First look: Loftex's Chatswood tower goes public with affordable uplift
Diversified developer Loftex is seeking to trigger the affordability uplift at its new Chatswood apartment tower.
They've filed for a State Significant Development Application for a 35-level tower designed by EM BE CE on a central 2,290 sqm site near the Chatswood Interchange.
EM BE CE won the design competition for what was in 2022 a 127-unit, 27-level tower at 3-5 Help Street, besting schemes from Kann Finch and Nettleton Tribe.
The upscale plans will now see 160 apartments delivered, 32 of those being affordable housing. The apartments will sit alongside 2,345 sqm of commercial space and a new 695 sqm public domain, anchored by the creation of “Cambridge Walk,” a north-facing landscaped promenade that will act as a key pedestrian link in the growing Chatswood centre.
The apartments will also sit atop a five-level podium and five levels of basement parking.
“The striking folding form of the building expresses and celebrates a key node in the city that it occupies,” EM BE CE noted in the Design Report.
“Its form has been derived from the complying envelope, refined to maximise the North-East outlook and sun for the residents.”
The site occupies a prominent position, bounded by Help Street to the south, Cambridge Lane to the west, and McIntosh Street to the north, placing it just north of the Chatswood transport interchange and adjacent to existing high-rise developments and infrastructure. This part of Chatswood has been earmarked for significant residential intensification under the Chatswood CBD Strategy 2036, which promotes high-density, mixed-use towers that contribute positively to the cityscape and public realm.
The apartment mix includes:
37 one-bedroom apartments
18 one-bedroom affordable apartments
75 two-bedroom apartments
14 two-bedroom affordable apartments
16 three-bedroom apartments
EM BE CE said there will be "no dud apartments", with over 78 per cent of residences enjoying dual aspects.
The design weaves greenery through all levels, drawing from the Sandstone Ridgetop Woodlands and Blue Gum Forest typologies, and incorporating terraces and roof gardens that provide relief and texture.
“The deep reveals of the podium are an environmental and architectural response,” EM BE CE added. “These provide shading to the commercial areas and create opportunities for the ground floor tenancies to occupy the building edge.”
Chatswood underwent a wave of new planning proposals with various legislative changes expanding the CBD, which allowed for sites on the periphery of what was deemed the CBD to trigger increased height limits.
While several developments are earmarked for the suburb, only a handful have kicked off in recent years. Both Goldfields Group and Central Element are under construction at their two Chatswood towers, Bryson of Chatswood and Ethos Chatswood.
Joel Robinson
Joel Robinson is the Editor in Chief at Apartments.com.au, where he leads the editorial team and oversees the country’s most comprehensive news coverage dedicated to the off the plan property market. With more than a decade of experience in residential real estate journalism, Joel brings deep insight into Australia’s evolving development landscape.
He holds a degree in Business Management with a major in Journalism from Leeds Beckett University in the UK, and has developed a particular expertise in off the plan apartment space. Joel’s editorial lens spans the full lifecycle of a project—from site acquisition and planning approvals through to new launches, construction completions, and final sell-out—delivering trusted, buyer-focused content that supports informed decision-making across the property journey
