- Office: 07 4041 1394
- Email: info@studiomango.com.au
- Location: 457 Draper Street, Parramatta Park, Cairns QLD 4870
Master Builders Award – Vis Constructions
Low Rise Multi-Residential Housing (townhouses) 2012.
The owners approached Studio Mango with the brief for four residences, with spacious living and bedrooms – “not like the pokey units all around town”. It was not critical to the clients whether the existing Queenslander was kept or demolished, as long as the design met their needs. The residents would be away for long periods therefore the development needed to be secure. There was also a requirement for the possible future sale of individual apartments, so the design needed to allow for a community title with access through common property.
It was decided to retain the original ‘bones’ of the existing Queenslander and relocate the building on the site to allow for new apartments behind. The existing solid block garage/workshop at the very rear of the site was also retained and turned into a smaller unit. The two identical, detached apartments were then positioned between the existing dwellings, creating four residences in total.
Environment and ‘lifestyle’ factors shaped the design. The detached dwellings allow sought after breezes to pass through the complex, while giving a sense of ‘ownership’ to each home. Gardens between the buildings, once established, will act as a privacy buffer as well as creating a cooling, soft form of landscaping, scarce in most multi-unit designs.
The existing Queenslander has undergone a dramatic facelift, while retaining the charm of the original home. Enclosed verandahs have been re-opened and removing of internal walls has created and airy and open living/dining and kitchen space.
The two new apartments are designed with bedrooms downstairs and lounge spaces upstairs, reflective of tropical living. The kitchen and dining spill out onto the upstairs deck, capturing the breezes and overlooking the comings and goings of the site. This promotes a sense of security, while maintaining privacy with each deck being protected from the adjacent unit’s internal sightlines. The upper stories have high, raking ceilings, leading up to a dramatic patterned curtain wall, giving the apartments their character.
The rear apartment is the smallest of the four, is single storey and of existing masonry construction. Internally, walls have been lined and insulated to achieve suitable energy ratings. The efficient planning maximises the open living area, while still achieving two reasonably sized bedrooms and a bathroom with separate toilet.
Tongue and groove, and weatherboards, were used to match existing lining and cladding on the Queenslander. Where new walls were created, this was ‘expressed’ with battened fibre cement sheet.
The new apartments acknowledge the scale and rhythm of the Queenslander’s materiality. Rather than designing a direct imitation, the apartments use contemporary materials and pick up cues from the old so as to blend seamlessly into a cohesive project.
Mango team: Nicole Ewing, James Maude, Liam Froggatt, Melanie Jackson
Structural Engineer: Chas Gianarakis
Landscape: Suzan Quigg Landscape Design
Builder: Vis Constructions Pty Ltd