Seven town halls and 85 one-on-one meetings later, the $80-million residential apartment development designed by multi-disciplinary design firm Fender Katsalidis for local developer Noetic Places has received unanimous approval from Melbourne’s Bayside City Council. The intensive community engagement led by Noetic Places and Fender Katsalidis saw the project receive 12 submissions of support and glowing reviews from local councillors.

Located on Service Street, Hampton in Melbourne’s southeast, the 3,662sqm site bought by Noetic Places for $17 million in 2022, has a controversial history with the previous owner having spent three years unsuccessfully negotiating development plans with neighbours and the local council.

However, by engaging closely with the local community and addressing their concerns, Noetic Places and Fender Katsalidis were able to take the development process forward, leading to Council approval for the project.

Architects from Fender Katsalidis were actively involved in the consultation process, attending neighbourhood engagement sessions at venues across the area, from local restaurants to neighbours’ living rooms.

Speaking at the council meeting, Bayside mayor Hanna El Mouallem said he was “impressed” with the application, and the project responded to the local need for architecturally-designed apartment offerings that appeal to local downsizers.

“What [Fender Katsalidis] has done here is designed to serve the site, to serve the surrounding, and also to serve the buyers who want and are crying out for these apartments. We need to encourage this type of architecture, to attract people who want to downsize and remain in Hampton. And that's exactly what this application has done,” Cr El Mouallem said.

Fender Katsalidis director James Pearce says the open dialogue with Hampton residents has led to better commercial and design outcomes.

“Our team and the whole community became invested in creating an outcome that would benefit everyone, and together have achieved something very special,” he says.

“This intimate level of communication meant that our architects could not only address locals’ concerns and incorporate their feedback, but by attending the homes of neighbours, it also unlocked the ability to interpret the project from many different vantage points. This directly influenced the design and was a meaningful gesture to those neighbours who are going to interact with Noetic Place each day.”

Approved plans for the 8,292sqm residences include 32 sustainable and generously-scaled 2- and 3- bedroom residential apartments, as well as one 4-bedroom penthouse.

The community consultation led to significant design innovation around setbacks and recesses that respond to the neighbourhood’s character.

By breaking up the design, Fender Katsalidis architects were able to create two distinct entry moments, visually presenting Noetic Place as three buildings. “This responds to the break-up of the properties across the street, scaling into the neighbourhood,” Pearce explains.

With two basement levels and three storeys above ground, the top level has been set back to give an even more varied composition. “The setback means that from the footpath you can barely see the third floor, further reducing visual bulk.”

Landscaping has also played an important role in softening the interface with neighbours. “Mature trees will be planted so that from day one the building will look like it’s been there for a long time, while also giving back to the street,” he says.

The native vegetation, with its palette of soft greys and olive, complements the building’s pared-back materiality of light sandy brick and warm metal tones, inspired by Hampton beach and the leafy neighbourhood’s iconic Edwardian homes.

Noetic Places director and Hampton resident, Stephen Barrow-Yu says his love for the area and the lessons of his previous project, Reunion Place, which also underwent a proactive community consultation process, led him to take on the challenging site.

“When this opportunity became available, we immediately reached out to the Hampton Neighbourhood Association and to our project partners and started very intensely working through the challenges and opportunities for the site,” he says.

“What’s really important here is trust and authentic connection, and at the end of the day, a lot of developers wouldn’t have done what we have done because our core focus isn’t on margin. We want to develop places and homes of beauty that are going to add to the neighbourhood and environment.”

Built in collaboration with Eckerley, Vorhaben, Urban Planning Collective and 360 Property Group, Noetic Place is scheduled for completion in 2025.

Branko Miletic

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