Design-led developer Milieu’s most ambitious project to date comprises an exclusive neighbourhood on the fringe of the heritage-listed Rippon Lea Estate, designed by a multidisciplinary team of some the industry’s most celebrated collaborators.
Elsternwick Gardens is creative developer Milieu’s latest pursuit in Melbourne’s leafy south-east, comprising a collection of three thoughtfully designed buildings, interwoven with generous landscape and a vibrant arts and cultural program.
The site – a location of notable cultural significance – was the former home of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) studio, and the birthplace of series including Countdown, Seachange, Frontline, and Kath and Kim.
The Elsternwick Gardens site was previously part of Ripponlea Estate before it was acquired in 1956 to form the ABC studios – Australia’s first television production and broadcasting facility. As a nod to its former origins, nearly half the total area of the redeveloped site is reserved for landscaping, and residents will benefit from private access to the heritage-listed Rippon Lea Estate. The project will also include the creation of a new public park, with a section of the site gifted to Glen Eira City Council under the developer contributions scheme for public open space.
Scale model of Elsternwick Gardens. Photo: Gavin Green
Elsternwick Gardens display suite. Photo: Gavin Green
“As with all of Mileu’s endeavours, this project is underpinned by strong cultural associations, sensitivities to residential living, history of place, and environmental footprint,” says Woods Bagot Director Peter Miglis. “The site and the brief offered an interesting proposition: to create a community in a village-like setting within an urban oasis.”
The precinct architecture comprises a collection of medium-density pavilions, each with their own unique identity. By breaking up the architecture into human-scaled, mid-rise buildings, Woods Bagot has created an integrated neighbourhood with an innate sense of community that is embedded in the natural landscape.
The architecture is designed exclusively by Woods Bagot, with interior design by Woods Bagot, K.P.D.O. and Flack Studio. Landscape architecture and urban design is helmed by Oculus, and an art and cultural program is thoughtfully curated by Lou Weis and his team at Broached Commissions. March Studio is designing the “gatehouse pavilion”, which serves as a formal entrance threshold to the precinct.
Miglis says the architecture takes stylistic cues from mid-century modernism, incorporating simple and enduring materials like concrete and brickwork. “Melbourne’s inner south has some of the finest examples of mid-century modern architecture,” he says. “We drew on that rich tradition to deliver an architectural response that would complement the area and mirror the tranquil beauty of Rippon Lea Estate.”
Elsternwick Gardens comprises three discrete residential offerings – Gordon Place, Ripponlea Terrace, The Garden Pavilion – collectively making up 175 one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes integrated through considered landscape design.
Woods Bagot Senior Associate and project leader Laura Haywood says that across the precinct, each residence is crafted with its own curated aspect and bespoke feel, each building bestowed with its own unique arrival space and wayfinding strategy.
Acknowledging the social and cultural significance of the site, parts of the former studios, including the 25-metre broadcasting tower, will be retained as part of the precinct. “Drawing inspiration from cinematic traditions inspired by the legacy of the site, the idea is to create framed apertures over the gardens while harnessing the dynamic interplay of light and shadow,” says Haywood.
Framed apertures towards the north overlook the gardens in Rippon Lea Estate.
Woods Bagot Senior Associate and interior design leader Marcia Ascencio says the interior concept for Ripponlea Terrace was bringing the outdoors in through the incorporation of warm natural stone, timbers and honest materials.
“For the interior concept, we took an ‘inside out’ approach, bringing influences of the natural local surroundings into the scheme of the residences,” says Ascencio. “The interiors provide an elevated canvas for refined materiality and spatial planning that maximises framed views to the gardens, celebrating the landscape and forging a greater connection with Country and place.”
“Mid-century architecture promoted the use of natural materials,” adds Miglis. “We’ve used this as a prompt in how we’ve layered architecture and interiors to create a seamless relationship between both.”
Residents will benefit from private access to the heritage-listed Rippon Lea Estate.
Milieu Director and Head of Development Shannon Peach says the design team has achieved a truly special residential offering that is deeply embedded in site and community.
“The design team has delivered on our brief for a more relatable and European style of residential development — low-rise housing surrounded by nature, yet accessible to local high streets, the CBD and Melbourne’s beautiful bays.”
In keeping with Milieu’s urban development philosophy, Elsternwick Gardens is a thoughtful residential project deeply informed by its surroundings. Milieu says the development will be “integrated, sustainable and culturally responsive”, using principles of biophilia and passive design to foster wellbeing through generous space.
For apartment sales information visit the Milieu website.
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