A car park sitting at the base of a 37-storey tower had an incredible outlook and guaranteed solar access in the centre of the CBD. The heritage listed State Library of Victoria sits opposite the site.
Not only did the site provide a beautiful aspect and guaranteed solar perpetuity, it could never be built out so it was just too good to pass up for Breathe Architecture.
Gripped between a commercial plinth with multi-storey car park and a residential tower above, QV8 is the adaptation of a disused car parking level into 8 bespoke apartments.
The project is an opportune appropriation of an environmentally counter-intuitive typology: the inner city car park, and provides a new precedent for urban infill housing.
By establishing deep north-facing balconies and circulation edged with vegetation, QV8 will flourish over time, providing lush relief amongst a hardedged streetscape.
KEY INITIATIVES
- Adaptive re-use of car park level to provide precedent for urban residential densification.
- North/South aspect of all apartments - allowing optimum winter sun penetration
- Harnessing thermal mass of the existing concrete structure for temperature stabilisation.
- Low E double glazing for enhanced thermal and acoustic performance.
- Cross ventilation for internal air quality and reduced energy usage.
- Specification of all Australian timbers, non-toxic and low-embodied energy materials and LED light fittings.
- Highly efficient plumbing fixtures and fittings for reduced water use
- All apartments accessed via a vegetated elevated walkway to the south.
- All apartments cross ventilated.
- All apartments opening up to the North.
- All apartments with awnings designed for passive solar gain above the double glazed northern facades.
- All apartments with abundant, insulated thermal mass
