brief

Our client wanted a high quality mixed-use apartment development that would respond sensitively to its heritage context and prominent location on Sydney’s Lower North Shore. The unusual site geometry, formed by the meeting of the Chatswood and Artarmon street grids, provided an opportunity to create a distinctive architectural response while improving pedestrian connections and activity at street level.

solution

Our concept was to divide the development into two residential wings, reducing the scale of the building and creating a generous landscaped garden at its centre. The building forms shift in response to the natural topography and changing street alignments, with a curved corner marking the entrance to a new pedestrian laneway. Retail tenancies activate Penshurst Street, while a setback at the corner creates a sheltered public space for outdoor dining. The central garden draws inspiration from the shaded rainforest gullies of Willoughby and Middle Cove, bringing a distinctly local landscape character into the heart of the development.