Valli lodge plans for Collingwood apartment development

Boutique Melbourne apartment developer Valli has lodged plans for it's next project, a mixed-use building on Collingwood's prized Smith Street.

The plans are for 29 apartments above hospitality and office space at 224-228 Smith Street, toward the southern end of the retail-laden strip with frontages to both Smith Street and Little Oxford Street.

Valli, led by Andy Callaghan and Ari Lakman, had local architecture firm Pandolfini design the building, which will offer a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments above a 300 sqm plus restaurant facing Smith Street and a 234 sqm office space at the rear of the building fronting Little Oxford Street.

There will be six one-bedroom, 14 two-bedroom,, and nine three-bedroom apartments, each with a private terrace or balcony.

Residents will have access to the communal rooftop which will have seating underneath a pergola and a boundary of vegetation.

In the Urban Context Report, Pandolfini said the architectural response is strongly rooted in the immediate context of significant heritage buildings whilst creating its own unique identity to complement and enrich the streetscape.

"Smith Street boasts an eclectic mix of architectural styles and periods, with many examples of particularly ornate and exuberant Italianate and Edwardian buildings, reflecting the importance of this retail strip in the broader history of manufacturing, retailing and commerce in the Melbourne metropolitan area," the Report read.

"The siting of the proposed development responds to the new design development overlay, reducing its visual bulk on Smith Street and minimising any overshadowing to its surrounds."

Pandolfini were inspired by Collingwood's iconic Foy & Gibson buildings, located east of the site.They were referenced and reinterpreted as the primary façade structure for the proposed development.

They worked in collaboration with local artist Joseph L. Griffiths on a receding decorated grid, which they say "creates a sense of depth and optical interest whilst establishing a strong connection to the adjacent brick buildings."

"The proposed brick patterned relief for the north and south façades of 224-228 Smith Street express the historical significance of grid structures in defining Melbourne’s urban environment, and their enduring influence of art and architecture.

"The designs employ a contemporary take on the trompe-l’oeil mural tradition, using classical perspective to give the illusion of depth to the flat façades, thus extending the building’s layered grids in three dimensions."

Pandolfini says, as per the City of Yarra’s applicable Design & Development and Heritage Overlays, the proposal is consistent with the character and formal qualities of the buildings in the area whilst generating no negative impact on the immediate streetscape.

Valli is currently selling Dyason, just six full-floor apartments and a heritage house at 124-126 Jolimont Road in East Melbourne.

They're also working through the design phase of a new project in Brunswick East.

Fast Facts

• Includes a 3-level podium
• Comprises of 29 apartments
  • Six one-bedroom apartments
  • 14 two-bedroom apartments
  • Nine three-bedroom apartments
• Office space of 234 sqm
• Ground floor restaurant of 308 sqm
• Roof terrace of 118 sqm
• Provides basement car parking over two levels
  • 31 residential car parking spaces
  • 52 residents bicycle storage spaces
  • 9 staff bicycle storage spaces
  • Includes 8 visitor bicycle storage spaces
• Accessible through a combined turntable and lift system
• Utilizes precast concrete and brick tile walls
• Features metal cladding and stainless steel balustrades