Street to stalk, 627 Chapel Street walks the walk!
Fridcorp and Elenberg Fraser's third joint project within South Yarra's Forrest Hill Precinct looks set to produce arguably the area's most interesting building.
Interesting in that plans currently on display for 627 Chapel Street show a residential tower set above a street interface that shapes as being something unique to the area.
In a recent chat with Urban.com.au, Fridcorp founder and Director Paul Fridman outlined 627 Chapel Street's intentions of becoming a worthy conduit by way of meaningfully linking Chapel Street with the ever expanding residential population of Claremont Street and South Yarra Station beyond.
The tower itself has been inspired by the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, resulting in a sculptural building form layered with greenery that is expected to accommodate in excess of 450 dwellings.
627 Chapel Street application summary
- Application lodged June 2015 with a revision dated June 2016
- 1,529sqm site, currently inhabited by a commercial building
- Proposed 42 level tower at 133m
- 454 apartments: 147 x 1BR, 301 x 2BR, 6 x 3BR
- 3 retail tenancies at a combined 297sqm
- Public room: 292sqm
- 8 level basements for 286 vehicles and 130 bicycles
- Amenities: private dining and lounge, a sky bar and observatory, a meditative sky garden and a gymnasium incorporating a swimming pool
The glazed and balustraded finishes applied to 627 Chapel Street are contrasted by slithers of greenery. The scattered nature of each level's courtyards are tied together via vertical green gardens which accentuate the rippling nature of the design.
Residences are reinforced by three separate common areas over differing levels. Levels 1 and 16 host various amenities while level 40 hosts a north-facing private dining room.
The 'Public Room'
Coinciding with the application's semi-covered Public Plaza is the intended beautification of Daly Street. Elenberg Fraser and landscape architects 360 Degrees have taken a holistic approach to the tower's settings, resulting in a space dubbed the 'Public Room'.
The public room will become an active meeting place for pedestrians travelling up/down Chapel Street and through Forrest Hill to South Yarra Station. It will become a centre for public interaction.
A public art piece will mark Chapel Street's connection through to the Forrest Hill Precinct. This marker will enhance pedestrian corridors and position the Forrest Hill gateway as a primary thoroughfare through South Yarra, directing traffic to the future prospects at South Yarra Station.
Elenberg Fraser: Urban Context Report
Should 627 Chapel Street get the green light, both it and 16-22 Claremont Street will frame the Daly Street passage that leads to the heart of the Forrest Hill Precinct.
With Malaysian outfit Salcon Berhad revealed as the new purchaser of 16-22 Claremont Street last week, the prospect of South Yarra's two most ground level-inclusive developments rising in close proximity to one another is a very real possibility. While 627 Chapel Street sports the 'Public Room', 16-22 Claremont Street's best public asset will be a large through passage dubbed 'Claremont Plaza' as seen below.
On a wider note, 627 Chapel Street is the sixth residential development currently in play facing Chapel Street within the Forrest Hill Precinct. Of the six, both it and 671 Chapel Street are the two projects yet to receive planning approval.
627 Chapel Street development team
- Developer: Fridcorp
- Architects: Elenberg Fraser Architects
- Town planning: Meinhardt
- Traffic Engineers: One Mile Grid
- ESD report & services: Murchie Consulting
- Waste management plan: Leigh Desig
- Wind analysis: MEL Consultants
- Landscape plan: 360 Degrees
- Land survey: Bosco Jonson
- Structural Engineer: Webber Design