Melbourne architects ClarkeHopkinsClarke have collaborated with a graphic designer for their latest multi-residential project and imagined a new apartment building facetted in prints of clouds and hot air balloons.
Situated at 8-10 New Street, Richmond, the site of a former hot air ballooning business, the new six-storey complex named Pica Apartments will house 19 apartments and have a ground floor café, but it’s the corner façade of the project that is the most unique element.
ClarkeHopkinsClarke Partner Toby Lauchlan explains that the design, which borrowed expertise from well-known graphic designer David Pidgeon, captures the history of the locale and takes a strategic approach to the site’s characteristics.
“There is a unique Melbourne story behind the building design. The built form reflects an abstracted interpretation of hot air balloons floating into the sky, creating a dynamic composition of geometric forms rising from the streetscape,” he said.
“Changes in urban density means we have an opportunity to develop this special site, just 1 km from the MCG, and integrating some historical references to the sites ballooning history is a great way for us to transform it into a vibrant community.”
Construction is expected to start in February 2015.
