Beachside Leighton

Category: Residential

Location: North Fremantle

Status: Completed 2010

Awards:

AIA (WA Chapter) Harold Krantz Multiple Residential Award 2011

CCAA State Project Winner

Project Team: 

[spaceagency in Association with Mirvac Design]

Michael Patroni

Dimmity Walker

Elin Wedel

Stephen Corns

Builder:

Mirvac

Photographer:

Robert Frith

Project Description:

Beachside Leighton is an urban residential development containing 60 apartments and 7 terrace houses, arranged around landscaped courtyards. Five storey apartment buildings (by Kerry Hill Architects in association with Mirvac Design) are located on the southern, western and northern boundaries. The three storey terrace (by spaceagency in association with Mirvac Design) is aligned to the eastern boundary along Curtin Avenue.

The terrace is designed to present as one building rather than individual houses. The program provides opportunity for small-scale commercial use at the ground floor.

The eastern screen is the primary unifying element of the terrace, it mediates between the inhabitants and the traffic on Curtin Ave. The scale and presence of this screen creates a significant “corner” to the development, punctuating the streetscape and leading the eye down to the beach.

The detail of the screen is derived from abstracted images of nearby eroded limestone formations. The poetic form contributes to a unique sense of place.

The living areas are configured about an internal courtyard in response to the harsh environmental conditions of the site. Externally this is evident in the screens on all aspects of the building. Internally the experience of the space is characterised by the changing light qualities created by the various screen elements.