Riverwood

Positioned next to the Yarra River and Coate Park, this residential development introduces a contemporary insertion of forms and textures in harmony with the surrounding natural environment.

Purposefully designed around the retention of existing trees, the context-driven design is infused with warmth through the dominant use of timber and an emphasis on a simple materials palette.

Timber cladding and stone landscape walls help anchor the project to the escarpment, while lightweight cantilevered boxes provide a sense of lightness among the treetops. The use of cladding and two horizontal white elements work to provide an appealing juxtaposition of building forms, while the top floor is recessed back, allowing large terraces.

The development presents to Rex Avenue as a series of divergent town houses, leading to a central lowrise apartment building and a river-facing maisonette, surrounded by thoughtfully landscaped open areas. The main apartment building provides separation from the park and a degree of displacement in response to its organic location. Buildings have been sculpted and layered, providing a textured, diverse and sympathetic response to a discrete, riverside setting.