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Melbourne’s Hotel Esplanade has taken out the title for Australia &amp; Pacific Bar at the 2019 Restaurant &amp; Bar Design Awards.
The award, won by Technē Architecture + Interior Design for their design work on the venue’s reincarnation, officially made The Espy the best-designed bar in the region.
The global competition saw entries from over 70 countries.
Technē director Justin Northrop said, “the award win shows how The Espy deserves to be recognised on a global scale and we are grateful our design work on the venue has been a success."
“Our design work centred on bringing out the venue’s vivid past and creating layers based on its history and multiple uses instead of opting for a contemporary makeover."
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2019/10/8/The%20Espy%202.JPG" alt="">
The Espy now features 12 bars, two restaurants, three performance spaces and numerous discrete areas across multiple levels. It can accommodate 1,700 patrons across its 3,300 square metres.
Throughout the venue, the Technē design emphasises music and performance spaces.
Technē collaborated with Sand Hill Road stylist Eleisha Gray for the styling of the project.
Since it was built in 1878, The Esplanade has been a Victorian-era seaside resort.
It was a jazz-era ballroom and a rock and roll mainstay from the 1990s until 2015 when it closed for renovation.
Technē’s work was unveiled with the venue’s reopening in November 2018.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Melbourne's Hotel Esplanade crowned best designed bar in the Pacific region

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GUEST OBSERVATION
There’s a difference between a road and a street. Roads take you from one place to another, but streets are more than functional channels. They are public spaces.
The streets of downtown Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, are about to be transformed. A <a href="https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/plans-projects-policies-reports-bylaws/our-plans-strategies/place-based-plans/Pages/city-centre-masterplan.aspx" target="_blank">masterplan for the city centre</a> was approved back in 2012, and now a proposed design is <a href="https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/articles/news/2019/07/future-city-centre-designs-approved-for-consultation/" target="_blank">open for feedback</a>.
The idea behind this masterplan is to design the central city as a cohesive public space rather than simply the sum of a thousand independent decisions.
The design will include further changes in support of walking, cycling and public transport, and less space for cars. Significantly, sections of Queen Street, which runs through the centre to the waterfront, may be closed to cars completely.
We can expect to see outraged responses from those wedded to their cars, those who see the project as an expensive beautification scheme, and those who resent the idea of Auckland’s population intensifying.
A shared world
This is a good time to reflect on what we mean by “public space” and what we need it for.
Streets are some of our most important public spaces, but are often managed as if they were mainly pipes for cars (or, if we’re lucky, bicycles and pedestrians). Roadways, water pipes, optical fibres and pedestrian walkways are “bundled” together.
Because it is relatively easy to assign metrics to these flows, it is easy to think of streets as technological problems. The implicit ideal is for a city to be a “<a href="http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/32763717/his-majesty-pick-aesthetics-demolition">sleek, efficient machine</a>” with a “rationalised circulatory network”, as architectural historian Spiro Kostof put it. The idea is at least as old as <a href="https://doi.org/10.24135/ijara.v0i0.476">Baron Haussmann’s 19th century rebuilding of Paris</a>.
Today’s smart cities are just <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/dec/17/truth-smart-city-destroy-democracy-urban-thinkers-buzzphrase">the latest corporate version</a> of the perfectly rationalised city. The automated city sounds great, but uncritical reliance on metrics locks in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/27/cathy-oneil-weapons-of-math-destruction-algorithms-big-data">technological assumptions and biases</a>. Airy promises and overhyped technological solutions divert from the more mundane but ultimately critical job of making public space.
How to define public space
Philosopher <a href="https://www.philosophersmag.com/opinion/187-the-urgent-relevance-of-hannah-arendt">Hannah Arendt</a> wrote of public space as a “<a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arendt/#ActPowSpaApp">space of appearance</a>”, a place where we can become meaningfully visible to one another, and where we can present ourselves on our own terms, not as data points, customers, stereotypes or debating partners.
As social theorist <a href="https://english.yale.edu/people/tenured-and-tenure-track-faculty-professors-staff/michael-warner">Michael Warner</a> put it, “<a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/publics-and-counterpublics">a public is a relation among strangers</a>”. To be in public, I have to negotiate my relationship with strangers, and recognise that I am also a stranger.
Arendt believed that democracy itself could be understood as a project for public space, the creation of a shared world. Māori, New Zealand’s first people, have also long thought of our shared world as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy3030042">place of connections</a>.
In other words, there is more at stake with the council’s plan than pleasant streetscapes or well-engineered infrastructure. To make Auckland’s streets good public space, I offer five suggestions:
1) Good public space is meaningful and enabling
It helps us make sense of our relationships, and supports our self-determination. It should be a platform on which we can all build, something like the old concept of the <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/commons-history">commons</a>. Public space is filled with people pursuing various goals, individually and collectively, according to various value systems and ways of living. To imagine new kinds of public space is to imagine <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://hdl.handle.net/10292/11645">new ways to enable people</a>.
2) Public space needs to accommodate informal uses
Streets, unlike roads, are not just spaces to move through, but places to do things. The famous American urban activist <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.worldcat.org/title/death-and-life-of-great-american-cities/oclc/1015890160">Jane Jacobs</a> famously pointed to the significance of children playing in the street, and the importance of minor interactions like holding a neighbour’s mail, or leaving a key for someone at the corner store.
Similarly, the iconoclastic theorist of human-centred design <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/pattern-language-towns-buildings-construction/oclc/705864158&amp;referer=brief_results">Christopher Alexander</a> even suggested that a marker of healthy public space is people feeling comfortable enough to take naps there. Informal uses of space like this should be maximised. Public space should be a bit of a mess, not a perfectly optimised machine.
3) Public space allows for discontent
Streets are places for people to gather. The <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://cup.columbia.edu/book/voices-of-the-arab-spring/9780231163187">Arab Spring uprisings</a> of 2010-11, the subsequent <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.worldcat.org/title/dreaming-in-public-building-the-occupy-movement/oclc/813844064">Occupy movement</a>, ongoing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/12/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-communist-party">protests in Hong Kong</a>, and Auckland’s own <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/396470/occupiers-at-ihumatao-remain-strong-in-mud-rain-and-wind">land occupation at Ihūmatao</a>, may have been coordinated on social media, but were ultimately powered by the physical presence of people in public space.
Public spaces are stages where collective identities can be expressed. If we want places where people can appear authentically as themselves, we also need to recognise public space hosts difference, disagreement and <a href="https://doi.org/10.24135/ijara.v0i0.328">potentially conflict</a>.
4) Good public spaces requires joined-up, human-centred thinking
It might seem efficient to treat roads, plumbing, architecture, gardens, community events, public art, planning rules, maintenance, commerce and so on as separate domains best handled by experts in each area. Detailed expertise is essential, but to design good public space we need to join the dots. This isn’t easy.
In recent years, <a href="https://at.govt.nz/">Auckland Transport</a>, nominally a council-controlled organisation, has asserted its independence, <a href="https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2018/01/26/auckland-transport-goes-rogue/">proposing its own plans</a> that are in conflict with the council’s aims. We need to dissolve silos, get more people around the table, and maintain a clear focus on who and what our public spaces are for.
5) Public space needs public involvement
Public space doesn’t just happen. Arendt told us to see it as an ongoing labour, something to achieve together, not something that exists by default. Auckland’s masterplan is a step in the right direction but good public space needs public involvement.
Public consultation can be a fraught process. Typically, only a few people respond, and they are <a href="http://shorthand.radionz.co.nz/white-noise/index">disproportionately older, wealthier and white</a>. The council has a duty to seek public input. We as the public have a responsibility to make ourselves heard.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122396/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carl-douglas-791136">Carl Douglas</a>, Lecturer in Spatial Design, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137">Auckland University of Technology</a>
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-turn-aucklands-inner-city-streets-into-public-spaces-people-can-enjoy-122396">original article</a>.
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How to turn Auckland’s inner city streets into public spaces: Carl Douglas

