Toga Group takes Redfern's Surry Hills Shopping Village down the development path
Toga Group is pushing through with the mass redevelopment of Redfern's Surry Hills Shopping Village.
After a competitive design process which saw a consortium headed by architecture firm SJB lead all comers, a detailed development application is in motion for the sprawling Redferm site on the corner of Cleveland and Baptist streets.
The heritage listed former Bank of NSW building at 397-399 Cleveland Street is to be retained and surrounded by 8 new buildings. In line with the site's existing use, a mass of retail is included, as is commercial office space, basement parking for 345 vehicles and 157 apartments.
A key plank of the design's success is the inclusion of extensive public domain works.
A slow road
Toga Group first surfaced as the development partner of choice for the prominent 12,244.1 square metre development site during 2015, when Coles elected to maintain its presence onsite. When the site was listed for sale during 2014, the Wesfarmers-owned Coles exercised first rights over the shopping centre with an eye toward redevelopment.
The development process has now progressed to the point where a detailed development application landed with City of Sydney late last month. Initially touted as capable of handling 300 apartments, the expected 157 apartments are well short of initial intentions.
Coles and Toga Group's joint application has a construction value of $149 million.
Coles is making a habit of pursuing development opportunities on the eastern seaboard. The Surry Hills complex joins additional current Coles developments in Lindfield in Sydney and Elsternwick plus Richmond in Melbourne.0
Design prowess
Toga Group's Redfern site was subject to a competitive design process, with a trio of other design consortiums losing out to a team including SJB, Architect Prineas and Aspect Studios.
Design teams trumped for the Redfern site include Bates Smart/Chenchow Little/Luchetti Krelle, DKO Architecture/Archer Office/Hames Sharley/Tribe/Aspect Studio and the Woods Bagot/Alexander & Co/Christopher Owen Landscape Design trio.
The Competitive Design Alternatives Report made not of the winning team's positive design outcomes.
The Selection Panel also noted that the scheme included delightfully whimsical elements that provided a distinctive identity and character.
There was a genuine understanding of the character of the area and a lot of thought had gone into the design of the apartments, even down to the uniquely shaped windows. The planning strategy that enabled apartments to be no more than one stair flight from communal garden areas was also commendable.
There was considerable thought to materiality and detailing, with more intricacy and articulation to the lower levels and street frontages, supporting upper levels with less variety in material or colour. The design is also potentially suited to modularisation, although this would require further investigation.
