role Architecture, Interior Design
value $3.5 million
area 1570 m²
completed date 2005
client Synergy Estates Group Pty Ltd
Aria is a mixed-use development situated in Agnes Water, a 7km long peninsula that extends into the Coral Sea at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. The site is in a prime location that is designated as a tourist precinct and is one street away from the town centre and a short stroll to the beach.
As a mixed-use development, the building responds by providing retail and communal facility at ground level. Important to the design was the provision for spatial connection as future tenancies are likely to develop on adjacent sites. Additional three storeys comprising two and three bedroom units rise beyond the public space at ground level.
The building responds to an awkward and steep topography due to its beach proximity. It hinges to the site as a simple, geometric form and is defined by a central access core. Sheet cladding, off-form concrete and cedar panels have been employed as an external material palette that provides warmth and accentuates the building as a part of the landscape.
Internally, the apartments provide a visual extension to the surrounding environment. Breezeways, two-storey voids, internal and external terraces and plunge pools have been utilised to generate outdoor connectivity. The datum of treetop canopies has guided the overall building envelope. In referencing the canopy and the natural surroundings, the overall spatial experience is a building that is unfolding as part of the landscape.