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A Woolworths-anchored shopping complex in South Australia's Playford has sold for $21.81 million to a local private investor.
The deal on the convenience-based shopping centre at 297 Peachey Road, Munno Para, in Adelaide’s north, was brokered by Savills Australia’s Rino Carpinelli and Steven Lerche.
They anticipated strong interest from investors after limited neighbourhood retail opportunities came to market last year.
Mr Carpinelli said, “occupying 2.032 hectares and generating about $1,613,400 per annum, the successful buyer recognised the ongoing value of this asset.” 
“The centre offers significant depreciation benefits backed by a secure income stream and long weighted average lease expiry of 9.12 years by area.”
The centre presents a gross lettable area of 6,390 sqm comprising the full-line Woolworths supermarket and associated BWS liquor store, which are operating under a new 12-year lease.
There is also a mix of 17 speciality tenants, including a Smokemart, newsagency, café, medical centre and Terry White Pharmacy.
Mr Lerche said shopping centres like Woolworths Playford were rarely traded in South Australia.
Woolworths Playford is part of the $1billion urban development project, Playford Alive, which is being jointly managed by the City of Playford council and state government.
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Savills sell Woolworths anchored Playford shopping complex to local SA investor

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Herron Todd White has announced the appointment of a new CEO - Gary Brinkworth effective in the first quarter of 2020.
Mr Brinkworth joins Herron Todd White from United Petroleum, where he is currently Group CEO.
Prior to his current role at United Petroleum, Mr Brinkworth was CEO and Managing Director at Barristers Chambers Limited, which owns and operates a material property management portfolio in Victoria.
Incoming CEO Gary Brinkworth said he was excited to take this next step in his career by helping to further cement Herron Todd White’s envied reputation.
“Herron Todd White has a strong reputation and the company has a very bright future,” Mr Brinkworth said.
“It is an honour to have been selected to join the company."
Herron Todd White Chairman Jeff Forbes said the company was thrilled to have attracted Mr Brinkworth to lead Herron Todd White.
Herron Todd White’s current Acting CEO Jacqui Bayles will continue in the role until Mr Brinkworth commences in early 2020, working closely with clients, industry peers and other stakeholders.
Ms Bayles will then resume her executive leadership role as General Counsel, Company Secretary &amp; Head of Legal, Risk and Standards.
Mr Brinkworth will be based in Melbourne and report to the Board.
Mr Brinkworth is also on the Board of disability services provider Scope (Aust) Ltd, a Member of Scope’s Risk and Audit Committee and a Member of the Investments Committee.
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Gary Brinkworth appointed as next CEO of Herron Todd White

