How the Cattai Creek influenced the masterplan design at Castle Hill's Carrington Place
Masterplanned communities often require a number of different perspectives in the planning phase.
They're more intricate than an architect and interior designer working in tandem when creating a high-density tower or apartment project. They require significant placemaking, given the development is creating a whole community.
At Carrington Place, the recently approved $850 million Castle Hill masterplan by Ellipse Property, Tony Owen Partners worked alongside Stanisic Architects to bring together the designs for the 3.2-hectare project.
Tony Owen of Tony Owen Partners said the Carrington Place masterplan places significant emphasis on the importance of Cattai Creek.
"In particular, the plan identifies the path of Cattai Creek as the main green corridor for the precinct. The plan envisages the creek corridor as a significant communal environmental amenity," Owen said.
“The architecture of the building adapts curves that echo with the undulations of the natural creek and how it ebbs and flows. At the ‘Garden Level’, the landscape sweeps into the building, shaping an ‘atrium’ which is the heart of this building. A picture-frame façade detailing is adapted on the north south and west facades that frame beautiful Creekside views. Alternatively, the Ashford Avenue west façade has a strong architectural expression with the dark bricks and contrasting upper floors.
“The setbacks on the building at levels three and four benefit the apartments by providing larger outdoor entertainment spaces and enhance the variety of layouts that buyers can choose from further enhancing the architectural elements.
“Buildings are designed where every part of the building responds to the different environment, so when you’re down low, you’re in the trees. When you’re up higher, you’ve got greater views.”
Frank Stanisic of Stanisic Architects, who handled the design of the seven residential buildings, said the architecture for the residential is about creating an environment for people to live, and also that perhaps they can move from one apartment to another.
"I would like to think there’s some inter-generational movement between people as they get older, as they have children, so they move from a one-bedder to a two-bedder, and a two-bedder to a three-bed, so I’d like to think there’s enough diversity that allows people to stay in this environment and just move around within the buildings that are here,” Stanisic said.
When completed, Carrington Place will comprise 771 apartments built across seven eight to 12-storey buildings.
The first stage of the project, Atrium, will comprise 151 apartments within one mid-rise eight-storey building.
Running alongside Cattai Creek, Stage 1 Atrium will feature curvilinear buildings which are the main gateway sites to the precinct. At the epicentre of stage one and the inspiration behind its name, lies an atrium encompassing the true ideals of Carrington Place - lifestyle, sustainability and wellbeing.
Uniquely, the precinct will be home to over 20,000 square metres of outdoor recreational space and lush gardens, conceived by landscape architect, Site Image Landscape Architects, making it one of the greenest masterplanned communities in the Hills district.
A key feature of the project will include a one-kilometre boardwalk running the length of the Cattai Creek connecting to Fred Caterson Reserve, a 58-hectare local reserve featuring picnic tables, children’s playgrounds, along with multiple sports facilities.
Ellipse Property has committed to dedicate over 6500m2 of the Cattai Creek back to the community in this masterplan. In addition to this, Ellipse Property has collaborated closely with Council on the revegetation management and landscaping of the Cattai Creek Masterplan spanning the Carrington Place site known locally as ‘The Green Belt’.
Construction is planned to commence in Q3 2023, with Atrium due for completion in Q3 2025. The entire five-stage precinct is due for completion in 2032.