Assemble's Kensington's apartment development, 15 Thompson St. commences construction
Assemble, the developer on a mission to make thoughtfully designed homes, more accessible to more people, starts construction on its next Kensington apartment project.
Apartments will be offered via Assemble Futures, where residents can rent securely for five years, and then take up the option to buy their home.
MAKE - Assemble's parent company, spent $30 million on the site, which is the third project by the group in Kensington.
The project seeks to meet the needs of the local community, through the provision of accessible, sustainable, thoughtfully designed homes.
Designed by Hayball Architects, 15 Thompson St comprises of studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments across eight levels.
The building form is delivered across two conjoined buildings to enhance community connectedness.
“Wrapped in fluted textured pre-cast concrete façade, the built form celebrates the neighbourhood’s industrial past. Intricate brickwork, vertical steelwork and tactile materials create layers of textural detail to express the suburb’s rich history,” Hayball outlined.
The interior design of each apartment is focused on durability, functionality, and longevity, utilising high-quality materials that will last and wear well, as well as reducing the environmental impact.
“The outcome is driven by fundamental principles including an emphasis on internal amenity, privacy, light and air access, cross-ventilation to apartments, landscaped green spaces and with direct engagement between public and private space,” said Hayball.
15 Thompson Street is designed to encourage informal neighbourly connections with open-air walkways and stepped entries, along with a parcel room with cool store, an Amsterdam-inspired ramped bike storage facility, a lending library and a workshop.
The entire community will be connected through communal spaces located on both the ground level, as well as the rooftop, which also features a herb garden, sports courts, a dog park, a kid's play area, and a dining area with barbecues and a pizza oven.
Oculus contributed its landscaping expertise to the internal courtyard that will connect the project back to the wider Kensington community, which will include dedicated vegetable and edible gardens.
"Our focus centres around increasing ground plane permeability and amenity, providing borrowed views and creating seasonal change through planting for residents, neighbours and visitors,” Oculus noted.
Located only three kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD, the Kensington development offers the convenience of village shopping, with Macaulay station and Kensington station only a five-minute walk down the road, connecting residents to the city.
15 Thompson St. is the second Assemble Futures community to be developed in Kensington, following the success of 393 Macaulay Rd, which is due to open in the coming weeks.