AJC Architects have been declared the winner of the City of Sydney’s latest Design Excellence Competition, this time for a 250-unit affordable housing precinct located in Alexandria, developed by City West Housing.
The practice's design response imagines a series of intimate neighbourhoods which seek to break up typical bulky forms. In line with the City of Sydney’s planning controls, natural light and ventilation has been prioritised, while connection is encouraged via shared landscapes that sit between each neighbourhood, of which a third of the site has been dedicated to.
Two-storey entry lobbies will enhance each occupants’ link to nature, connecting to internal gardens and the urban streetscape. Gardens will comprise endemic plant systems and will seek to increase the urban tree canopy. The shared landscapes will reference pre-Colonial wetland and sand dune Country through the building material and plant selections.
"We've been developing and refining the multi-core model as part of this project, along principles from our Urban Backyard study, which combined, will deliver outstanding amenity, and also help cultivate community among residents." says AJC Studio Lead, Lee Collard.
Fronting Botany Road, Alexandria, the immediate locale is shifting from an industrial area in Sydney’s south to a vibrant, contemporary community respectful of its past. The trio’s design response is no different, with robust masonry forms with strongly articulated framing in a palette of materials and wetland and sand dune tones. On approach, the facades will reveal a richness of detail, craftsmanship and quality.
Retail activations will bring the block to life, placed amongst the residential entry ‘mews’. Collard says the precinct’s design response has been deliberate in its attempt to create a communal feel.
"The multicore breaks down the development into more relatable communities. In this scheme, it's up to a maximum of four apartments per floor, which gives it a neighbourly feel,” Collard continues.
“That's well below the Apartment Design Guide (ADG) stipulation of 8-12 per floor (maximum) for optimal harmony among residents. The multicore design also provides opportunities for windows where typical apartments wouldn't have - kitchens, bathrooms, laundries etc, and we've been prototyping the model to solve access issues sometimes associated with multicore buildings.”
