No. 71
To create a residential development in the rich diversity of Fairfield’s urban village, we sought to condense, curate and bring together thirteen distinct and individual residences.
The resultant design is a collection of individual houses, stacked together to create a community. No two dwellings are the same, each one with its own nuances, and each dwelling is recognisable from the street – a true neighbourhood. Large homes with landscaped gardens, double storey terraces, compact cottages – the varied housing types of Fairfield are distilled and brought together into a unified composition.
The experience of living here is to be in a home. The result is a building that is of a domestic scale, comfortable and inviting.
Located adjacent to Fairfield’s train station and commercial hub, the building embraces its urban landscape whilst remembering the vast natural amenity of the riverside parks nearby. The experience of coming home is to walk through a wrought iron gate, along a laneway edged with greenery, and into an intimate, secluded oasis planted with trees. An open stair set amongst trees leads to the residences.
The design acknowledges the industrial and commercial character of the locality – it is contemporary and minimal, with a palette of robust and honest materials. The textures are authentic and tactile – concrete, stone and timber – and create a continuous connection between the internal and external spaces.
The upper level dwellings have balconies that are conceived as outdoor rooms – protected and partly enclosed, and seamless extensions of the internal living spaces.
Solid walls gently peel away to bring in dappled light, the experience of walking under Fairfield’s riverside eucalypts.
Client | Osten
Visualisation | Flood Slicer
Still life | Derek Henderson
Media
‘A holistic design ethos lands in Fairfield’ Article by Mark Baljak, 8th August 2018
‘What is the architecture of wellbeing?’ Article by Natalie Mortimer, 27th November 2018
‘A new storey in luxury’ Article by Nathan Mawby, Herald Sun Real Estate, 25th August 2018