Yarra Terrace

The subject site sits at an interesting point in the streetscape. Topographically the nature of the street condition changes across the site. To the west the contours lie parallel to the street and form a substantially ‘inclined bank, terminating in a ridge approximately 15m above street level. To the east a much steeper escarpment exists, forming a near vertical interface with the street. The transition from escarpment to bank occurs across the subject site and becomes a major influence on the design response.

The elegant forms and meticulous site response give the building a strong yet subtle presence, the architecture and environmentally responsible design delivering a timeless building.

The building mass was derived from a series of processes undertaken to address and respond to the topography.

The proposed building form recognises the unique topography of the site and responds in a highly contextual way. Each level of the building mimics the natural contour lines across the site producing an organic form which sits easily in its context. The balustrade design has been carefully considered and designed to reinforce the fluid organic nature of the building, emphasising the existing topography.

Yarra Terrace has been designed to achieve an excellent environmental performance. Passive measures are used where possible to limit the energy footprint of the building.

The building has a northerly orientation, partly as a default of existing site conditions. The north facing facade have however been manipulated to accentuate their exposure to the natural light and to provide daylight deep into the plans. Large cantilevers over the glazing ensure solar shading during the summer whilst allowing passive solar gain during the colder months.

Advantage has been taken of the sloping site to ‘bury' a significant volume of the building below natural ground level. Through doing this the building will be 'super insulated' with considerable benefits to both heating during the winter and cooling during the summer.

Yarra Terrace will make use of collected rainwater to irrigate the landscaping. In addition low water usage fixtures and fittings will be specified.

The majority of apartments are to facilitate natural cross ventilation through their location on a corner of the building. It is proposed during the design development phase to investigate the potential to further increase ventilation through the use of thermal chimney in the excavated area behind the retaining walls.

The potential to use ground water as a cooling aid through a heat exchange device is being considered.

Materials will be specified with reference to their environmental profile. Intrinsically the building will have stable thermal profile through a combination of its below ground nature and concrete primary structure.