Elgin Towers, Melbourne
Australian cities have been slow to produce appropriate apartments for families to change and grow.
One answer for keeping our cities family friendly is a more flexible approach to apartment design.
The term ‘long life, loose fit’ (coined by British architect Alex Gordon) is particularly relevant to this concept of adaptability. And it’s at the heart of our work redesigning Elgin Towers (at right), social housing towers in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Carlton.
The project’s less-prescriptive approach to apartment design will both increase longevity and improve appeal. This flexibility of space is key to promoting apartment living as an alternative to houses.
Ultimately, Elgin Towers will put decisions on how to use space in the hands of residents, so they truly make it their own.
Smith Street Build-to-Rent, Perth
In Perth, construction recently kicked off on the Smith Street Build-to-Rent development (at right), the first of its kind in Western Australia.
Once completed it will have over 100 social, affordable and specialist disability apartments.
Delivered through a 52-year ground lease arrangement on State-owned land, the development will revitalise a disused public housing site.
Importantly, it will also help alleviate the strain on Perth’s rental market by offering a diverse, high-quality mix of housing options for those in need.
Markham Avenue, Melbourne
Located in the Melbourne suburb of Ashburton, Markham Avenue (at right) represents a new breed of public and affordable housing.
It’s one of the first projects designed and delivered under Homes Victoria’s Big Housing Build.
Defined by generous spaces and amenities, connections to nature, and lasting, quality materials, it’s a healthier, more inclusive form of higher-density living.
Made up of five buildings with 111 social and 67 affordable units, the development is ‘tenure blind’, meaning the different types of apartments are indistinguishable from one another. Residents are treated equally, helping remove social barriers.
The 100% government-owned development is a socially and environmentally sustainable place to live with quality at its core.
Platform Apartments, Sydney
It’s been a decade since Platform Apartments finished – yet it’s still a benchmark for amenable, affordable housing within a centrally located mixed-use precinct.
Place making was an important consideration on the project. We focused on integrating the form of the housing with its significant heritage and arts precinct, while ensuring it was an active contributor to cultural and urban life.
The development features 88 apartments distributed over six levels. To emphasise its main lobby, we created an extra level at its eastern end, an addition that also allows access to a communal roof terrace.
City West Housing’s CEO, Janelle Goulding, said Platform was “changing people’s perspective on what affordable housing is.”
