First look exclusive: Sekisui's plans for West Village final tower, Callista on Park
Sekisui House Australia has saved the best until last at West Village, their West End redevelopment of the Peter's Ice Cream Factory site.
They've lodged plans for the final tower in the incredibly successful nine-tower project, which they started redeveloping back in 2016. Since then West Village has won more than 40 awards, the most recent being the internationally renowned 2022 ULI APAC Award for Excellence.
Dubbed Callista on Park due to its premier location fronting Mollison Park, the most sculptural and refined offering in the village with north east aspect views, the new building is aiming to capture a different cohort of buyers compared to the more diverse towers that have come before it. The Callista on Park is boutique in nature and will feature just 74 apartments, all three and four-bedroom configurations. There will be 34 three-bedroom apartments, each with a multi-purpose room, and 35 four-bedroom units. There will be a single two-bedroom apartment.
An extensive heritage impact statement was prepared for the building given its proximity to the heritage listed Peters Ice Cream Factory, which sits next door.
But the designs by FJMT studio responds sensitively to the 1928-built factory, which acts at the focal point of the whole development. That now homes a farmers market, and sits opposite a lawn which hosts the annual Brisbane Ice Cream Festival, pizza and pinot evenings, gardening workshops and fashion events.
"The new podium facade adjacent to the Factory respects the built form, reflecting its human scale and overall proportions," FJMT studio noted in their architectural design submitted as part of the application.
"The materiality of the facade is a response to the natural stone in its immediate landscape context with a warm and earthy palette."
The new building is divided into two distinctly expressed volumes, with a green seam weaving through the facade. With the most impressive views and location in West End, Callista on Park will celebrate its garden character wrapping Mollison park up its façade plateauing on a true sky garden designed by RPS.
"As an extension of the glazed facade, the roof is expressed as a ‘lantern,’ anchoring itself as a beacon down Melbourne St where the open air conservatory sits as a celebration of Brisbane’s subtropical climate," FJMT note.
The roof terrace is a series of generous lush gardens with intimate break out spaces, an infinity pool edge a wellness area and dining areas with stunning views are nestled into the landscape. The open air conservatory with a rich planting palette crowns the top of an unified architectural form.
"A layered and dialectic approach of two contrasting materials is employed with the use of new and light materials for the northern volume and a warmer palette as a sympathetic response to the heritage building and the contemporary Queenslander vernacular for the southern volume," FJMT state.
“The largely glazed northern volume provides a long perimeter of glazed facade to the most desirable orientation. The taller of the two volumes is characterised by a unified and continuous louvres on the outside, shading the north facing balcony gardens and living spaces.”
FJMT Studo said each unit is carefully designed to optimise views, natural ventilation, thermal comfort, and refined with its own unique character.
"The apartments are homes centred around generous areas of balconies and gardens, which open up to expansive views of the Brisbane skyline, parklands and river."
The apartments will sit above a strategically designed new childcare centre elevating West Villages offering. Callista on Park is located next door to the recently launched Allere collection, comprising buildings Uno and Duo and is the final stage in West Village.
Sekisui recently released 7 sustainable apartments in the Allere collection, focused on giving back to the planet.
Residents of apartments in the Sustainability Series will have access to two Tesla vehicles in partnership with OhmieGo.