Excelon Group

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<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/developers/excelon-projects">Excelon Group's</a> Lothian Street development has been designed by <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/architects/kennedy-nolan-architects">Kennedy Nolan</a> to reference the area’s industrial past, with a warehouse style brick façade employed.

Located at <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/new-apartments/89-101-lothian-street-north-melbourne">100 Lothian Street, North Melbourne</a> the development comprises six individually designed townhouses and two apartments crafted in collaboration with some of Melbourne’s top local artisans, including family-owned local Victorian brick manufacturer Krause Bricks.

A revolution of sorts is currently underway with more architects returning to bricks to reimagine a built environment that has a more tactile expression and quality, a departure away from painted precast concrete which lacks neighbourhood character. More recently this has been evident in the <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/nightingales-magnificent-seven-on-show-for-the-first-time">Nightingale Village</a> project of which Kennedy Nolan are also involved, combining brick with other robust domestic materials which reflect the vernacular and material qualities of their context. 

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/lothian_elev.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Lothian Street in elevation. Image: Kennedy Nolan"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="299" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/lothian_elev.jpg?itok=hTCkiD38" title="Lothian Street in elevation. Image: Kennedy Nolan" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Lothian Street in elevation. Image: Kennedy Nolan</figcaption></figure>Lothian Street's brick work is a nod to curves and craftmanship, while the brick colour has been custom blended to achieve an individual character that harks upon the past. Krause Bricks have been working closely alongside Kennedy Nolan to create an exterior brick form which sits comfortably within its North Melbourne streetscape.

A family business established in 1945, the Krause family has been building a successful, succession-based business and has evolved to meet the challenges, changing fortunes and fashions, of the Australian brick industry. With only 11 employees, Krause Bricks have three kilns that are firing constantly, outputting a staggering four million bricks per annum.

Grandson, Klynton Krause who works with father, Patrick, sees brick with new eyes. Klynton has been working alongside architects creating specific brick solutions and welcomes the challenges of a new market.

Bricks are indeed booming as industrial suburbs are being gentrified and architects are looking to provide buildings which draw on the qualities of industrial red brick warehouses. This is a far cry from from the golden ‘clinker brick’ homes of yesteryear, which are so synonymous with Australian suburbia.

Other collaborative design elements include decorative porcelain tiles used throughout the entranceways, designed and printed locally by Bonnie and Neil, timber door hardware from IN-TERIA and lighting from Daniel Emma. The use of local artisanal collaborators has ensured Lothian Street has an authentic, individual design quality that is more than just the sum of its parts.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/kna_arden_04.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Brick in all its glory at Lothian Street. Images: Kennedy Nolan"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="268" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/kna_arden_04.jpg?itok=YWlQ_TQh" title="Brick in all its glory at Lothian Street. Images: Kennedy Nolan" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Brick in all its glory at Lothian Street. Images: Kennedy Nolan</figcaption></figure><h2>What they say...</h2>

<blockquote>
Lothian Street is a love project for Excelon. The process of working with local collaborators to create something unique for North Melbourne has been a joy, and it’s exciting to see the project unfold as it has.

It is always our absolute pleasure working with local Australian manufacturers and artisans such as Krause Bricks. With their understanding of the medium, I believe local collaborators impart a sense of soul into a project as they are passionate about their craft.

- Kelvin Taing, Excelon Group Managing Director 
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
We work alongside architects which is an opportunity to provide a true one off brick project.

There is no one size or colour fits all with bricks. It is very much a product designed to the specifications of every design and every location. Brick is now a material that is pushing design boundaries. It’s such a humble product and you see it everywhere but there is such innovation that can be had, I work with a lot of different architects. They can throw curveballs at you, and I love that challenge.

It enables us to watch the quality side and really achieve that Australian, handmade product.

Our secret to success is to welcome the challenges that come to us. I am focused on developing a truly unique bespoke building outcome with every Krause brick product.

- Klynton Krause
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
Working with local manufacturers and artisans adds authenticity to our projects. Krause Bricks are a Victorian family business and their products are made from Victorian clay meaning that Lothian has a physical, economic and emotional relationship to its place. 

- Patrick Kennedy, Kennedy Nolan
</blockquote>
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Laurence Dragomir

Brick to the Future for Lothian Street

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The recently completed Clyde Mews is an environmentally focused community comprising six family-centric townhouses and two apartments. Designed by Six Degrees Architects for Excelon Group the project sets a new benchmark for inner city, medium density development. 

Located at 80 Clyde Street in Thornbury, the project is at the forefront of sustainable design and construction, with Excelon and its design team working alongside the independent Moreland Energy Foundation Limited (MEFL) to improve its sustainability credentials and minimize waste where possible.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/clydemews_ahutchison_stitched.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Clyde Mews employs recycled materials where possible. Images: Supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="429" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/clydemews_ahutchison_stitched.jpg?itok=XuKwbWlj" title="Clyde Mews employs recycled materials where possible. Images: Supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Clyde Mews employs recycled materials where possible. Images: Alice Hutchison</figcaption></figure>The development repurposes materials from the previous dwellings which occupied the site, complemented by recycled timber, and locally sourced recycled bricks which were carefully selected. Each residence is equipped with energy and water efficient V-ZUG or Miele appliances, and living areas carpeted with durable 100% New Zealand wool carpet from Cavalier Bremworth.

Designed to foster a car-free lifestyle, Clyde Mews is located in close proximity to public transport, walking and cycling tracks, and within walking distance to local eateries, cafes, and boutiques, as well as amenity such as hospitals, childcare, playgrounds, markets, and sporting facilities.

