2012 Houses Awards: Apartment, Unit or Townhouse

Award | Houses Awards Jury 2012

27 Jul 2012

Airlie Bank by Neometro with McAllister Alcock Architects.

Image: Shannon McGrath

Airlie Bank (Vic) by Neometro with McAllister Alcock Architects

Jury comment

So often in Australia, apartments are poorly planned, leaving little scope for any interior design rescue. Not so at Airlie Bank. The bones of this project are well placed, while good use of natural light, sensible planning that is easily adaptive to a relaxed and comfortable lifestyle, light and fresh air to every room, and a recessive yet functional kitchen all work together in a neat composition.

The quality of design extends well beyond the architect’s desire for “refined materials which express their natural and raw state.” Natural side light to kitchen benches; niche lighting to bathrooms; utility areas that are hidden yet accessible; a “borrowed” study; well-planned joinery; practical, elegant sanitary fittings; a generous terrace as outdoor living room extension – all of this adds up to a project greater than the sum of its parts, and one that achieves a high-quality design outcome. A sense of space, light and air is both implied and real in this apartment design. Take out all of the furnishings and still it is a delightful place for city living.

See our review of this project from Houses 85.

Award for Apartment, Unit or Townhouse supported by Duravit.

Products and materials

Roofing: Lysaght Klip-lok roof decking; Ausmesh insulation.

External walls: CFC precast concrete; rendered masonry with smooth stucco finish; GRC Environments panels and screens in white, patterned screen to facade; granite with flamed white opal finish to entry.

Internal walls: Solid black party walls with plaster and paint finish; Sikkens cedar battens with weathered cedar stain; MDF panelling.

Windows: Capral black aluminium-framed windows; Lidi Group blinds and curtains.

Doors: Spence Doors semisolid core door; Dorma door closers; Gainsborough Peloris handles; custom-made whitewashed round timber handles.

Flooring: European oak parquetry, chevron patterned with whitewash; Supertuft Escape Velour tufted wool carpet; Cotto d’Este porcelain tiles with Lux finish.

Lighting: mLight Magazine suspended light; Masson For Light Tully Spot track lights; Inlite Tube Starr can lights; Coco Flip Coco pendant; Castore pendant and Porcelight light (powder room).

Kitchen: Miele stainless steel cooktop, oven, rangehood and dishwasher; SJB stainless steel bench with Arabescato stone inset; Arabescato stone and black mosaic Japanese tile splashbacks; Gemwood Interiors American oak timber veneer joinery.

Bathroom: Radiant Heating heated towel rails; Rogerseller ceramic basin and strap accessories; Pozzi Ginori porcelain basin; Arabescato stone benchtop.