Architecture firm Fender Katsalidis has achieved design approval for a $250m Build to Rent development on Canberra’s premier route – Northbourne Avenue.
Located at 220 Northbourne Avenue on the city’s major arterial road approximately two kilometres north of Canberra’s CBD, the scheme can be found on a key intersection under the National Capital Plan’s City and Gateway framework, with the light rail passing the development’s doorstep.
The new Build to Rent scheme will include three buildings comprising 393 apartments in a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedrooms, in addition to a commercial building and retail tenancies on the ground level. The development is connected via a series of gardens, plazas, and laneways to provide quality spaces and connections for the community.
Amenities at the scheme will include co-working areas, wellness facilities, a rooftop terrace, community hubs, a resident cinema and a sports lounge. The plans also include supporting artists in residence and programmed events to enliven the precinct and foster an active and vibrant ground plane experience.
Canberra’s National Capital Plan and its urban renewal principles have shaped the designs that will see the development of the Macarthur Node as a symbolic gateway to the city. The formal landscape of the avenue has been integrated into the rich ground plane of the precinct, meanwhile the lower ground of the precinct is defined by heavily landscaped features to maximise tree coverage and site permeability.
“The Build to Rent typology in Canberra is in its infancy but is a critically important addition to residential living. We’re thrilled to continue shaping the landscape in Australia’s Capital Territory and set a standard for excellence in Build to Rent living. Providing a richness of amenity and experience to residents was front-of-mind throughout our design process and ensuring that community-centric living and convenience are central to the design. We’re excited to be paving the way for this new type of living in such an important location for the city. We wanted to create a moment of surprise for people when they enter the atrium. We hope the dynamism of the space coupled with the rich landscape and enclosed roof will captivate Northbourne Avenue’s residents and visitors.”
David Robinson, Associate Principal, Fender Katsalidis
Three distinct facades across each building will enrich the diversity of the precinct and provide a sense of address to each. The northern building defines the new plaza at the intersection and provides a distinguished address to Northbourne and Wakefield Avenue. The largest central building presents a rhythmic grid expression at lower floors to the avenue and references Robin Boyd’s Churchill House to the south, whilst the upper floors provide a more sculptural form.
The southern building steps down to the east, providing external terraces and break-out spaces for the commercial tenancies, and engages with a highly landscaped laneway that will also feature urban art. A dramatic enclosed glass-roof atrium in the central building is encompassed by the ground-floor residential amenities and tenancies.
The landscaped atrium connects a north-to-south internal link and creates an internal space for the community to converge and inhabit. From the eighth-floor rooftop garden, residents will enjoy views across the north and east of the Capital’s distinctive bush landscape.
Given its altitude and colder climate, Canberra has a large variance in annual temperature and a high energy usage in the winter months, meaning rigorous energy testing and analysis of energy use across the full buildings was integral to informing the design and location of apartments and living spaces.
Fender Katsalidis worked closely with ESD consultants to examine glazing performance, shading, window-to-wall ratios and the placement of balconies and wintergardens. This resulted in a 31% reduction in cooling peak loads, a 13% reduction in heating peak loads, and a 23% reduction in total energy demand.
The sculptural horseshoe form of the central residential building features open-air corridors that provide through-apartment cross ventilation and enable greater flexibility in living through the warmer months. Carefully considered solar access and efficient materials were chosen to create high- performing facades across the year. The scheme will be gas-free and all-electric, in line with the growing use of renewable energy in Canberra.
Intended to celebrate and embed Canberra’s identity as the ‘bush capital’, the landscape has been a critical component of the design. Working in partnership with landscape architecture and urban design experts Oculus, the design features native plants providing year-round greenery that improves community amenity, improves tree canopy coverage and habitat biodiversity.
“We’ve carefully designed spaces that respond to Canberra’s distinct climate, to create functional, flexible, and enjoyable outdoor places for people to inhabit year-round.”
Peta Miskovich, Senior Associate, OCULUS
