Development group Neometro has submitted plans for a collection of only 23 apartments in the heart of the vibrant Fitzroy neighbourhood, in collaboration with Melbourne architectural studio Edition Office.
The site at 450 Gore Street, between Brunswick Street and Smith Street, is located in a leafy residential pocket of Fitzroy, and has a distinct geometric form elevated by subtle sculptural detailing. Positioned alongside Victorian terraces, worker’s cottages and an established tree canopy, 450 Gore Street’s timeless design will complement its urban residential surroundings, with a material palette including raw concrete, coloured tactile bricks, clear fluted glass and deep forest green painted metal detailing.
The building features a carefully staggered facade, designed in line with detailed shadow analysis to maximise natural light into each building while protecting residents’ privacy. Giving way to deep private balconies, the unique design also affords each apartment direct access to outdoor space. Floor to ceiling windows offer impressive views out across the inner-north suburbs and towards Melbourne’s central business district, which will remain protected due to the location’s zoning rules.
The building’s ground floor apartments feature generous interior volumes, which actively engage with the street and are a natural evolution of Neometro’s loft typology in size and scale.
Offset railing and planters further enhance privacy between apartments, while adding foliage to each building level. At ground level, entry points will be mediated by private open spaces wrapped by high walls, designed to optimise both interior natural light and residents’ personal privacy.
The project marks a long-lasting connection between Neometro – a design-focused and purpose-driven development group – and the City of Yarra, where it has completed 10 projects, including its first-ever project, 35 years ago, 51 Little Smith Street in Fitzroy.
“Since 1985, we’ve worked to deliver better architectural outcomes for the City of Yarra. Our buildings are designed to provide for people over the course of their lives and our long-standing residents in this suburb are testament to the quality of Neometro homes,” says Jeff Provan, director, Neometro.
Edition Office, led by Aaron Roberts and Kim Bridgland, brings a multitude of experience to the Gore Street team with work that has been celebrated for its experimental approach to architecture, where attention to detail marries craft and sensitivity.
Neometro and Edition Office share a common language on form, texture and tactility preferring honest, modest, unpretentious and humble finishes.
“As our first project in collaboration with Edition Office, this building represents a new partnership founded on shared values and mutual respect. We are very pleased to be finally coming together, to create this stunning addition to Fitzroy and continue our long-lasting connection to the suburb,” says Lochlan Sinclair, director, Neometro.
“The architectural language of the existing industrial and post industrial buildings is strong horizontal banding often supported on large robust columns or piers. This defines the pedestrian experience and retail frontages along many of the streets and we feel is a detail worth celebrating. We have reinterpreted the recurring motif into a new design aesthetic. The banding becomes the mechanism through which to unite the site’s industrial heritage and Gore Streets’ residential fabric,” says Kim Bridgland, principal, Edition Office.
