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Grande - Emerald Park (Stage 5)

Grande is Stage 5 of the Emerald Park masterplan of the former Email industrial site that is situated on the western side of Joynton Avenue, between O’Dea Avenue and McPherson Lane, which includes a major privately funded public park at the southern end - an extension of Mary O’Brien Reserve. It comprises two buildings, Building B and Building E, that define the boundary with Joynton Avenue and the eastern edge of the central communal courtyard. The project was developed by Cronos Corporation and built by Waterside Constructions.

The building form responds to its context by defining Joynton Avenue with a generous 12m setback for a boardwalk and expansion of the canopy of the mature Port Jackson fig trees. The floor plate has been designed with a clear definition of dwellings from vertical circulation to ensure efficient and affordable dwelling layouts and reduce the visual impact of the building forms. The building has a range of apartment types and sizes to cater to a variety of lifestyles. Grande and its companion Prime have similar internal configuration and coupling of two storey cross-over and compact layouts, the buildings have been sited with opposing orientations to increase the diversity of the extended elevations, maximise solar access and outlook, and avoid overshadowing of living areas from the taller building to the northern edge of the courtyard.

The eastern elevation is marked by ‘sun catchers’, or projecting ‘C’ shaped balconies of the compact dwellings, alternating horizontally with the regular living area balconies of ‘cross-over’ dwellings. The living areas of the ‘sun catchers’ are screened from the eastern sun and street with sliding aluminium shutters and the bedrooms are shaded with vertical aluminium louvre blades. The external expression of the western elevation that primarily comprises bedrooms, has a simpler appearance with expressed precast ribbons and concrete ledges with a dark frame that mediates between the changing scale of adjoining buildings.

Vertical circulation cores and glazed entry lobbies are clearly expressed at the ends of the building and are accessed from a new boardwalk which runs parallel to the footway along Joynton Avenue. A corner forecourt and glazed shop has been located at the ground level, adjacent to Mary O'Brien Reserve. A primary pedestrian pathway is located between the buildings to provide access to the central courtyard where windows have been splayed and alternated on side elevations to provide outlook to the street and courtyard while maximising visual privacy between buildings.

Data

Location: 13 Joynton Avenue, Zetland, Sydney, Australia
Client: Cronos Corporation Pty Ltd.
Builder: Waterside Constructions Pty Ltd.
Area: 6.650 sqm (approx 25,000 sqm total site masterplan), Floor area: 16,509 sqm (2.0:1) (approx. 50,000 sqm total site masterplan)
Date: 2013-2015
Status: Completed
Collaborators: Northrop Engineers
Photography: Brett Boardman

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