A study in shifting urban scales, this medium-density mixed-use building in Abbottsford extrapolates the grid of Victorian row houses. We won the project as part of a design competition with our context-driven response.

The challenge was transitioning from a low-scale heritage zone to an 8 storey commercial building. Our design references the heritage and relatable scale of a Victorian terrace house. It then steps back following that familiar repetition - a move to make it feel part of the original.

The three-sided building is clad in dark green, which introduces a sense of nature at urban scale. For the entry, textured walls and tones draw a connection to Yarra Bend, Studley Park and the Fairfield Boathouse. We made the borrowed landscape work as hard as possible to connect inside and outside.