41 Birmingham Street

This ‘reduction’ has not occurred as a specific architectural strategy, rather it has been embraced as a significant driver in the dumbing down of the built product to achieve successful fiscal outcomes. Ultimately risk is not the friend of the Estate Agent and by-and-large the ‘beigeness’ we see in housing projects is a response to the desire for a ‘one size fits all’ approach. In multiple housing projects the conversation is less about how to excite a sector of the market and more about how to not alienate any of the market. Of course there are pockets of delight, generally spurned by visionary clients.  We aim for our projects to occupy these pockets.

The development encompasses 25 apartments and a ground level retail space. Boasting views of the Sydney CBD skyline to the north, the project aims to capitalize on its built form cliff edge location – sitting at the northern edge of the Mascot densification zone, before the urban fabric steps down to the rambling light industrial uses of bakeries, postal depots and warehousing.  The building is delightfully robust. The off form concrete is not so perfect – aiming to reveal the act of making through layer, shadow and fingerprint.  It is also whole – the concrete has been left to asset itself on the interior of the apartments where common convention is to hide the mess of services because it is impossible to get them properly coordinated – we are incredibly proud that we’ve been able to achieve a rawness and honesty to the interior spaces that reflects the buildings skin.  The simplicity of the interior palette has enabled us to celebrate some highly finished materials and detailing through layered stone bench tops or fully tiled bathrooms.

This small project is filled with love. The lobby is adorned with a purpose writ poem by Emily Davies.  It is a small gesture, but hopefully every day a small piece of the poem lodges in the hearts of the residents, just as the concrete and stone become part of their daily experience.