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PropertyGuru, one of south east Asia’s leading property technology companies, has lodged a prospectus with ASIC to list on the ASX.
Assuming the final price is midway of the indicative price range of A$3.70 to A$4.50, the offer will raise approximately A$363 million. 
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The business was founded in Singapore in 2007 by Steve Melhuish and Jani Rautiainen having sensed a dynamic real estate market with no online platform.
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Recently Credit Suisse analysts have suggested the Asian online real estate listings business could be the next ASX-listed unicorn, a potential $1 billion-plus listing on the Australian Securities Exchange.
PropertyGuru operates digital property classifieds marketplaces in five countries across Southeast Asia – Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
It claims its market share of the online real estate marketplace as:
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◼  72% in Singapore 
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◼  49% in Indonesia7
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It is the destination of over 23 million property seekers to find their home every month.
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 The group has 60 percent consumer market share across its core markets, which is reportedly significantly greater than its nearest competitor.
Over the past twelve years, the Group has grown from a single-market start-up to a diversified PropTech company.
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It has previously raised over S$400 million in funding to date including new capital and shareholder selldown over four funding stages involving large institutional investors, including TPG, KKR, Emtek and Square Peg Capital with over 130 staff dedicated to R&amp;D,
With over 45,000 active agents, the real estate portal has a revenue model that is predominantly subscription-based, where agents currently pay upfront fees for an annual subscription that provides them with a number of discretionary credits.
It recently appointed Olivier Lim as independent chairman as well as Jenny MacDonald and Melanie Wilson as independent non-executive directors to its board in preparation of the ASX listing.
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The appointments of Mr Lim, Ms Macdonald and Ms Wilson are part of a broader exercise to evolve the property technology company’s corporate governance in tandem with its growth trajectory and the increasing scale of its business, PropertyGuru said.
“The new directors bring even greater diversity, breadth and depth to the board,” the company added.
The team is headed by our Chief Executive Officer, Hari V Krishnan, who has two decades of senior executive experience in leading technology firms in Asia and the United States.”
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PropertyGuru is the ASX's next unicorn: Credit Suisse

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Brisbane had the nation's cheapest sale at weekend auctions.
It was when <a href="https://www.raywhite.com/qld/kingston/2177746/?lang=en" target="_blank">10 Woody Avenue </a>at Kingston, near Logan south of Brisbane, was sold at a big loss.
The neglected three bedroom home on 605 sqm fetched $226,000, nearly $90,000 less than the $315,000 it sold for four years ago.
It was 2015 when it was bought by Sydney investors who initially sought $460 a week tenants.
They were also paying less than it had traded for before. It had last sold at $335,000 in 2010.
Ray White Logan City agents Keny Guerra and Sam Muller pitched the home at first home buyers and renovators.
"Bring your tools and make this home shine again," they advised.
 
 
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Big loss on derelict Kingston, Logan City weekend auction offering

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A former National Australia Bank financial adviser Max Eung has been sentenced to a three years intensive corrections order by the New South Wales District Court for taking $166,000 belonging to his clients.
Mr Eung was convicted on Friday of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by taking money from client accounts in 2016.
Max Kiattisak Eung, of Tempe, New South Wales, was sentenced to three years imprisonment to be served by way of an intensive corrections order.
In June 2018, ASIC permanently banned Mr Eung from providing financial services and engaging in credit activities.
Between March 2016 and December 2016, Mr Eung dishonestly obtained a financial advantage of $166,500 from accounts held with MLC Limited and Nulis Nominees (Australia) Limited. The account holders who were his clients did not authorise withdrawal of those funds from their accounts.
Mr Eung also created false bank accounts in the names of clients using their confidential information, made withdrawals from client funds held in false bank accounts and impersonated his clients to attempt to avoid detection.
At the time, Mr Eung was a NAB financial adviser.
Mr Eung was an authorised representative and financial adviser with NAB from 21 May 2015 to 20 December 2016 and a credit representative of a credit licensee from 14 September 2017 to 23 October 2017.
After impersonating his clients to attempt to obtain access to funds in the second false bank account, Eung incorporated a company for the purpose of operating a mortgage broking business.
ASIC found that Mr Eung had engaged in dishonest conduct, was likely to contravene a financial services law, and was not of good character. ASIC also found that Mr Eung was likely to contravene credit legislation and was not a fit and proper person to engage in credit activities.
The matter was prosecuted by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions after a referral from ASIC.
Mr Eung pleaded guilty to the two offences.  
The action is part of ASIC's Wealth Management Project. which focuses on the conduct of Australia’s largest financial advice licensees – NAB, Westpac, CBA, ANZ, Macquarie and AMP.
As part of its Wealth Management Project, ASIC has banned 60 advisers and three directors from the financial services industry. Three bannings are the subject of appeal.
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Intensive corrections order for former NAB financial adviser Max Eung

