Inspired by the organic forms of nature. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh
14/05/2023.
[Prahran - Melbourne] Australia
metalocus, ADELA BONAS
metalocus, ADELA BONAS
Melbourne-based architecture studio Wood Marsh designed the "No. 6 Sydney Street" housing building located in Prahran, an inner suburb, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Prahran is a part of Greater Melbourne, Australia.
The project in the vicinity of a park facing the Orrong Romanis Reserve and adjacent to a sports area, is a building with 15 apartments on six floors, with an exterior appearance showing cantilevered floor platforms and bell-shaped pillars, inspired by nature. The project was commissioned by Australian developer V-Leader.
The project in the vicinity of a park facing the Orrong Romanis Reserve and adjacent to a sports area, is a building with 15 apartments on six floors, with an exterior appearance showing cantilevered floor platforms and bell-shaped pillars, inspired by nature. The project was commissioned by Australian developer V-Leader.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
Sketch. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
-1 basement floor plan. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
-2 basement floor plan. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
Ground floor plan. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
First floor plan. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
Second floor plan. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
Third floor plan. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
Fiourth floor plan. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
Fifth floor plan. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
South elevation. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
West elevation. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
North elevation. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
East elevation. No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh.
Wood Marsh designed an asymmetrical building as an interplay of flowing forms set the building a sense of visual movement, a floorplate set resting on an irregular grid of feature-fluted columns allowing the integration of intermittent gardens with vegetation to further soften the forms.
The base of the building is obscured within a lushly garden above two basement levels of parking, a path through the gardens at the front of the building leads beneath a canopy created by the first floor and into a small wood-lined entrance area.
The base of the building is obscured within a lushly garden above two basement levels of parking, a path through the gardens at the front of the building leads beneath a canopy created by the first floor and into a small wood-lined entrance area.
"Each of the residences is unique with different access to light, sightlines, and terraces. Planting, park, and city views beyond are framed by the expanse of glazing and horizontal planes."
Wood Marsh
Many of the interior surfaces are softened with the use of curving volumes. Developed in collaboration with V-Leader, No. 6 Sydney Street, its connection to nature is the curvaceous result of carving out its urban block, breaking down the walled streetscape created by its rectilinear neighbors.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
Project description by Wood Marsh
A building structure carefully disguised as an organic sculpture, No. 6 Sydney Street is a collection of 15 residences within a skeleton, grounded in craft, and inspired by nature. Located within the inner-city suburb of Prahran, its form and positioning create fluid connectivity to the natural surroundings of the adjacent Orrong Romanis Reserve.
Referencing the sinuous curves of nature, the asymmetrical building appears to be carved from a singular raw material, abstracting its formal composition. Its softened floorplates read as the primary element subtly molded into fine blades resting on an irregular grid of feature-fluted columns. The interplay of flowing forms gives the building a sense of visual movement. Deep rippling along the undulant facades results in a conscious layering of positive and negative spaces allowing the integration of intermittent gardens with vegetation growing to further soften the forms.
The base of the building is obscured within a lushly planted garden framing the entry canopy between two recessed fluted columns accessed via a curving pathway. The entrance sequence begins to transition the external concepts more internally through a refined natural material palette and crafted details. The first indication of this is the timber door ornamented with a sculpted cast bronze, silver dipped door handle.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
No. 6 Sydney Street Apartments by Wood Marsh. Photograph by Karin Bochnik.
Each of the residences is unique with different access to light, sightlines, and terraces. Planting, park, and city views beyond are framed by the expanse of glazing and horizontal planes. Many of the interior surfaces are softened with the use of curving volumes and plaster, taking cues from the exterior form. Highly crafted joinery in natural timber and book-matched marble add to the overall feeling of warmth, contrast, and a refined approach to pared-down luxury. The bathrooms are wrapped in a travertine mosaic providing a subtle textural quality to the space and contrasting with the solid vanity unit of stained timber and stone.
Developed in collaboration with V-Leader, No. 6 Sydney Street is a curvaceous result of carving out its urban block, breaking down the walled streetscape created by its rectilinear neighbors. Its polished form carefully experiments with ideas of solid and void, in a monochromatic visual quality. Its connection to nature, use of movement, and artistry have produced a unique outcome that sits in contrast to its surrounding residential context.
More information
Architects
Wood Marsh. Lead architects.- Randal Marsh & Roger Wood.
Collaborators
Eckersley Garden Architecture.
Developer
V-Leader.
Builder
VCON.
Dates
2022.
Location
6 Sydney Street, Prahran, Melbourne. Victoria, Australia.
Photography
Roger Wood, Randal Marsh. Wood Marsh
Wood Marsh, is a Melbourne-based architecture practice founded by Roger Wood and Randal Marsh, who have been in private practice since 1983, and their early philosophical and aesthetic ideals have been sustained to inform their architecture throughout the ensuing decades. Contextual issues of locality and region underpin their diverse body of work, which spans residential, commercial, and urban architecture.
The practice is renowned for its clarity of vision and its versatility, with art galleries, wineries, and private homes as deftly executed as the extensive urban infrastructure the firm has created in and around Melbourne, where it is based.
In each project, Wood Marsh’s founding principles are evident: the sculptural quality of the external forms, the play of solidity and transparency, and the materiality of the limited palettes. Each reminds us that contemporary architecture can have a permanence, and that practical design can be unique and beautiful.
Unmoved by the ebb and flow of design trends, Roger Wood and Randal Marsh cite the arts, generally, rather than architecture specifically, as being of a greater influence on their practice and are proud that their work has been acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria, the National Gallery of Australia, RMIT University and private collectors.
The firm has also been recognized nationally and internationally as the recipient of more than 50 architecture industry awards.
Categories
Our selection
