Hamton

JCB Architects sets Fitzroy development apart from the crowd

The design brief provided to the architects for the seven-storey Abito apartment development contained two simple requests; one that it be sympathetic to the heritage value of the existing streetscape and secondly, it must be an environmentally sustainable building.

Tucked behind Brunswick Street on Victoria Street in the heart of one of Melbourne’s most sought after suburbs, Fitzroy, architects Jackson Clements Burrows (JCB), were keen to reflect the semi-industrial nature and artistic ambience the area is renowned for. They liked what they created so much they purchased their own apartment within the building.

The buildings striking exterior had to work in with Victoria Streets period homes, industrial warehouses and modern apartments, so JCB created a design that stands as a ‘mini-Manhattan’ featuring a collage of towers; proudly contemporary, while paying homage to its neighbours.

Meaning ‘to live’ in Italian, Abito, offers the highest standard of design to ensure its residents feel revitalised and energised by their home environment.  Using raw and striking materials, JCB have created a unique development that reflects a warehouse aesthetic that works in contrast with its distinctive red and green colour palette inside and out.

INSIDE
Inside the 35-apartment building, the developers Hamton Property Group, created a building that incorporates individual apartments layouts; some with extra large wrap- around balconies with sweeping views towards Melbourne’s CBD or north, and others offering unique multi-level floorplans leaving JCB with a unique canvas to create apartments with their own personality.

Taking on the sustainable challenge at Abito, JCB has used a range of environmental techniques designed to improve energy efficiency. Abito features inclusions such as cross ventilation which includes a breezeway louvre system that monitors airflow to help heat or cool the building naturally.

Abito also comprises a range of water wise methods including the installation of a rainwater tank to collect rainwater for reuse on landscaped areas around the building. The inclusion of an energy efficient hot water system will heat water only when required while each of the 35 apartments is fitted with AAA water efficient shower heads that have been proven to reduce water use by 50 per cent. Further provisions include sustainable tap fittings have been fitted in and around the development to ensure water wastage is minimised with an estimated saving of approximately 20,000 litres per year.

EXTERIOR
A unique treatment to the exterior walls include a red paint treatment that results in varying tones reflective of the rusty exterior character of Fitzroy’s old warehouses and factories.  Rain will weather the buildings paint treatment so the building ages and evolves organically with the other buildings in the street.

The building includes what JCB architects describe as a ‘ravine’; essentially a breezeway built into the central internal courtyard which works to reference the narrow laneways and fine grain of Fitzroy’s streets and alleys.  Entering through the breezeway from the street, residents and visitors will be drawn to an open-air lift area and stairwell.

Balconies feature high-tech ‘Webglass’ in green that provide a warm, inviting glow at night and as the sun goes down. Further design elements include the use of built-in planter boxes that are designed to allow plants to spill over the edge with fresh greenery to drape walls, rooftops and terraces, offsetting the red walls and recalling the overgrown laneways and walls of the surrounding neighbourhood.

Hamton have also gained acclaim from JCB for its decision to incorporate further environmental practices including the use of some sustainably sourced building materials.

JCB managing director, Tim Jackson, said the materials throughout the development were chosen to provide excellent insulation and   properties between apartments in order to provide greater comfort and low energy usage.

“ The developers have worked closely with us and taken some very bold steps to ensure this building is among Melbourne’s most sustainable with a great deal of thought incorporated into every design and building decision.

“ Abito is special because its objectives were a challenge to incorporate as a whole, but we knew, from the outset, that both features of the design brief provided a strong basis for a unique outcome,” Mr Jackson said.

Hamton joint managing director, Steve Buxton said the decision to up the ante on sustainable development of this kind came from the group’s recognition of its social obligation to provide higher standard in residential structures.

“ We also felt Fitzroy attracted a market that would embrace the sustainable values of the project and still love its unique exterior and design orientated appeal.  It was an important mix to get right and I think we managed to hit the nail on the head at Abito.”

He said tight draught seal to prevent draughts from windows and doors, quality insulation throughout the building and minute attention to ensuring all gaps and crevices are completely sealed wall to ceiling, were all part of the details that help improve the sustainability within Abito.

“ We believe that Abito takes environmental development standards to an entirely new level in efficiency and sustainability, especially in multi-level apartment buildings,” Mr Buxton said.

For further information contact Hamton sales director, Cameron Yates, on M: 0403 388 008, or please visit www.abito-fitzroy.com