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GUEST OBSERVATION
The bipartisan parliamentary vote to transform the A$3.9 billion Building Australia Fund into a pot of cash to drought-proof Australia, the <a href="https://www.farmonline.com.au/story/6287475/future-drought-fund-to-pass-final-hurdle-in-parliament/" target="_blank">Future Drought Fund</a>, should not be taken as universal endorsement.
Labor opposed the idea before caving in, saying it did not “<a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6288761/drought-proofing-fund-to-pass-parliament/?cs=14231" target="_blank">want to be painted as a party that opposes support for farmers</a>”.
Rather, it simply shows that Australian politicians coalesce on some things: few miss the opportunity to be photographed with an affectionate child, and even fewer are willing to be critical of public funds being handed to drought-stricken farmers.
But support for something (or feeling too scared not to oppose something), doesn’t necessarily make it the right policy.
Australian governments have sought to drought-proof parts of inland Australia through publicly funded irrigation schemes for much of the past century.
Whenever dryland farmers experienced drought, they were viewed as having experienced a natural disaster, even though the variability of dryland rains was well understood.
Then, from the 1960s, things changed.
First there was a growing realisation that public monies spent on irrigation were not the best means of dealing with a variable climate.
We’ve moved away from thinking about drought as disaster
Second, governments started to describe drought differently, culminating in a 1992 National Drought Policy that required farmers to be more self-reliant and absorb the impacts of drought as something to be expected.
The decades that followed continued this trend with all states and the Commonwealth agreeing on national principles in 2013. Concessional loans and a farm management deposit scheme with taxation advantages were available to help farmers, but would only be useful to those that were viable in the long term.
A <a href="https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/farm-household-allowance/how-much-you-can-get" target="_blank">Farm Household Allowance</a>, set at the level of Newstart and available for up to four years in return for setting out a plan to improve the farmer’s financial circumstances, was also introduced in 2015 and refined in 2018.
Part of the thinking was that climate change is expected to make droughts more common and severe, although there are good reasons for encouraging adaptation to the existing climate in any case.
However, getting the balance right between “supporting” farm businesses and encouraging them to adapt and be self-reliant isn’t straightforward, especially when the climate and political cycles coincide.
It’s hard to imagine politicians being fiscally prudent when they know they have access to a drought slush fund and are heading into an election during a drying phase.
So, what’s wrong with the new drought fund?
First, there is mounting evidence that farm businesses can actually benefit from drought in the longer term. This seems to occur because businesses that go through a drought develop coping strategies that when invoked in good years produce much greater profits.
That is not to say that droughts are financially a good thing – but it does mean that shielding farm businesses from drought runs the risk that they will not adapt.
Second, an obsession with drought undoes much of the good work done in reclassifying it as something to be expected rather than a natural disaster. Nearly all of the natural disaster payments made in the decade leading up to 2012-13 – one of the driest on record – were spent on rebuilding after floods and storms rather than droughts.
Third, while repurposing the Building Australia Fund as the Future Drought Fund is designed to appeal to rural and regional voters, it is unlikely to help them. Agriculture simply does not generate the jobs that it once did and public pronouncements about drought-proofing will not change the underlying economics of farm businesses and regional communities.
Farming is generally helped by scale, and that means bigger farms with bigger machines displacing smaller farms. The upshot is fewer jobs and the shutdown of small towns, allowing only the larger regional centres to survive. Finding ways to manage this social phenomenon should be the priority rather than shielding farms from drought.
But it’s hard to be optimistic. Politicians love handing cheques to farmers as much as they love photographs with adoring children.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121744/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Lin Crase, Professor of Economics and Head of School, University of South Australia.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/just-because-both-sides-support-drought-relief-doesnt-mean-its-right-121744" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Just because both sides support drought relief, doesn’t mean it’s right: Lin Crase

