Essence Apartments encapsulates a balance of vibrancy and intimacy for its residents through the design response that focuses on the end-user’s desires and comfort while still playing its role in its important local context.
Developed by Blackburne Property Group and designed and executed by Hames Sharley, Essence Apartments activates, engages and responds to its landmark position, responding appropriately to its corner location and to the public open spaces that surround it.
The site required activation on all sides.
And although not unique for the precinct, there were some additional challenges on this site that needed consideration.
The surroundings of the park, road, and train line frontage, as well as environmental considerations such as westerly sun and light penetration were some of the key environmental considerations for the site.
It was also adjacent to a functioning football oval, so construction sequencing and safety was critical.
The design evolved out of a few simple principles.
Firstly, to focus on the end-user and their desire to connect with the surrounds.
Secondly, focus on activation and ensure that spaces are functional and dispersed so that residents and occupants engage with the public realm.
Also pushing the design guidelines “envelope” for the good of safety and amenity was received well as the Hames Sharley design looked to add a crossover to the site so that all service vehicles stay in a forward gear.
These simple moves allowed Hames Sharley to stay focused on the principles of the project and align the product to meet market needs.
Reacting to its key social, environmental and physical contexts; the development provides an external face that is both active and engaging and encourages a sense of identity.
Essence Apartments provides an active and diverse built environment encouraging strong engagement amongst its residential population and the wider local community.
The key objective for this development was to successfully deliver a high-quality mixed-use development with an activated ground floor and a diverse range of apartment typologies to cater for a wide cross-section of the community.
Delivering a quality retail and permeable ground floor was critical to establish the integration of the project into its greater context.
Three lobbies, a grocer, three tenancies, and apartments all activated the two streets, two laneways, and a football oval.
Hames Sharley’s approach was to create a unique identity for each building.
A building that looks to the oval, a building looks to the river and Claremont quarter, and a building that addresses the western sun, golf course, and swimming pool
A residential building isn’t complete until the residents have moved in and start putting their stamp on it.
These buildings will become unique and enlivened as the residents begin to occupy and “own” their building.
The building was built with traditional methods, with a mixture of reinforced insitu concrete slabs, concrete and lightweight partition walls and the external façade with “timber look” panelling, cladding and recycled brick to bring a balance of contemporary and contextual response to the development.
In addition to the key passive design elements controlling sunlight, heat gain and air movement; active systems pursue environmentally sustainable outcomes for all and heat recovery and photovoltaic power.
Project Details
Project Size – 24,000 m2
Project Budget – $56,000,000
Completion Date – 2019
Project Team
Developer
Blackburne Property Group
The Blackburne name has been synonymous with the Perth property industry for many years.
Apart from successfully undertaking many residential apartment projects, BPG deliver complementary professional services including strata management, property management, sales and marketing, and mortgage broking.
Architecture
Hames Sharley
Hames Sharley demonstrated their value in this project by delivering a design that satisfied the complex parameters set by the Precinct Design Guidelines and the brief set out by Blackburne Property Group ensuring a project mix that satisfied the current and future market.
Key to their role in this successful project was their multi-disciplinary skill set in Urban Design, Architecture, and Interior Design.
Landscape Architecture
CAPA
CAPA are an integrated architecture and landscape design studio based in Perth. Landscape and environment are key to all their projects.
Construction
BGC Construction
Established in 1974 as the commercial construction division of BGC (Australia) Pty Ltd, BGC Construction has developed into a formidable contractor in the West Australian market.
They have been at the helm of delivering many of the most iconic award-winning projects in the state, from Perth Arena and NIB Stadium to The National Anzac Centre in Albany.
Photography
Douglas Mark Black
Douglas photographs architectural, design, and landscape architecture projects throughout Western Australia for local, national and multi-national client organisations within the construction sector.
With an international working background in architecture, Douglas brings a unique perspective to his photographic approach. His conceptual photography has been sold as limited edition fine art prints, used within commercial interiors projects, and featured on a number of international book covers.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Hames Sharley. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Douglas Mark Black. All Rights Reserved.
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