The 21 Peter Doherty Street multi-residential project is part of the Boggo Road Urban Village master planned precinct.
The project aspires to create a sub-tropical language for this scale of residential typology which avoids the ‘double stacking’ of apartments around a stagnant internal circulatory corridor. The scale of the development has been broken down by dividing the mass into three separate ‘wings’, each served by external circulation.
Each wing has been arranged carefully to create a sub-tropical courtyard space in the centre of the scheme, open to the sky and the prevailing breezes, thus providing a naturally lit and ventilated heart.
The buildings step from five to four storeys in response to the steeply sloping topography of the site, maintaining a human scale.
Exterior cladding is a restrained and limited palette of simple materials including textured render, face brick base, glazed tiles, powder-coated aluminium and profiled metal used sparingly to accent and reinforce the various elements of the architectural expression.
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
The project’s aspiration for sub-tropical living ensures each apartment achieves cross-ventilation by virtue of all being ‘single loaded’ to external balcony access-ways. This sub-tropical model promotes the benefit of light and air penetrating each apartment from both directions.
The circulation is kept to a minimum through the use of small bridges which span across the courtyard to shared apartment entries. A lift has been provided close to the main entry point, oriented such that users experience the sub-tropical courtyard as part of their daily routine of entering and leaving the building. The residents also use the open fire stairs to casually circulate through the building, further enhancing the level of activity and interaction.
The project employs limited A/C units which are individualised to each apartment, so there is no central chiller plant running constantly drawing energy. The development houses significant rainwater harvesting tanks which are used for irrigating the subtropical landscaped courtyards.
All living spaces are planned adjacent to significant external balconies and each external window is fitted with external solar screening. The project also boasts an impressive but private communal roof terrace which enjoys sweeping views to the city and benefits from the prevailing breezes.
