There’s no more ambitious urban renewal currently underway in Australia than Sydney’s Green Square. The global village, which spans almost 280 hectares, reactivates an industrial inner-city pocket 3.5 kilometres south of the CBD, with a new library, pool and plenty of retail and residential offerings scheduled for its town centre. Turner was part of the team that won the competition to masterplan the development (along with Professor Wiel Arets and McGregor + Partners) and it’s fitting the Sydney-based design practice’s recently completed Paragon Apartments in Zetland serves as a catalyst for the area’s regeneration.
The mixed-use development occupies a triangular site that connects the town centre to the adjacent Epsom Road precinct, forming the Green Corridor. While it’s an important project in terms of relationship to the square, its urban significance lies in the high visibility of the site, which is bordered by three main roads. “As a result we had to make sure Paragon delivers a strong sense of place and context,” explains Dan Szwaj, a director of Turner. “So we created a landmark that’s noticeable, whether you happen to be driving on Southern Cross Drive or walking along Epsom Road.”
The carefully considered palette is appealing for the richness of its six colours, including Jarrah and Spanish Eyes.
Image: Brett Boardman
Paragon Apartments’ scheme is impressive in both scale and concept, comprising three perimeter buildings ranging in height from eight to fourteen storeys. Ground-level spaces offer retail and commercial opportunities and above them, the 189 apartments consist of one, two or three bedrooms. Although the buildings are visually unified by the use of horizontal white datums on the facades and connected by a generous-sized central public plaza, each has its own distinct design character.
The most striking of the three buildings fronts Epsom Road, a relatively thin structure made all the more dynamic by its colourful exterior. “Using colour as a point of difference is a brave approach in areas of renewal, but we needed to be brave with this project,” Szwaj says. “And we selected a strong colour palette because we wanted to spark people’s interest.”
As a gateway, it’s important the buildings’ exterior finishes last, which is why the architects selected Taubmans products. Armawall Armashield coats the fibre cement sheeting and precast concrete external walls to ensure long-term durability, and cladding and balcony blades on the Epsom Road building are finished in Taubmans All Weather Low Sheen water-based paint to great effect. A carefully considered palette is appealing for the richness of its six colours, including Jarrah and Spanish Eyes. While this spectrum is sympathetic to neighbouring residences, it also complements the All Weather Low Sheen’s gold accents on the other two buildings.
Both Armawall Armashield and All Weather Low Sheen feature dirt-shedding technology and the latter provides out- standing UV blockout. In the apartments, Taubmans Pure Performance Interior Low Sheen is applied to the walls, and along with the light-coloured carpet and pale timber kitchen joinery it works to create relaxed living spaces. The Interior Low Sheen is a popular finish for new projects because it contains Microban® anti-bacterial protection, which inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria, mould, mildew and fungus – a necessity in a humid climate like that of Sydney.
The use of these products undoubtedly contributes to the project’s bold design outcome, but what particularly resonates for Szwaj is the integral part the Taubmans products played in the construction process. “It’s really important that the products we use are supported by the builder and that the builder’s satisfied those products meet certain objectives in terms of performance,” he explains. “If the builder is confident using a product then this gives us assurance, which is always the case with Taubmans.”
This content is presented by Taubmans. For more information on coatings or project services visit taubmans.com.au/colourcentre.
Design practice: Turner
Paint finishes: Taubmans All Weather Low Sheen, Taubmans Armawall Armashield, Taubmans Pure Performance Interior Low Sheen
