Construction will soon begin on a new residential apartment project in Alexandria, Sydney featuring a unique design by Fox Johnston Architects.

Being developed by Amara Living, Amara Alexandria features a unique exoskeleton form that provides a deep noise buffer and abundant internal green spaces. Located just five kilometres from Sydney CBD, the project has received DA approval for 191 apartments in one, two, three and four-bedroom configurations, positioned around a central courtyard with a buzzing retail space on the ground floor. 

Fox Johnston won a major design excellence competition to design the new residential and mixed use project in Alexandria, competing with a number of leading architecture firms including Candelapas, SJB and DKO.

Fox Johnston conceptualised the building as an exoskeleton, which acts as a barrier to the outside, providing permeability both ways and allowing the interior to feed, flourish and nurture itself. The exoskeleton concept is a clever response to the dense inner city site located in a predominantly industrial area, bounded on one side by a high volume heavy traffic route, with three other diverse street frontages on the eastern, northern and southern sides.

Moving away from conventional design concepts, Fox Johnston has effectively turned the building inside out, providing lush green gardens, courtyards, balconies and maximum sunlight to each apartment from the inside, mitigating the effects of noise, pollution and traffic, and enhancing the sense of ‘place’ and community for its residents.