Francis-Jones Morehen-Thorp’s (FJMT) design for the final residential stage of Central Park in Chippendale, Sydney has received development approval from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
Developers Frasers Property Australia and Sekisui House were given the green light on 2 March to develop block 11, a 292-apartment mid-rise building, on O’Connor and Wellington Streets at the south-eastern corner of the $2 billion Central Park precinct.
Australian architecture practice FJMT was selected for the project in 2013 by a Design Review Panel. When complete, the Central Park precinct will include built work by local and international firms such as Foster and Partners, Ateliers Jean Nouvel, PTW, Johnson Pilton Walker and Smart Design Studio.
Block 11 will complete the delivery of 2,200 apartments over the 5.8-hectare Central Park precinct. The development features a curvaceous building ranging from eight to 13 storeys in height, with a curve in the middle to accommodate two new public gardens.
The apartments will include a mix of one-bedroom suites, two- and three-bedroom apartments and a number of two-bedroom dual-key apartments, while also allowing for a small amount of mixed-use ground floor retail and a childcare centre with capacity for 90 children.
FJMT Director Richard Francis-Jones said the most critical element of the design is the unique facade, which is designed to integrate outdoor spaces such as balconies and loggias while providing shading and privacy.
“The project’s design concept allows the curved form of the building to embrace two distinctive landscaped areas at ground level. These landscaped areas anchor the building in its surroundings and provide a soft lush setting for the apartments,” he said.
Under the 2009 masterplan for Central Park the building required a design competition to ensure continuing design excellence at the precinct, which has already won numerous international and national awards as a model project in urban planning and revitalization.
Block 11 is currently scheduled for completion in 2018.
