380 Lonsdale by Elenberg Fraser | 2022 Victorian Architecture Awards

380 Lonsdale by Elenberg Fraser | 2022 Victorian Architecture Awards

Residential Architecture (Multiple Housing)

380 Lonsdale Street consolidates an array of characterful multi-functional amenities into one architectural skin, fostering community by blurring the bounds of private life with the public realm. Comprising two towers united by a podium, the project houses a hotel, spacious residential apartments, elegant dining suites, conference spaces and health facilities including pool and gym. Each communal space is an invitation to residents, long or short-term, to extend their lives beyond their apartments.

Like a fig housing thousands of seeds, crisp apartment interiors reflect the protective and restorative layer of the fruit’s skin. From green to purple, these are distinguished by tonal shifts artfully concealed within joinery, while communal zones plunge into the luscious textural pinks and reds, mimicking the inner make-up of the fig, before opening onto natural interactions such as the landscaped terrace.

Our architectural strategy facilitates a high amenity interior design. Six thousand (1,956 bay windows, comprising 5,868 curved panels) curved glass bay windows, custom-made through specialised colouration (‘low emissivity coating’) and bending techniques, pulsate over the facade creating an organic rhythm externally, while maximising internal amenity. The curves cantilever out allowing occupants to be immersed in the cityscape, enjoying a 180-degree view. The client, a builder/developer, our solution required simplicity in construction despite complexity of the design outcome — eight geometries have been heavily modulated and engineered such that no window has visual connection into another apartment.

Day-to-night transitions are reflected in the dichroic glass facade while the activity of passers by are activated by the mirror-clad podium. As such the structure visually coalesces with its context. Expansive landscaping, cloaks the podium and crawls into the laneway and public realm, contributing also to the urban ecology.

Melbourne’s distinctive laneway culture is elevated through an extension to Timothy Lane and café for resident and public use. With open lobbies and multi-functional lounges for residential use, we leveraged the flooring to subtly transition from bluestone public pavement into granite stone flooring indoors; creating a gradation from blacks, deep reds into lighter pinks, to aid intuitive wayfinding throughout the lobby space.

Internal materiality prioritises low-maintenance longevity. Custom finishes feature consistently throughout achieving efficiency through economies of scale. Bespoke door handles developed inhouse subtly reference the geometry of the facade, the project’s identity embedded in the detail. Rather than using different materials to delineate zones, we explored how different applications of the same materials and hues could provide a variety of sensory experiences. An entirely collaborative process with our client ensured customisation was strategic and the project completed to budget.

Extensive consultation was key to translating various uses of space and to weave the thread of fig seeds throughout. Clusters of pearlescent, seed-like glass spheres create opulent chandeliers over communal seating areas, signalling congregation zones. Private dining is softly lit by strings of six-metre lighting installations, viewable at night from Elizabeth Street.

Exuding the welcome of home through organic seating arrangements and fireplaces, alongside inherent connection to public laneway spaces, our design language creates a neighbourhood sensibility for residents and guests.

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The Australian Institute of Architects Presentation to Juries offered entrants in the 2022 Victorian Architecture Awards an opportunity to address judges with their nominated projects.

Featuring some of Australia’s most prominent architects, Presentation to Juries is a rare opportunity for the public to learn about the influences behind some of Victoria’s most innovative buildings and follow the architectural process from concept to construction.

2022 Entrants Gallery

2022 Winners Gallery