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The Orchid is the latest display homes from Choice Homes to hit the market, and it is being marketed online with innovative technology.
Orchid, available by appointment at Camelot in Coomera, is live online and can be viewed through an interactive <a href="https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=PKMURQDQVH2&amp;utm_source=Property+Observer+List&amp;utm_campaign=dadf2b7a49-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_10_08_05_09&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_a523fbfccb-dadf2b7a49-239793717" target="_blank">3D walkthrough</a>, a big step in the house and land package space.
Camelot in Coomera is located near the recently finished Coomera Town Centre.
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2018/10/10/VR%201.JPG" alt="">
The Orchid homes behind a modern facade have 184 square metre internal living space.
They are described as "the ideal solution for those narrow to build on allotments".
The Orchid has four bedrooms with built in wardrobes and an open plan family, dining and kitchen space. There's also a separate living area.
Overlooking the rear garden is a covered outdoor entertaining area.
Stage one of the Camelot NDS release, a total of 49 lots priced around $502,540, was almost completely sold out.
However stage two and stage three have seven lots and 17 lots available. 
Lots in stage two are priced from $499,000, while lots in stage three are priced from $512,850.
Following in the Orchid's footsteps, Choice Homes recently released a <a href="https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=T6DLgrXScvq" target="_blank">3D walkthrough for their Bangalow design</a>.
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3D tours of Choice Homes' Camelot in Coomera homes now available

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A Mount Isa, Queensland mortgagee has sold for $285,000.
Originally listed for $399,000, the property was under offer after the asking price was slashed 25% to $300,000.
John and Keiran Tully of City &amp; Country Real Estate marketed the listing.
Situated at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-mount+isa-126348110" target="_blank">84 Suter Road</a>, the property is a three bedroom, two bathroom house.
Set on 812 square metres, the abode features an outside undercover entertaining area plus patio as well as a full fenced spa.
Last sold in 1999, the home previously transacted for $129,000.
It has spent roughly 700 days on the market.
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According to CoreLogic, the annual change in median price over the past 10 years in <a href="/developments/mount-isa-qld-4825">Mount Isa</a> is -0.7%.
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Mount Isa, Queensland mortgagee home asking price reduced 25% before sale

One of North Sydney's best-known commercial buildings could become hundreds of new homes, with insurance giant Zurich Australia lodging a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) to transform 5 Blue Street into a mixed-use residential development above North Sydney Station.

Rather than demolishing the existing building and starting again, Zurich is proposing an adaptive reuse project that would convert the landmark office building into a 15-level residential development delivering 62 apartments, 86 affordable co-living dwellings, activated retail and significant upgrades to the Blue Street Plaza.

The proposal reflects a growing trend of commercial property owners repositioning ageing office assets into residential housing as Sydney grapples with housing supply shortages and changing workplace demand.

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Located directly above North Sydney Metro and train station, the 3,051 sqm site occupies one of the most strategically positioned parcels of land on Sydney's Lower North Shore.

Designed by fjcstudio, the proposal seeks to retain and adapt much of the existing structure while creating a contemporary residential address that better connects with the public domain surrounding North Sydney Station.

The application proposes two basement levels, ground floor retail, affordable co-living accommodation across the podium levels, and apartments above, while preserving and enhancing the publicly accessible Blue Street Plaza.

Rather than pursuing maximum apartment numbers, Zurich has opted for a housing mix heavily weighted towards larger owner-occupier residences.

The proposal includes 62 build-to-sell apartments comprising 12 one-bedroom, 19 two-bedroom, 29 three-bedroom apartments and two premium penthouses. It also incorporates 86 affordable co-living dwellings, which would be managed in perpetuity by a Community Housing Provider.

That balance between traditional apartments and affordable housing reflects the NSW Government's push to increase housing diversity around major transport infrastructure.

The proposal has been lodged concurrently with a rezoning application, with Zurich arguing the site is ideally positioned to support additional housing given its immediate proximity to public transport, employment and services.

"The proposal aims to respond to the housing challenges facing Sydney through the delivery of diverse housing types in a highly accessible location," the design report by fjcstudio states. It also seeks to improve pedestrian amenity through upgrades to Blue Street Plaza while creating a high-performing residential building that responds to the surrounding context.

<img alt="Zurich" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="36082e15-c636-4481-bb68-5a5f6443fe39" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%2010.41.36%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=5P6VD.fvmqjQfIG3TWWMRXxQWiQBjeFB" />

Rather than replacing the commercial building, fjcstudio has developed a design that works with the existing structural framework above the rail corridor, an approach that significantly reduces demolition while allowing the site to be repositioned as a mixed-use residential precinct.

The existing structural constraints have informed much of the building's design, including its relationship with Blue Street and surrounding public spaces.

The building has been designed as a slender tower rising above a clearly defined podium, with vertically expressed façades intended to reduce the perceived bulk while reinforcing North Sydney's emerging skyline.

According to fjcstudio, the architectural language responds directly to the surrounding commercial towers while maintaining a finer grain expression more closely aligned with the neighbouring Lavender Bay streetscape.

The tower incorporates articulated façade elements, landscaped podium edges and recessed upper levels to soften its appearance and improve pedestrian amenity below.

A significant component of the proposal is the revitalisation of Blue Street Plaza.

The existing public space has long served as one of the primary pedestrian connections between North Sydney Station, Greenwood Plaza and Blue Street, yet its role is expected to become even more important following the opening of Sydney Metro.

Zurich's proposal seeks to strengthen that role by improving landscaping, introducing new retail frontages, enhancing pedestrian permeability and creating more active edges throughout the day and evening.

