0447 133 309

No.21 Sherwood Street, Maylands

 

10 Apartments plus undercroft parking

 

Under Construction

 

An innovative concept plan to address steep site gradients and thereby maximising the number of permitted apartments.

 

Planning Approval for extended heights on the basis that the quality of the design outweighed concession.

 

Planning Approval for an additional 7.6% of plot ratio area on the basis that the quality of the design outweighed concession.

 

Unanimously supported by both the planning department and Councillors for the quality in the design and approach to problem solving the site and planning constraints.

 

The site is located on the corner of Sherwood Street and Ferguson Street in Maylands. The corner block is trapezoidal in shape with a 5.5m fall from East to West. The streetscape is composed of single and grouped dwellings with extensive street verge trees.

 

The site constraint offered the most significant challenge. The shape and more significantly the considerable fall across the site made it impractical to propose a viable single flat floor plate and remain compliant with the two storey limitation on the site. The financial model also determined that 10 x 2 bedroom apartments plus associated parking were required. A conventional approach to the design solution and adherence to the planning framework would have resulted in a reduced number of units and a financially unviable project.

 

Furthermore, the setback requirements reduced the usable site to an area that made it impossible to provide the required parking and apartments on the same level. The reduced useable site area also dictated that we could not accommodate 10 units on one level. The answer was to provide three levels within a permitted two level envelope.

 

“We had to think outside the box of the conventional flat slab single access approach of apartment living. By introducing three modules we were able to overcome the challenges of the site conditions, the planning framework, and also create direct and private access for the residents and instill a boutique quality to the development. Residents will feel they are part of a private enclave of four or two units.”

 

Andrew Morris

 

 

The challenge of the apparent conflict was resolved cleverly by splitting the building into 3 modules. Two modules contain four apartments and a third module contains 2 apartments. This design decision completely changed the dynamics of the project to the client's advantage. Each module is provided with a stair that gives direct and short distance access for residents from a carbay to their front door. The modules, therefore, eliminate wasteful and expensive long corridors and enable the building to be staggered down the steep site to reduce the effective height of the building at its lowest end. The staggering of the modules also break the massing of the building and enables greater articulation of the elevation and thereby achieving a sympathetic response to the scale of the surrounding buildings and associated streetscape.

 

The modules also enable the steep gradient of the site to be turned into an advantage in the creation of the undercroft carpark which is not visible from the public street but avoids the expense of a full basement.

 

Additional design interventions include recessing the top floor at the western end of the site to provide the appearance of a predominantly two storey facade and the provision of generous landscaping and setbacks to the rear and western boundary.

 

The local council planners and committee councillors acknowledged the quality of the design and the creative approach to problem solving the site and planning constraints. Consequently, the design was granted unanimous approval including an additional 7.6% of plot ratio area and extended parapet heights.