A fusion of past and present: How Carr designed Brunswick Yard

Brunswick Yard, a contemporary multi-residential project in the eclectic Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, draws inspiration from the area's rich history and industrial vernacular.

The project fuses architecture, interiors, landscape, and streetscape seamlessly, creating a modern building suitable for contemporary living.

Architecture and interior design studio Carr handled both the exteriors and interiors of Brunswick Yard, adopting a seamless inside-out approach in their design.

The interior spaces reflect the same clean lines and simple forms that define the exterior, resulting in a consistent design language and thoroughly considered spatial experience.

Director Chris McCue said the project breaks down the overall mass by creating an architectural response that brings a finer grain residential architecture into a street dominated by large scale warehousing.

"We’ve articulated the fourth storey from the street level as a recessed interstitial floor with a floating podium form," McCue said.

"The elevation along the street is also quite long so we broke it down into a series of modules, presenting almost as a row of four-storey townhouses to the street.

"Breaking the scale down even further, two laneways punctuate through from the street to give each building its own identity, while functionally allowing for each apartment to have more natural light and cross-ventilation through dual aspects,” he explained.

Another benefit of the recessed floor with increased setbacks from the fourth level is several of the apartments have ceilings of 3.5-metres with an exposed concrete soffit.

The façade expresses a rhythmic play on the vertical form and even though each apartment is a single floor, on the façade they read as a series, with the ground floor apartments having dual access from the street, much like a mews or terrace house, but with additional internal access via the central courtyard.

The project comprises two buildings with a total of 122 apartments, evenly divided, with a maximum of 12 apartments per lift core per floor.

The apartments range from one, two, and three bedrooms, designed under the Better Apartment Design Standards (BADS) to ensure optimal utilisation of the square-meterage.

The laneways allow for dual aspects, and many of the apartments also feature a Juliet balcony.

The project is defined aesthetically by its use of concrete and steel mesh, a brutalist design language that reinterprets the industrial character of the area.

Carr Associate Richard Beel said the use of a singular material was critical on this project.

"It was chosen not just because of its relevance to Brunswick, but also for the atmospheric quality it expresses," Beel said.

"Despite being a monolithic building with a heavy material, the way the façade has been broken down in its form, and softened by planting, it also shows a lightness through its raw and natural properties."

The steel mesh is used for balustrading, screening, and planting, and helps soften the heaviness of the concrete. The planting scheme is also critical in aiding privacy and solar control, acting as very low intensive green walls.

“In an earlier project we studied the web forged mesh when used to control views in and out to comply with overlooking standards. Here we have used it for the same purpose but on a much larger scale, while are also integrating it as a planting medium so that vines can grow up it,” McCue added.

“In our architecture we often seek an integrated approach to any constraints, in this case the mesh satisfied all the criteria."

To add relief, handcrafted timber doors are inserted at ground level, and ample private outdoor areas are integrated into the project, creating a sanctuary-like space with a large lawn that captures northern sunlight.

McCue shared that the project showcases how to use BADS to create well-planned apartments without saddleback apartments, and the living and dining spaces are big enough to set up in a variety of ways.

"There are no saddleback apartments and the living and the dining space is big enough that it could set it up in a number of different ways.”

One, two and three-bedroom apartments are still remaining in Brunswick Yard, with prices beginning from $475,000 for a one-bedder.