Ground floor retail would wrap the plaza, while separate residential and co-living entries have been designed to improve wayfinding without reducing street activation.

Landscape design has been integrated throughout the podium and public realm, softening what is currently one of the most heavily urbanised parts of North Sydney.

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fjcstudio has carefully oriented apartments towards Sydney Harbour and the CBD while using privacy blades and articulated façades to minimise overlooking between neighbouring buildings.

Large framed openings along the western elevation maximise harbour outlooks, while the eastern apartments have been angled towards the south-east to improve privacy from neighbouring development.

The project forms part of the continuing transformation of North Sydney from a predominantly commercial CBD into a genuine mixed-use city centre.

Since the completion of Victoria Cross Metro Station, developers have increasingly shifted their attention towards residential projects capable of leveraging the area's unparalleled transport connectivity.

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FiveX recently lodged plans for a 61-storey, 490-apartment tower that would become one of the tallest residential buildings in North Sydney if approved.

Aqualand continues to expand its Lower North Shore presence following the completion of AURA on Walker Street and its recent St Leonards and Roseville proposals.

Developers are also progressing projects throughout Walker Street, Miller Street and the Victoria Cross precinct as demand for well-located owner-occupier apartments continues to strengthen.

Joel Robinson

First look: Zurich targets North Sydney office conversion with 148-unit proposal above Metro station

Busy developer Aqualand Prestige has formally taken the next step in its expansion across Sydney's Lower North Shore, lodging a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for its long-held Archer Street site in Chatswood.

The application covers <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/51-55-archer-street-chatswood-nsw-2067">51-55 Archer Street</a>, a 1,767 sqm amalgamated site on the eastern edge of the Chatswood CBD, where the developer is seeking approval for a 45-level mixed-use tower delivering 114 apartments, including a significant affordable housing component, alongside retail, commercial space and six basement levels of parking.

The SSDA marks the latest milestone for a project Aqualand has been quietly progressing over the past two years. The developer first secured the site for its Aqualand Prestige platform before undertaking an alternative design excellence process with PTW Architects, ultimately avoiding a formal design competition through the Housing Delivery Authority pathway.

The proposal has evolved considerably from Aqualand's original concept. The revised scheme has been designed around larger owner-occupier product, with an unusually high proportion of three and four-bedroom apartments, targeting the more affluent buyer profile, and downsizer, emerging across the North Shore.

<img alt="Archer St" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0171204c-5811-41b5-9b09-2335d1b7c3d0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%208.52.48%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=6YTuxfq.puZo7k2wbfgemcO5K3QfXYGQ" />

The 114-apartment mix comprises six studios, 27 one-bedroom apartments, 18 two-bedroom apartments, 50 three-bedroom residences and 13 four-bedroom homes. A quarter of the building will be dedicated to affordable housing, well above the mandated 15 per cent&nbsp;

PTW has structured the building vertically, with affordable housing across levels one to six, premium apartments through levels seven to 31, duplex skyhomes on klevels 32 to 43, a penthouse on level 44, and a rooftop plant level above. Six basement levels will provide resident parking and servicing.

The tower is proposed to reach approximately 154 metres, placing it among a growing collection of residential high-rises transforming Chatswood's skyline.

Rather than competing purely on height, PTW says the design has been driven by creating a slimmer tower capable of delivering significantly larger apartments.

"The primary objective of this project was to create a distinctive building that stands out from the recently approved or built structures in the Chatswood area," the design report states, noting the structural efficiency allows greater investment into apartment quality and resident amenity.

Residents would have access to more than 450 sqm of communal open space including landscaped gardens, swimming pool, rooftop entertaining areas, fitness spaces, community gardens, children's play areas and barbecue facilities.

A major focus of the design has been the public domain.

The ground plane has been opened up through landscaped terraces inspired by Willoughby's sandstone ridges, with native planting, public seating, artwork, retail activation and a series of gathering spaces intended to soften what has traditionally been a hard commercial streetscape.

The landscape strategy references Blue Gum forests once common throughout the area, while incorporating Indigenous storytelling, public art and lighting installations to strengthen the connection to Country.

Chatswood has been one of Sydney's busiest apartment markets over the past 12 months, with a steady pipeline of both new project launches and fresh development applications.

Hyecorp recently launched Celine, a 122-apartment development just along Archer Street, while Changfa and Huirong Group are progressing The Anderson, an 84-apartment project on Anderson Street.

Develotek recently secured approval for a 101-apartment tower on Pacific Highway, while Tian An LFD received the green light for Hammond Greens, its apartment development on the edge of the Chatswood Bowling Club.

Commercial property developer FiveX is also making its move into the residential market. Last month it lodged plans for a 61-storey tower with 490 apartments, which, if approved, would become one of the tallest residential buildings in Chatswood.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-fivex-targets-chatswood-skyline-with-61-storey-tower-after-north-sydney-plans">First look: FiveX targets Chatswood skyline with 61-storey tower after North Sydney plans</a>

Aqualand is also expanding its development pipeline following the launch of its luxury residential brand, Aqualand Prestige. The developer has delivered a string of high-end apartment projects across Sydney's affluent suburbs over the past decade, most recently AURA by Aqualand on Walker Street in North Sydney.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=30959 project_image_fid=292863]

It has since quietly assembled its next wave of projects.

