Gibbons Street housing in Redfern, designed by DKO Architecture, has been completed, delivering a mix of 40 social and 120 affordable housing units over 18 storeys.
Built on the site of a former City of Sydney depot, the tower was developed by and is owned and operated by St George Community Housing. It was financed by the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation.
The dwellings will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, with 27 units designed to be adaptable for residents with disabilities and 25 percent of the units allocated to Aboriginal households.
The tenure-blind design sees social and affordable housing units interspersed with diverse community spaces and a rooftop garden that allows people to connect and enjoy the views.
DKO Architecture director Nick Byrne said the design of the building drew on the built and cultural heritage of Redfern, including the ongoing significance of the area to Indigenous people.
“We’ve purposely used really familiar building materials at the ground level, such as the brickwork, to express the nature of what it is to be in Redfern,” he said.
The architects worked in consultation with Aboriginal artist Joe Hurst of the Boomali Aboriginal Artists Cooperative, whose work is integrated throughout the building.
“We’ve taken a bit of a different approach to thinking about public art – it doesn’t need to be down at the street interface, it can be in a soffit,” said Byrne. “If you look at the ceiling of the communal open space, it actually has some of the Aboriginal artwork incorporated within it.”
Environmentally sustainable design was anoher key concern of the architects and, in place of airconditioning, the building incorporates a fresh air system which supplies apartments from a roof mounted fan, battery system and a 50kW solar array. Double-glazed windows throughout promote the thermal qualities of the building and ensure the units will remain comfortable throughout the year.
The building has also been designed with zero carparks. It is situated directly opposite Redfern train station and is within walking distance to supermarkets and shops and 92 bike spaces directly adjacent to the lobby encourage people to ride.
Residents will be moving in over the next couple of months.
“We believe that Gibbons Street has raised the bar and has created an environmentally friendly living environment,” said Byrne.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
