The upcoming Altitude Apartments development in Sydney’s Parramatta offers an unprecedented opportunity to breathe new life back into the area, redefining the dynamic of the city centre for the future.
Headed up by Tony Caro Architecture and Australia’s largest apartment developer Meriton, the development is an integral part of plans to transform Parramatta into a complete cultural hub. Altitude will boast two striking towers containing retail spaces, car parking and recreational facilities –all in addition to more than 500 serviced apartments.
At the design stage, Altitude had many specific and strict design requirements to meet. These were met exceptionally well by Tony Caro Architecture in the 2011 design competition for the development.
The substantial residential component demanded that the form of the towers needed to be largely shaped by creation of living amenity – the provision of outlook, privacy, and naturally ventilated, well-lit apartments with good solar access.
The design also needed to accommodate the dynamics of the site itself, including the slope in a series of steps and terraces to meet flood requirements as well as maximising access, views and connectivity.
At the current construction stage, the building is aiming to provide activation of street and river frontages and an appropriate relationship with existing developments, as well as incorporating the use of quality materials and detailing.
Like all Meriton developments, the Altitude will feature Hebel in the internal party walls. Alan Johnson, Chief Architect at Meriton, attributes this to a number of important qualities that benefit both the people who work with the product during construction and those who live in the apartments where Hebel internal walls have been installed.
“A primary benefit of Hebel is that it keeps the job site clean, compared with working with masonry,” says Johnson. He explains that when cement is mixed on site, it means everyone is forced to work around that part of the build, but this isn’t necessary when Hebel is being used. In light of the fact that such issues often delay the build and increase costs, Hebel is of significant benefit in this instance.
The Altitude project is currently half-way through construction and is estimated for completion in April 2017.
Images courtesy of Meriton