The design for 154 High St, Northcote has been created as a major new piece of urban architecture, in recognition of the site’s prominence as a gateway into Northcote’s Major Activity Centre.

The proposed design has been envisaged as a counterpoint to the solid adjacent existing buildings, incorporating an anchor and hanging from and aesthetic. The design redeploys and acknowledges the existing brick treatment aesthetics and reinterprets these as a series of stacked, horizontal slabs, which shift rhythmically as the building rises. The facade articulation draws inspiration from the rich history of streamlined period architecture within the suburb, expressing a sense of horizontality along the site’s long southern boundary. These horizontal slabs provide a strong, unified order, alternating with finely detailed glazing strips.

At ground level the design presents an open, fully glazed frontage to High Street with a retail tenancy within. The glazing wraps around into Clarke St, transitioning to a more solid, dedicated residential entry. Further East a car park entry has been integrated within the building fabric to provide a relatively non-descript street presence.

At roof top level there is a generous roof deck and communal garden area with shaded canopy and extensive landscaped planting. This rooftop with its urban marker element has been designed to accommodate further significant landscaping opportunities, adding to the delight and surprise of the buildings’ urban presence.