<blockquote>
The project is a development of two traditional Thornbury housing blocks into medium density housing, and provides an alternative model to the usual car centric development of this type.

Instead a model of medium density living is delivered that that prioritises the development of community, shared amenity, sustainability and landscape.

The dwellings have been designed to maximise the site's orientation to provide energy and water efficient residences that are sustainable, comfortable and affordable.

- Six Degrees
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/clydemews_ahutchison_-17.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Clyde Mews' communal gardens. Image: Supplied"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/clydemews_ahutchison_-17.jpg?itok=Kkper-AQ" title="Clyde Mews' communal gardens. Image: Supplied" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Clyde Mews' communal gardens. Image: Alice Hutchison</figcaption></figure>The project is designed to allow residents to live easily without a car and each dwelling includes two wall mounted bike racks, however at least one on-site car space is offered per dwelling. Car spaces are situated around the perimeter of the project to maximize internal space within the site for pedestrian access and public and private open space positioned around a a central shared space. 

The communal garden has been designed to act as a shared backyard that contains seating and large planter boxes for communal gardening, including fresh fruit and vegetables for residents to enjoy. Extensive pergolas provide the framework for vines to form a lush canopy that will provide shade in summer, and will lose its leaves in winter allowing sun through to each residence.

Water efficiencies at Clyde Mews include a 30,000 litre underground water tank for toilet flushing and laundry. Other sustainable amenities include solar power, and passive heating and cooling systems have been incorporated throughout the design as well as the building oriented to maximize natural light with north-facing windows, and awnings in the living and dining areas to reduce heat gain from summer sun exposure.

<h2>What they say...</h2>

<blockquote>
Excelon are excited to have completed Clyde Mews, a project with incredibly strong sustainability credentials. We are committed to the Melbourne market and look forward to working alongside our industry friends to create a strong portfolio of sustainable, community-driven projects.

-  Kelvin Taing, Excelon Group Managing Director
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
We were thrilled to be involved with Clyde Mews. The project was conceived and designed to encourage a sense of community, and offer a new model for sustainable medium density housing. It’s a project at the vanguard of modern sustainable living in Melbourne.

- James Legge, Six Degrees Director
</blockquote>
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Six Degrees and Excelon combine for Clyde Mews

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Yet another Brunswick apartment development has gone to 'the green side'.

A proposal for 211-213 Sydney Road currently before Moreland City Council is hoping to convert approval onsite for a more typical planning permit to one that includes heightened environmentally sustainable design aspects. Design practice Six Degrees have taken over design duties for the site, replacing what was a failed design and marketing campaign for The Saxon apartments.

Prior to it being offered for sale, The Saxon included 24 apartments within a Rothelowman-designed project. Eventually though the roughly 600 square metre site was put forward for developers to consider during 2017.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/image55_9.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="211-213 Sydney Road as The Saxon"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="363" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image55_9.jpg?itok=4fmLr9w2" title="211-213 Sydney Road as The Saxon" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>211-213 Sydney Road as The Saxon</figcaption></figure>In a sign that other developers are acknowledging the worth of what is being achieved in Brunswick from an apartment design perspective, new site owner Excelon Group has enlisted Six Degrees to mirror other cutting edge and environmentally sympathetic designs in the area, including Nightingale 3 which abuts the intended project directly to the south.

In <a href="http://Milieu%20Propert">a recent piece</a> on Urban, Milieu Property too realised the worth in continuing the design impetus created by projects such as The Commons and Nightingale, describing the area as "on the precipice of a housing revolution of international significance." Excelon Group to this point has delivered more typical developments, with their most noteworthy being <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/forum/cbd-560-flinders-street-29l-90m-residential">560 Flinders Street</a>.

The current application is a stark departure from the previously approved scheme onsite, defined by a new facade which includes operable perforated metal shutters "that will provide a coloured translucent filter" over the building's 21 intended apartments.

Design highlights for the new 211-213 Sydney Road which landed before Moreland City Council during March sees:

<ul>
<li>A retail tenancy to Sydney Road and a commercial/retail tenancy to Saxon Street</li>
	<li>Preserved facade and volume of the heritage building fronting Sydney Road</li>
	<li>Open walkways bisecting each floorplate</li>
	<li>All apartments receive cross ventilation and no borrowed light</li>
	<li>Adjustable levels of privacy and shading due to operable facade</li>
	<li>Low energy consumption and thermal break design features</li>
	<li>Rooftop productive gardens, worm farm system and water harvesting tanks</li>
	<li>Zero car parks included</li>
</ul>
<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public//pictures/article-images/image56_8.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Six Degrees' Saxon Street perspective of the development"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="410" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files//styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image56_8.jpg?itok=f2h2ktDL" title="Six Degrees' Saxon Street perspective of the development" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Six Degrees' Saxon Street perspective of the development</figcaption></figure>In Six Degrees words, 211-213 Sydney Road "is an exciting opportunity to showcase best practice sustainability initiatives and technologies in high-density living. In summary, the development seeks to provide an exemplary high-density residential environment, actively promoting ideas around community, shared spaces and environmental sustainability."

<ul></ul>
The aforementioned Nightingale 3 is poised to add further credence to the area's environmentally sustainable design credentials, whilst <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/nightingale-housing-plans-seven-buildings-across-brunswicks-duckett-street">Nightingale Village</a>'s designs are beginning to appear at planning.

That benchmark development will see seven buildings of up to eight storeys containing 210 dwellings and multiple ground floor tenancies.
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Excelon Group

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