Located on the edge of the North Sydney CBD, The Heritage Apartments mark the transition between the tall towers of the city centre and the heritage buildings of the nearby Hampden Street conservation area. A slim eight-storey building that rises behind four heritage houses on 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, which 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 24 apartments, most of which are spacious 3- or 4-bedroom apartments, span the building to access light from both sides and enjoy cross ventilation. This has been achieved by creating two service cores: one shared between two apartments and the other 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’s 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, the 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 result is a building that forms a refined transition between the North Sydney CBD and the surrounding suburban areas, while enjoying the benefits of both.