Earlier this year Aqualand launched Boronia in Roseville, a boutique 111-apartment development on Larkin Street. The project is one of the first significant apartment developments to launch in the suburb ahead of what is expected to become one of Sydney's most active new housing precincts under the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms, which allow greater density around train stations.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152095 project_image_fid=373685]

The developer has also lodged plans for a two-tower, 413-apartment development on Herbert Street in nearby St Leonards, further strengthening its presence across the Lower North Shore.

Beyond that, Aqualand remains behind the final stage of Barangaroo, where plans will deliver a five-hectare mixed-use precinct comprising new homes, retail, hospitality and community facilities, alongside a new Metro entrance and more than two hectares of public open space, completing the Barangaroo precinct.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/central-barangaroo-development-takes-big-step-with-concept-proposal-approval">Central Barangaroo development takes big step with concept proposal approval</a>

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-aqualand-joins-st-leonards-apartment-party">First look: Aqualand joins St Leonards apartment party</a> 
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First look: Aqualand pushes ahead with Chatswood apartment tower as SSDA lodged for Archer Street

Mass timber is becoming an increasingly popular construction material in apartment developments, but Adelaide developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/otello">Otello</a> is taking the approach a step further.

At its new <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flowe-bowden-18-gibson-street-bowden-sa-5007">Flowe Bowden</a> development, the exposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure isn't just about reducing the building's environmental footprint. It also forms the foundation of a broader wellness strategy, influencing everything from indoor air quality and natural materials to the way residents move through and experience the building.

The 115-apartment mixed-use development, designed by Melbourne-based architecture practice Fieldwork, will occupy a prominent island site opposite Bowden Village Reserve, combining one, two and three-bedroom apartments with retail and a dedicated wellness destination.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375528]

Wellness isn't confined to a gym or shared resident facility at Flowe. Instead, Fieldwork embedded the concept into the building itself.

The development has been split into two residential wings connected by a naturally ventilated central breezeway, replacing traditional enclosed corridors with open-air walkways that improve natural light, encourage cross ventilation and create more opportunities for neighbourly interaction.

"Rather than treating wellness as something that only happens on the ground floor, our response integrates it throughout the building, which led us to ask what it really means to design a healthy building," Fieldwork Director Quino Holland said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375531]

The building's architecture also reflects Bowden's industrial heritage. The lower podium references the area's historic brick and sandstone buildings, while the upper levels transition to exposed CLT, allowing the timber structure to become a defining feature throughout the apartments and shared spaces.

The use of mass timber sits alongside a range of sustainability initiatives, including a fully electric, gas-free design, rooftop solar and a targeted 5 Star Green Star rating.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375524]

Inside the residences, the focus remains on natural, durable materials. Blackbutt engineered timber flooring, exposed CLT ceilings, porcelain surfaces and warm timber joinery create a calming interior palette, while low-VOC finishes and responsibly sourced materials have been selected to improve indoor air quality.

Kitchens have been designed as the centrepiece of each apartment, featuring porcelain island benchtops, timber-look cabinetry and brushed steel tapware, with layouts that maximise natural light and ventilation.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375530]

The more traditional interpretation of wellness comes in the form of Level Eleven, a two-storey wellness club spanning the ground floor, mezzanine and first floor.

The facility will include a gym, yoga and reformer Pilates studios, Finnish and infrared saunas, magnesium hot and cold plunge pools, and dedicated recovery spaces. Unlike many residential wellness facilities, Level Eleven will also operate commercially, allowing the broader Bowden community to access the venue while giving residents exclusive membership benefits.

The ground floor has also been designed around everyday living. A café overlooking Bowden Village Reserve will activate the street frontage, while a bike workshop with tool storage, co-working space and dog wash has been incorporated to support daily routines and encourage interaction between residents.

"Flowe brings together my two biggest passions, creating places and creating healthier lives," Otello founder Daniel Harris said.

"We wanted to create something Adelaide hasn't seen before, a genuinely healthy building, where the way you live is lifted without even trying."

Flowe is positioned directly opposite Bowden Village Reserve and within walking distance of Bowden Railway Station and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, placing future residents just minutes from the Adelaide CBD while remaining connected to one of the city's most established urban renewal precincts.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152022]

Otello launches wellness-focused Flowe Bowden with Adelaide-first mass timber apartment design

Not all apartment amenities are immediately visible.

Swimming pools, gyms, rooftop terraces and residents' lounges have long featured on buyers' wishlists, but as the way Australians live has changed, so too have the features that make apartment living more convenient.

Increasingly, buyers are placing value on the practical aspects of day-to-day life. Fast internet, EV charging, secure bike storage, flexible workspaces and parcel management are becoming just as relevant as lifestyle amenities, reflecting changing habits and expectations.

