The Lane Apartments
Status: Completed 2015
Client: Fini Developments
The Lane Apartments is a 54 unit development in Beckenham. Our clients bought the site with the express view of demonstrating how the private sector could develop affordable housing in a TOD area. The site was zoned R20/60, with the higher density only allowed if the proponent undertook a Detailed Area Improvement Plan - a lengthy two-year process.
Working with the City of Gosnells, this requirement was waived on the basis that the development facilitated a number of key outcomes:
- Creation of a pedestrian network and public access way through the site providing improving walkability to the Beckenham Train Station
- Cede land form the rear of the site and negotiate with adjacent land owners to create a midblock Lane
- Provide housing diversity to compliment the predominantly single residential housing stock
- Provide "eyes on the street" surveillance to all public spaces.
Through this process, Gosnells awarded the project a density bonus of R80.
The conceptual framework of the project is simple - provide simple, well designed affordable housing close to public transport.
Public and community benefit was achieved by designing the development to provide improved accessibility to local foot traffic, and to introduce servicing lanes that also improved the viability of adjacent landholdings, that then in turn has stimulated a whole raft of development in the precinct.
The pre-existing building typology are essentially single storey housing. While the building is of the next scale, the materials used nod heavily to the predominant brick residential construction, allowing it to sit comfortably within the streetscape.
The program is of a central pedestrian space that reads as a street and includes visitor parking as if street parking. Residential parking is tucked around the periphery of the development in a secured space. The building functions as series of walk up apartments arranged around shared stairs.
The project has utilised on balcony storage to hide HWS and Air-conditioning.
At $1900/m2, the building represents great value for money, and was the result of intense and continued value management.
The project passed all NCC part J requirements - its biggest sustainability contribution is in providing density and housing diversity in an outer ring suburb where density is extremely unusual - thus reducing the need for cars, and our carbon footprint.
The project's main urban design contribution - establishing a new mid-block road and providing secure and safe walking trails has facilitated a new TOD precinct.