Located on the edge of the North Sydney CBD, The Heritage Apartments make a transition between the tall towers of the city centre and the heritage buildings of the nearby Hampden conservation area. A slim eight-storey building rises up behind four heritage houses that front on to Walker Street. It presents as three contemporary louvered stone-clad blocks, bridged by two glass slots. Cleverly, these blocks relate to the houses below by aligning with the gaps between them, form the entry paths to the new building behind. The success of this project lies in bringing the two scales and styles together in a contrasting and subtle manner. The ornamentation, colour and gardens of the federation homes beautifully balance the subdued nature of the tower.
Expand ContentThe building comprises of 24 apartments, most of which are spacious 3-4 bedroom apartments. These apartments span through the building to access light from both sides and enjoy cross-ventilation. This has been achieved by creating two service cores; one core shared between two apartments and the other directly accessing the north apartment, where the lift opens directly into the apartment. This creates private and comfortable homes with the living, dining, kitchen and master bedrooms on the east side, overlooking Sydney Harbour, and the family room and secondary bedrooms on the west, looking back to North Sydney CBD.
These through-apartments are configured around a central core, housing bathrooms, laundry and kitchen. This pod, a signature of our work, results in a functional arrangement of rooms that is easy to live with, private and has great circulation and flow. Clad with dark stained veneer, these full height panels with flush minimal detailing, house all the functional elements of a kitchen and create a calm backdrop to the living areas. They marry beautifully with the crisp white walls and stone floors, in a classic and enduring style.
Elements such as full height glass and adjustable-retractable sun-shading louvres reinforce the connection between inside and out. The rooftop has a communal garden and BBQ area with spectacular views of the city.
The Heritage is a building where the architecture and interiors have been executed as one. It’s also a building where two different scales and styles, separated by 100 years of construction, are brought together. The net result is a building that forms a refined transition between North Sydney CBD and the surrounding suburban areas, enjoying the benefits of both.