Online shopping has been one of the biggest drivers of that shift.

Australians spent a record $82.6 billion shopping online in 2025, with almost one in every four retail dollars now spent digitally, making parcel deliveries a routine part of everyday life rather than an occasional convenience.

For apartment residents, however, receiving those deliveries isn't always straightforward.

Without someone home to accept a parcel, deliveries can be redirected to a nearby Post Office, left in building foyers or common areas, or require building management to temporarily store packages. As apartment living continues to grow across Australia's cities, parcel management has become an increasingly important consideration for both residents and developers.

Australia Post's Parcel Locker network is one response to that shift.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KPZ9j5FRdsQ?si=Qztc1dNP3ZvEIUhb" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

Rather than relying on home delivery, eligible parcels can be directed to a nominated Parcel Locker, where they're securely stored until collected. Once a parcel arrives, residents receive a notification through the AusPost app or SMS and can retrieve it using a one-time code or QR code at a time that suits them.

The network has expanded to more than 1,500 locations nationwide, with Parcel Lockers positioned at Post Offices, shopping centres, supermarkets, transport hubs and, increasingly, within or alongside residential developments.

That growing presence reflects a broader change in how apartment buildings are being planned.

Developers are increasingly considering the operational side of apartment living alongside traditional lifestyle amenities. Just as secure mailrooms, bicycle storage and EV charging have become more common inclusions, parcel management is emerging as another feature that supports everyday convenience.

It also helps preserve the arrival experience within a building. Carefully designed lobbies and communal spaces can quickly become cluttered when deliveries accumulate, while secure parcel solutions reduce the likelihood of missed deliveries or parcels being left unattended.

For buyers comparing apartments, these everyday details are becoming part of the decision-making process.

Location, floorplans and finishes remain fundamental, but the features that simplify daily life are carrying greater weight than they once did. As online shopping continues to shape consumer behaviour, secure parcel delivery is increasingly becoming another amenity worth looking for.

Parcel delivery is joining the apartment amenity checklist

Inca Property Group has lodged a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for Dawn, a 53-apartment oceanfront development overlooking Mona Vale Beach.

The proposal, at 35-39 Darley Street East, would replace an existing 18-apartment strata building with a new owner-occupier-focused development comprising 53 two and three-bedroom apartments, including nine affordable built-to-rent residences delivered under the State's infill affordable housing scheme.

Positioned on a 2,679 sqm elevated site around 280 metres from Mona Vale Beach, the development has been designed to maximise panoramic ocean views while responding to the site's sloping topography.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/inca-property-group">Inca Property Group</a> Managing Director Josh Thompson said the State Significant pathway provided greater certainty for projects of this scale.

"This State Significant pathway gives the team real certainty to progress <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/dawn-35-39-darley-street-east-mona-vale-nsw-2103">Dawn</a> through to completion," Thompson said.

"It allows us to acquire a one-off site, design it carefully and deliver the right offering for the suburb, assessed by the NSW Government's planning department."

The project is one of the first developments in the area to be assessed under the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy, with the site sitting on the edge of the policy's designated inner area.

The proposal includes three basement levels providing 124 car spaces, alongside a range of resident amenities including a swimming pool, gym, sauna, wellness facilities and private plunge pools for selected ground-floor and penthouse apartments.

<img alt="Dawn" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fc1a1daf-0ce4-4f12-9076-b1fa553c7a91" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-21%20at%208.42.11%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=4GZ9h.gpNkTljbxyAET8Jfhv51XUamDm" />

Thompson said Dawn had been designed specifically for owner-occupiers and downsizers, a buyer profile that has driven demand across Inca's recent Upper North Shore developments.

"The majority of buyers in our recent North Shore projects have been downsizers, and we are learning exactly what this market is looking for. Beyond the location itself, we have included resort-style amenities to deliver a genuine lifestyle offering," Thompson said.

Located within walking distance of Mona Vale Beach, the town centre, Mona Vale Golf Club and the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Dawn represents Inca's first Northern Beaches project following the sell-out of Tara on Park in Waitara and Ellis Residences, currently under construction in St Ives.

Construction will be undertaken by Inca's in-house construction arm, GOP Constructions.

Dawn is the latest major apartment proposal for Mona Vale, with the suburb emerging as one of the key beneficiaries of the NSW Government's new Low and Mid-Rise Housing policy.

New developer One Living, led by industry veteran Joseph Scuderi, recently secured a site on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, where it is planning around 140 apartments.

IPM is also planning its third project in Mona Vale, significantly increasing the scale of its previous developments with an 82-apartment proposal at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/159-167-darley-street-west-mona-vale-nsw-2103">159-167 Darley Street West</a>, opposite Bayview Golf Course and less than 800 metres from Mona Vale town centre.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/one-living-enters-sydneys-new-apartment-market-with-northern-beaches-site-acquisition">One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition</a>

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-ipm-plans-third-mona-vale-project">First look: IPM plans third Mona Vale project</a>

Staff reporter

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