Image Credit : a+ design group
Project Overview
Designed by A+ Design Group and located in Ultimo; in the heart of Sydney, a new 70 room, 6-storey student accommodation facility will significantly boost the student housing market for both local and international students.
Bounded by both Wattle Street and Blackwattle Lane, the site is located near Sydney University, the UTS campus and walking distance to Central Station. Residents will be able to enjoy all the advantages of inner-city living and state-of-the-art facilities through the light rail link. The building also has extensive bicycle parking facilities to promote green travel and lower reliance on private vehicles and mitigate unnecessary environmental impact.
The development features self-contained studios to suit their various user requirements. The ground level brings together many facilities including a games room, library, study rooms and communal kitchen, providing a balanced amenity to residents to create a healthy body and mind.
Crowning the building is a stunning rooftop terrace and leisure zone with expansive views across the city and to the parklands and harbour beyond.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Tony Leung, Mike Watson, Karen Chow, Justine Aubry, Arturo Castro Alvial, Rohit Lunawat, Eric Ly, Silvia Xing, Cameron Ng
Project Brief
As the global population increases and universities begin to become vertical spaces both locally and throughout the world, J&R Development identified the opportunity for the living spaces to follow this development pattern and create a unique student accommodation service offering which brings supporting amenity for living, learning, socialising, exercise and relaxation in one space. Out of this process, a luxury, environmentally sustainable educational lifestyle facility was conceived – Wattle Street Student Accommodation.
Located in Ultimo in the heart of Sydney, the vacant and strategic site was identified as the location for this project which would house 70 student accommodation rooms to expand the in-demand accommodation for the nearby university and technology campuses. This key location combined with a desire to create an environmentally sustainable building, which could house students and provide them with the latest amenity and technological support to create a calm and relaxing environment to inhabit during this key phase of their respective lives.
Project Innovation/Need
We have identified that a more diverse housing typology within the development would allow students to opt for smaller self-contained studios where they can live and study on their own or as a couple. This option facilitates greater social interaction where students can learn diverse cultural idiosyncrasies and improve key language skills to underpin their education. Supporting amenities such as a games room, library, study rooms and communal kitchen, rooftop to reduce the time and emotional stress on students are also provided.
Our approach to Environment and the sustainable management of waste materials and carbon emissions during the construction process led to the strategic decision to manufacture the rooms in modular construction. This construction methodology has been successfully implemented in the hospitality industry, providing high quality, consistent construction componentry, which is produced in a controlled and measured environment where carbon emissions can be quantified.
Design Challenge
The design has been formulated having close regard to the existing site conditions and the desired future built form character of the Mountain St Locality and neighbourhood area, providing a face brick building façade and a built form and massing in keeping with the character of the surrounding area.
The building design and materials and finishes are unique in nature and have been carefully chosen to reflect the adjoining heritage conservation area to the rear, with a variety of brick typologies that make up the majority of the building façade. This will be contrasted by the vertical louvre blades on the internal elevations and aluminium on the external facades.
Sustainability
Sustainability begins with the basics. Siting the building, the orienting the floor plates and plans, glazing and access for sunlight, consideration of natural ventilation and selection of materials. All these initial choices play a major role in driving the outcome and shaping the building that will occupy the site for the following 50 years.
A+ Design Group start with this approach. This forms part of the puzzle and when combined with how the building relates to its context and how it will play a role in the evolution of the city drive the outcome. The desire of A+ Design Group is to create a healthy place to live, through the implementation of these basics. Once the foundation has been set then the consideration of the environmental impact of materiality and recycling, carbon emissions through vehicle movements, use of bicycles, modular construction and the setup and ongoing operation of the energy plant the drives the building each and every day can be layered to produce architecture that meets the clients brief and vision. Moreover, it is a responsible and considered solution and looks to satisfy the needs of future generations long after the building has been demolished and the city once again evolved into a new and exciting environment.
Architecture - Proposed - Hospitality
This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow. The project can be a concept, tender or personal project, i.e. proposed space.
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