Australian firm I2C Architects and UK firm Ryder Architecture have designed a build-to-rent apartment complex for Oakleigh South in south-east Melbourne that will also include a dedicated coworking space for residents working from home.
Known as Fieldworks House, the eight-storey building will be the area’s first build-to-rent development.
It will feature an 1,800-sqaure-metre podium with an oversized covered dining area, vegetable gardens, and yoga spaces.
I2C project lead Marcus Greening said the integrated landscaped spaces would create a “social and cultural experience” for residents and the wider community.
Fieldworks House by i2C Architects and Ryder Architecture.
Image: i2C Architects and Ryder Architecture
“The past 18 months we’ve seen Australians spending more time at home in general, so we need to create homes that have amenities linked to mental wellbeing; large open spaces with expansive green views, yoga areas, vegetable gardens, and BBQ areas,” he said. “The goal with build-to-rent is to create a vertical neighbourhood that encourages and enhances the social experience for residents and the wider community alike, not just apartments.
“The Fieldworks House site also has strong ties to place, so we wanted to give light to this in the design. Exposed brick will be displayed throughout as a nod to the strong bricklaying history and industrial aesthetic in Oakleigh South. In the 1940s, this area was actually a sand quarry, so we’ve heavily represented this geological history throughout the design through the use of earthy tones and textures.”
Fieldworks House will include 172 apartments along with 12 retail spaces on the ground floor and the coworking space.
