Joe Adsett-designed New Farm apartment development Arcilla gets approval

The project name, Arcilla, is a Spanish word meaning terracotta
Joe Adsett-designed New Farm apartment development Arcilla gets approval
The proposed development Arcilla. Image supplied
Joel Robinson September 6, 2021

The New Farm apartment development Arcilla, a collaboration between architect-turned developer Joe Adsett and Craig Purdy of Purdy Developments, has been given the green light by the Brisbane City Council.

Arcilla, a boutique $30 million block of just nine apartments in the prestigious cul de sac of Maxwell Street, draws inspiration from the character Spanish mission architectural styles which pervade the local streets of New Farm.

“In our search for inspiration we chose the language of the Spanish Mission architectural style which is adored by many for its unique and beautiful architectural details like the fluted terracotta roof tiles and iconic arches," Adsett says.

Neville Court, the Spanish Mission heritage residence designed in 1936 by the prominent interwar architects Chambers and Ford, sits next door.

The project name, Arcilla, is a Spanish word meaning terracotta.

Joe Adsett-designed New Farm apartment development Arcilla gets approval

"We took one of the red roof tiles and have used this shape as the mold for the concrete on the façade of the building and we will be adding terracotta accents to the mix of the concrete to achieve the beautiful coloring on the sun exposed faces of the building," Adsett added.

"I am most excited about the structural concrete columns which curve and become the ceiling. It’s a design language we can continue to refine across our portfolio of projects. With the Olympic spotlight upon Brisbane its important we design our boutique buildings to be unique and speak the language of Brisbane’s place and identity.”

Arcilla, at 28 Maxwell Street, will span five-storeys and will have eight three bedroom apartments and one four bedroom apartment, which will span the whole of the top level. 

The 845 sqm Maxwell St block was bought for $4 million. It had an old four-storey apartment building on the property.

Craig Purdy said as a group, their focus is upon developing boutique buildings and delivering oversized apartments to targeted buyers who are seeking a genuine alternative to a house in the inner city.

"Apartments of this size have historically been reserved for riverfront locations however we believe there is an increasing market for those buyers seeking lifestyle and good design in a premium location with river and city views from most residences.

Joe Adsett-designed New Farm apartment development Arcilla gets approval

"The response to our projects has been overwhelming and with the oversubscribed demand for every project we continue to search for great opportunities in which to develop our next offering to an undersupplied market.”

Arcilla is the second development by the pair, following on from the success of the 16-apartment development Botanic, also in New Farm, which sold out in February this year. Botanic is now in the final stages of construction.

Joel Robinson

Joel Robinson is the Editor in Chief at Urban.com.au, managing Urban's editorial team and creating the largest news cycle for the off the plan property market in the country. Joel has been writing about residential real estate for nearly a decade, following a degree in Business Management with a major in Journalism at Leeds Beckett University in England. He specializes in off the plan apartments, and has a particular interest in the development application process for new projects.

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