Malvern's mega development site curtailed but still imposing
Revised plans for one of suburban Melbourne's largest developments that Urban.com.au touched upon during August are now available for public comment.
The site in question sits adjacent to Malvern Railway Station and has a principal address of 641-675 Dandenong Road. At 4,739 square metres the land holding was offered for sale during 2017, with Kokoda Property subsequently revealed as the purchaser.
Dubbed Malvern Collective, Kokoda Property carries imagery of the initial design on its website. The Jackson Clements Burrows-designed development seen below has been replaced by a more modest revised application which sees lower than initially intended built form across the site.
The highly angular initial design for the scalene-shaped site has also been tempered to resemble more traditional buildings with a 'defined' roof.
641-675 Dandenong Road application summary
- 4,739 square metre site with three street frontages
- Expected build value: $80 million
- Proposed: 17 and 10 storey buildings with the taller at 55.9 metres
- 265 apartments: 94 x 1BR, 154 x 2BR, 16 x 3BR, 1 x 4BR
- 5 level basement with option for a subterranean link to Malvern Railway Station
- Provisions for 371 vehicles and 203 bicycles
- Existing 'Angel Tavern' to be restored
- 7 retail tenancies amounting to 1,137 square metres with ability to increase if required
- 753 square metre commercial tenancy
Jackson Clements Burrows on Malvern Collective's form:
The unique qualities of the site have determined the proposals siting, massing and overall form.
With interfaces to Glenferrie Rd, Dandenong Rd, Station Place and the rail corridor to the north, the lower podium is characterised by a series of articulated columns that set the rhythm of the pedestrian experience and whose datum closely aligns to that of the adjacent heritage buildings. The columns also fluctuate in depth to provide protection from traffic to the south, the summer sun to the north and visual privacy on the oblique approach.
The upper forms are conceived as a series of undulating peaks that strategically lower to sensitive interfaces and minimise overshadowing to the south. The chamfered forms allow the implementation of generous east and west facing terraces which offer select apartments ‘gardens in the sky’.
The mostly light coloured curtain walls and associated fins are articulated as the main facade element with the enclosed areas recessed back from the outer envelope. This provides permeability through the extremities of the building and a depth to the facade through the use of light and shadow.
Kokoda Property true to their word when it comes to infill development
During 2017 Kokoda Property prompted calls for more in-fill development sites in what it calls "Melbourne’s undersupplied eastern middle-ring" in order to fill the demand for quality apartments and townhomes in the leafy suburbs.
At the time Kokoda Property Sales and Marketing Director Sam Tucker spoke of the underlying demand for apartment developments across Melbourne's eastern middle-ring suburbs, driven by wealthy downsizers. This has been reflected in the recent projects undertaken locally by the developer.
Malvern Collective joins a boutique current apartment development dubbed The Mowbray at Camberwell's 553-555 Burke Road and the recently completed Trentwood at 25 Trent Street, Glen iris as examples of Kokoda Property's shift in focus to inner eastern Melbourne suburbs.
641-675 Dandenong Road development team
- Developer: Kokoda Property Group (Malvern Development Partnership Pty Ltd)
- Architect: Jackson Clements Burrows Architects
- Urban Planning: Contour Consultants
- Landscape Plan: Tract Landscape Architects
- Cultural Heritage Statement: Archaeology At Tardis
- Traffic Impact Assessment: GTA Consultants
- Waste Management Plan: Leigh Design
- Utility Services: Intrax Consulting Engineers
- Noise and Vibration Consultants: Octave Acoustics
- Heritage Consultant: Lovell Chen
- Urban Design Consultant: Message Consultants
- Site Survey: Bosco Jonson