Containing twenty-nine apartments, with a diversity of sizes and provision of one to four bedroom accommodation, 266m2 of high street commercial space, and co-working space of 154m2, Glyde Street in Perth, Western Australia is a carefully considered and acclaimed example of medium-scale infill for established neighbourhoods.
Designed by award-winning Perth-based architects MJA Studio, Glyde Street is the first mixed-use development to be completed in Mosman Park’s town centre since new planning controls were adopted in 2018.
Mosman Park is located in western metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and lies about 14 km southwest of the Perth CBD and 5 km from Fremantle.
MJA Studio’s client and the design team held a shared aspiration to create a benchmark-setting project that positively influences adjacent local development, provides a case study for transit-orientated development in Western Australia, and delivers a context for future Metronet precincts.
Mosman Park houses multiple dwellings at a rate 3.5 times the State average.
Most of them are smaller scale one and two-bedroom dwellings within buildings constructed 40 to 50 years ago.
After a failed attempt by another group to develop the site, the MJA Studio design team was challenged by the client to deliver a project that catered for local downsizers and their young professional children.
They wanted the design to provide residents with work-from-building opportunities and the convenience of ground floor retail and food and beverage amenities.
Reviewing the previously failed proposal, the MJA Studio design team assessed a number of issues related to residential amenity and its failure to meet the intent of DesignWA.
To address these issues, their design approach anticipated adjacent future development and incorporated the story of the previous use onsite.
Their design approach can be summarised thus:
- Split the building envelope in two thereby prioritising access to northern light for the majority of apartments from a single core.
- Carve away mass from the north envelope and rotate the inside face of the southern envelope to create sightlines north out to the Norfolk Pines of Cottesloe.
- Sculpt and articulate the street and laneway facades to mitigate bulk for the pedestrian.
- Re-insert the Nursery; carved voids with cascading vines, mature trees to the inner courtyard, and a parklet to the street.
- Soften the sharp edges so it is not merely another white box.
MJA Studio’s design approach led to a 100% dual aspect apartment project that had real street and laneway engagement and no cross views between apartments.
A collaborative design process from the start with landscape designers CAPA facilitated an intertwined landscape architecture response with mature trees installed on the street, courtyard, and roof terrace.
Installed structured planting equated to 25% of the site area.
This dual-aspect apartment approach minimizes the end user’s reliance on mechanical cooling systems through optimized natural ventilation.
Natural ventilation, when combined with 86% of apartments receiving north light, significantly reduces reliance on mechanical heating.
The lack of enclosed corridors and lobby spaces means these zones don’t need artificial light or conditioned air.
Providing 25kw of PV, efficient fixtures and fittings, and behavioural change programs have seen a 50% reduction in lifecycle carbon.
Project Awards
Winner – 2021 WA Architecture Awards: Harold Krantz Award for Residential Architecture (Multiple Housing)
Project Details
Site Area – 1,505 m2
Completion Date – 2021
Building Levels – 6
Project Team
Architecture
MJA Studio
MJA is a dynamic and nimble design practice that aims to create happy and healthy buildings that drive positive change in the built environment, exceed the expectations of their clients, and provide tangible community benefits.
The firm operates from Subiaco in Perth and Fitzroy in Melbourne. The project team included Wes Barrett, Jimmy Thompson, Sophie Bottcher, and Miriam Price
Landscape Design
CAPA
CAPA is an integrated architecture and landscape design studio based in Perth.
Photography
Dion Robeson
Dion is an architectural, interior, and commercial fit-out photographer based in Perth, Western Australia.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge it.
Design © 2022 MJA Studio. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2022 Dion Robeson. All Rights Reserved.
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