Work

The original subdivision was complete, with infrastructure in place including services, road formation and a pedestrian link which we would have to accommodate. A high voltage power corridor, a new reserve and a cycleway along the Airfield Road frontage were also in place.

We developed a scheme for 21 2-bedroom terrace homes, providing a robust urban response to the busy Porchester Rd—Airfield Rd corner frontage, while wrapping around and containing the turning head of the more suburban Biplane Street.

We faced additional challenges due to the original Addison design guidelines, which were at this point around 10 years old. The underlying planning rules were the usual, but the conservative design guidelines limited everything from roof form and materiality to colour selection and fence design.

We pushed those very conservative rules as far as possible, in particular through our interpretation of the gable roof requirement and use of brick. This allowed us to generate an architectural response strong enough to work with both the busy corner and the quieter suburban condition beyond.

While the project was assessed against Homestar 6 criteria, and was largely compliant without any significant upgrades, a Homestar rating was not pursued in the end. It did create opportunities to make improvements during the process.

The finished project was a success for our client, fully delivered in around 18 months from initial discussion to completion, and at an overall rate of around $2,100sqm (excluding land).