Clarke Hopkins Clarke

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COVID-19 has encouraged discussion about the way we live, how we interact with others, and what's important to us in our day-to-day lives.

Recently I caught up with <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/architects/clarkehopkinsclarke">Clarke Hopkins Clarke's</a> Jordan Curran over Zoom to find out how the practice is responding to the pandemic and what which key learnings will influence their mixed-use precinct designs moving forward.

As a Partner at CHC, Jordan has spent years cultivating thriving mixed-use communities across Australia. In this interview, Jordan shares some valuable insight into the ways architects and developers can create meaningful communities which will enhance the way we live, as well as some of the main benefits of buying into a master-planned community. 

Watch the interview:

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="415" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RO5qCrltYZw" width="660"></iframe>

Topics discussed:

00:22 - Given the current pandemic, what learnings have Clarke Hopkins Clarke taken from the situation that will shape the way you design communities in future?

02:54 - How can architects and developers provide residents with a better quality of life through the design of their home and the surrounding neighbourhood?

07:06 - A study by the Danish architect, Professor Jan Gehl, found that COVID-19 encouraged people in four European cities to visit areas with existing public facilities, but they were less likely to travel to the CBD. Do you feel that Australia caters well to a similar demand for local infrastructure or is there room for improvement? 

08:31 - What public space typologies have the most positive impacts on a person's quality of life?

09:40 - What's your process for ensuring a mixed-use precinct is well-integrated within the existing community?

11:34 - What types of new community spaces are you looking to develop within your masterplans in future?

14:02 - What are some of the benefits of buying into a mixed-use precinct that property seekers might not know about? 

Watch next: <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/clarkehopkinsclarkes-dean-landy-discusses-the-value-of-creating-employment-hubs-within-our-neighbourhoods">ClarkeHopkinsClarke's Dean Landy comments on the value of employment hubs within our neighbourhoods</a> 
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Olivia Round

Clarke Hopkins Clarke's Jordan Curran explains how COVID-19 could influence the design of mixed-use communities

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The demand for property in Melbourne's West remains strong following the overwhelming success of the first stage of <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/projects/hampstead-park-82-96-hampstead-road-maidstone">Hampstead Park</a> in Maidstone. Purchasers have been attracted by the development's proximity to the Melbourne CBD and its value for money compared to surrounding suburbs. Hampstead Park offers the convenience and amenity of Footscray or Maribyrnong but at a fraction of the price, with 81% of stage one sold out at time of writing.

Designed by <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/architects/clarkehopkinsclarke">Clarke Hopkins Clarke</a>, the overall Hampstead Park masterplan allows for up approximately 450 apartments, as well as 157 townhouses, located around a central communal park.

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"The vision for this new masterplanned mixed use precinct in Maidstone is to create a unique mixed use urban precinct that provides a vibrant place to live, work and play. Based on the 4 key principles of Community, Integration, Identity and Sustainability, the design will aspire to create a modern and vibrant community, that integrates within the existing context of the site, has a strong sense of identity, and shapes a socially and environmentally sustainable environment.

The village features a supermarket and specialty retail tenancies including restaurants/cafes, a community component comprising community centre, medical centre, gym, and child care centre to support the local population and complement the retail offerings provided by the established activity centre nearby. The new development will also feature a central park and plaza and a community park, and create an intimate streetscape network with a strong pedestrian focus, shaping a unique sense of place for the local community."

- Clarke Hopkins Clarke
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<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/hampstead_park_exterior_park_1200x550_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The development surrounds a central park space."><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="266" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/hampstead_park_exterior_park_1200x550_1.jpg?itok=Nl9ULonG" title="The development surrounds a central park space." width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The development surrounds a central park space.</figcaption></figure>Andrew Steele, Sales &amp; Marketing Manager at inPLACE provided Urban.com.au with some insight on the projects success to date and why it has resonated with purchasers.

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Urban.com.au: What do you attribute the success of stage one of Hampstead Park to? Particularly in light of the current market conditions in Melbourne? 

Andrew Steele: Buyers are always looking for value, now more than ever in this current market. At Hampstead Park we have been able to demonstrate outstanding value to our purchasers by offering large, luxuriously finished townhomes in the immediate vicinity of Highpoint Shopping Centre and only 8km to Melbourne CBD. The reason we have seen such great success is that there are so many positive aspects to this master-planned community, real features that buyers are looking for, and we have been able to deliver them all at a truly affordable price.  To get all that Hampstead Park has to offer from just $740,000 for a 3 bedroom home and from $765,000 for a 4 bedroom home, it’s easy to see why buyers have taken to the project so strongly.
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U: How does Maidstone compare to say Maribyrnong and Footscray from a price point? Is it an affordable alternative to these locations while still benefiting from proximity to the Maribyrnong river, Highpoint Shopping Centre and central Footscray? 

AS: Maidstone represents a unique opportunity to buy so close to the city at an affordable price. Our project borders right on Maribyrnong, where the median house price is nearly $170,000 more, and Footscray where the median house price is nearly $60,000 more. Hampstead Park offers all of the amenity of the surrounding suburbs, in an expertly planned community, at a much more affordable price. I think this is another reason why sales have been so strong – home buyers are surprised by what they get for their money and investors see the potential for strong capital growth.
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U: Where are purchasers in Hampstead Park located? Are they from surrounding suburbs? And what demographic? 

AS:The vast majority of our buyers are from surrounding suburbs. A lot have come from Maribyrnong as they see the project as desirable and affordable and not really much of a move, we have also seen those from further our like St. Albans and Point Cook who want to be closer to the city, and even people from other areas in the north such as Brunswick and Preston. They are paying a fraction of the price of what they would be buying a townhouse of this quality in their current suburbs, yet they get to maintain the similar proximity to the city and enjoy the same lifestyle.
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U: How many residences are left in Hampstead Park? 

AS: Of the 78 townhouses in Stage 1, there are only 15 remaining which is a great result. The great thing is that the floor plan types released initially are all still available except one, meaning that even those who are yet to buy haven’t missed out!
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U: At the rate at which they're selling they're most likely to be gone by the end of the year. When will stage two be released and can buyers enquire now? 

AS: The aim is to have Stage 1 practically sold out by the end of the year. Stage 2 will likely launch in February which is are very much looking forward to.
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Hampstead Park offers homes with no owners’ corporation, free-hold title and no common walls. There are massive stamp duty savings for investors and full stamp duty concessions for eligible first home buyers as well as the FHOG.

 
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Clarke Hopkins Clarke

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