A closer look at Nightingale 2.0
The second Nightingale model project, known as Nightingale 2.0 was submitted for planning earlier this year. Located at 72A Station Street, Fairfield, it has been designed by Six Degrees Architects with James Legge as the lead architect and developer. Following in the footsteps of its predecessors The Commons and Nightingale, the project is an alternative development model which seeks to deliver quality living spaces which enrich the lives of the occupants but also contribute to the streetcape and greater community.
The 5-storey proposal, replaces an existing permit for a nondescript office building of five levels with the permit due to expire in June 2017. Overall the building comprises 20 apartments above three retail tenancies on the ground floor with frontages along Railway Parade and Station Street. The apartments are a mix of four one-bedroom, 12 two-bedroom and four three-bedroom apartments. The tenancies are designed to help with street activation and improve the amenity of the station precinct and engage with the community by inviting them to have a coffee or do their grocery shopping there, depending on the final retail mix.
The apartments above are all designed with liveability and environmental sustainability as key design drivers. The apartments feature high ceilings, northerly aspect, cross ventilation and natural light to all habitable rooms. In addition to the provision of a private balcony to each apartment, the roof top is dedicated to communal use, containing laundry, clothes lines, vegetable gardens and a large outdoor dining and social environment. While the sense of community can never really be forced onto someone the project seeks to facilitate and foster this and certainly the target market for this type of project would be receptive to the concept.
Externally the building has been designed to be visibly active and inhabited while significantly adding to the amenity of the Railway Place and the station precinct. The building’s elevations will be largely comprised of textured concrete panels, with external walkways on the street side helping to break up the visual bulk of the building and providing access to apartments. This also animates the facade and allows for a degree of passive surveillance to the street below while encouraging resident interaction.
As a general recap for those who may be unaware, the aim of the Nightingale model is to provide quality value for money urban housing by simplifying both the development process and the building itself. Where a lot of projects adopt the more traditional development model of apartments designed to investor specifications for maximum yield.
Regular people who want their money to create quality, liveable buildings fund the Nightingale model. It isn't about profit maximisation. Instead, the model seeks reasonable returns whilst maximising social and environmental outcomes through exceptional design.
By way of material reduction, we seek to implement an ideology of simplicity. We envision an architecture governed by humanity and functionality - buildings that satisfy fundamental needs complemented by the beauty of architectural delight.
Breathe Architecture
The Nightingale model database currently comprises over 800 interested purchasers. During the design process for Nightingale 2.0 the database was surveyed and 180 responses were received from purchasers interested in living at 72a Station Street. The results of the survey directly informed the building design, apartment size and mix. 17% of respondents confirmed a desire to purchase larger 3 bedroom apartments. As a result, along with 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, 4x 102sqM 3 Bedroom apartments have been included in the proposal.
ESD features
One of the primary goals of Nightingale 2.0 is to achieve excellent Ecologically Sustainable Design (ESD) performance. Key measures incorporated to achieve this objective include;
- Highly energy efficient 7.5 star minimum design, supported by double glazed timber windows and high levels of insulation throughout
- No air-conditioning required to maintain comfortable temperature ranges.
- Shared rooftop laundry, veggie garden, bee hives, clothes lines and fireplace.
- Low impact materials including recycled timber floors and low or zero Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in materials and finishes.
- Zero fossil fuels and 100% renewable energy during operation, supported by 15 kW rooftop solar system, high efficiency centralised systems and a bulk purchase of Green Power
- Rainwater reuse for toilet flushing and irrigation, and wicking bed planters for rooftop vegetable garden.
- Integrated sustainable transport, including zero car parking, car share vehicle space (subject to Council approval), 46 secure bicycle parks
The development team expects sales on Nightingale 2.0 to commence within three months of successful receipt of a planning permit. The project will then be completed within 12-15 months of construction commencing.