A proposal for a mixed-use residential development is currently on exhibition on the NSW government’s state significant applications portal. Designed by A+ Design Group, the project involves the demolition of existing low-density, detached housing across 18 individual lots, and the construction of two new residential towers and two mid-rise apartment buildings in its place.
A total of 615 residential units are proposed on the site with 169 apartments (15 percent floor area) allocated as affordable housing, making the project eligible for increased height and floor space ratio bonuses under the State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) (Housing). At its tallest point, the development is approximately six storeys above local council’s Development Control Plan (DCP).
The proposal’s stepped architectural form ranges from 5 to 25 storeys in height and is situated above a landscaped podium. At the site’s centre, a terraced through-site link intended to enhance the site’s connectivity to its surrounds is also envisioned as a green corridor.
According to the design report authored by A+, this link “emphasises the immersive experience of nature […] with water playing a vital role in activating the garden space. As water flows through the site, it introduces dynamic changes in elevation, guiding movement and enriching the visitor’s connection with the landscape.”
Narratives around water have also informed the architectural articulation of the proposal. A+ notes that the interplay of vertical tower forms with the podium’s “rhythmic arrangement of vertical brick blades … reflects both the land’s movement and the fluidity of water, seamlessly merging architectural form with the natural world.”
Developed in collaboration with Dharug artist Leanne Redpath, the proposal’s Connecting with Country strategy is, according to A+, “embedded in the development” through a visual language of “patterns and textures inspired by Dharug cultural motifs.”
Commercial and retail tenancies are proposed along the site’s north-eastern and north-western edges, totalling just over 8,000 square metres of floor area. Beneath the buildings, four levels of basement car parking are proposed.
The project is envisioned as a staged development, with the eastern tower and through-site link to be completed first, followed by the second tower and the communal open space on the west of the site.
The proposal is on exhibition and open to public comment until 22 April.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
