 1A site area of 2,128sqm
- 19 storeys at 57.25 metres in height
- 271 apartments: 187 x 1BR / 83 x 2BR / 1 x 3BR
- 6 SOHO dwellings: 4 x 2BR / 2 x 1873BR
- 2 retail tenancies, including a 474sqm IGA supermarket
- 366 car parks and 184 bicycle bays over basement and podium levels
- GFA: 37,722sqm
Tower design
The Parcel 1A building has been designed by Fender Katsilidis, a well-regarded Melbourne architecture firm, and utilises a design response which reflects the existing disorder, layering and eclectic mix of building styles, ages, shapes, materials and colours present across the Richmond Malt site.
This existing character is referenced through the inclusion of the B4 heritage building, angular podium, retained wall fragments, and twin tower components, which each have their own distinct visual appearance. This conglomeration of building styles reflects the existing characteristics as set out above. Landscaping pockets including creepers, green walls and planter boxes work to further emphasise the building’s form, whilst also referencing the existing, ad hoc landscaping across the wider Richmond Malt site.
Urbis: Town Planning Report
Site permeability a focus
Oculus have been charged with creating enhanced public spaces, with three design principles in place:
- Public Theatre: Creating opportunities for people to occupy and use the landscape
- Indoor / Outdoor: Creating a permeable landscape that bridges both internal and external spaces to devise a responsive and fluid landscape
- Domesticating: Utilising an adaptive approach to greening
Arranged in a semi-grid format, the public realm surrounding Parcel 1A will be framed by green walls, elevated lawn terraces and a viewing platform above the Yarra.
Nominated landscaping materials include recycled brick, concrete, bluestone, corrugated iron and steel; elements which are currently present onsite and which are expected to be incorporated into eventual works. The tower's podium also features a mixture of finishes designed to compliment both the landscaping and existing chararcter of the site.
Ochre and brick elements through the podium will reflect the existing brickwork seen over the wider Richmond Malt site, with the ochre referencing a section of the existing street which is expected to be retained.
2 Gough Street (Stage 1A) development team
- Developer: Caydon Property Group
- Architect: Fender Katsalidis
- Planning: URBIS
- Landscape report: Oculus
- Traffic: GTA Consultants
- Acoustic report: Renzo Tonin
- Waste management plan: RB Waste Consulting
- Wind report: Vipac
- Sustainability report: Simpson Kotzman
