Project Overview

The Benson isn’t simply an address.
It’s a statement.

Organisation

Fortis

 

Team

Developer - Fortis
Architect - MHN Design Union
Landscape Architect - Wyer & Co.
Interior Designer - Lawless & Meyerson
Construction - Lords Group
Project Manager - Neoscape
Photographer & videographer - Simon Whitbread

Project Brief

You only get one chance to make a first impression. The Benson was the first-ever Sydney development to carry the ‘Fortis’ name. As such, it needed to set stunning new benchmarks with every detail speaking to the highest standards of quality and design.

Located in the heart of Rose Bay, an area with personal ties to many members of the Fortis team, we felt a deep responsibility to create something truly meaningful and present in the daily lives of Rose Bay locals.

Project Innovation/Need

Featuring nine expansive and thoughtfully appointed residences split over three levels, The Benson is a five-minute flat walk to Rose Bay village. Created in partnership with architects MHNDU, Hecker Guthrie interior design and Wyer & Co. landscaping, every detail of The Benson was chosen to feel immediately established within its streetscape—from the use of naturally-aged stone to mature foliage grown from local soil.

Limestone features prominently on the exterior façade, with the terraces complemented by deep portals reminiscent of alfresco living rooms. Inside, clever spatial planning maximises the functionality and liveability of every apartment. Vast open spaces effortlessly accommodate both socialising and the need for privacy—coupled with the finely-crafted details and finishes synonymous with the grand homes of the Eastern suburbs, each carefully chosen to age and patina gracefully over time.

A prominent design feature of each boutique apartment are the oversized outdoor terraces, identified as crucial extensions to the indoor living spaces for the Sydney context, a city defined by year round indoor/outdoor living, due to the provisions of the warmer climate. The depth of the outdoor terraces create portals which can be enjoyed by residents as alfresco living rooms. This spatial generosity also creates a sense of true privacy, so each residence projects the protective feeling of a home, avoiding any sense of space-saving utilitarianism at the expense of resident enjoyment.

Design Challenge

Characterised by 1920s and 1930s art deco apartment buildings and freestanding houses, The Benson’s Newcastle Street site is situated in an area that has been identified for change and redevelopment for medium density residential use. While there is a real practical need for more residential housing, Fortis and MHNDU were also acutely mindful of the fact that any new addition had to present as a harmonious and subtle inclusion to the streetscape.

The challenge was to create the impression of a firmly established, elegant building while providing generously sized apartments which cater to modern tastes and requirements. The Benson thus represents a muted and sophisticated response to a practical need for high class residential apartments in an area defined by traditional architecture.

Sustainability

The delivery of The Benson featured a significant tree protection and placement initiative overseen by Wyer & Co. landscape architects. Three mature olive trees and two mature palm trees were saved and replanted from the pre-existing homes. To accommodate this, 73% of the site area outside the buildable area is deep soil, which exceeds the compliance target of 50%.

The Benson comfortably meets all relevant water and energy-reducing targets. Every apartment complies 100% with daylight modelling requirements to maximise natural light, and commercial-grade aluminium framed sliding doors to external areas act as an acoustic measure, while reducing solar gains and heat loss. There was also zero hazardous waste used in construction.